By: Jessica DiRamio
My family and I just returned from a fun-filled trip to Maine – and I’m just busting at the seams to tell everyone I know about a place that I fell in love with, but had never been to before! Our vacation started with a night on the Portland Waterfront. My husband and I loved it there! With a bunch of yummy seafood restaurants, quaint shops, and great sight-seeing, this is a spot I’d like to visit again – without the kids. My kids were a little bored with all of the walking around, so luckily this wasn’t the only thing this smart Mom had planned for vacation!
Day two was an early start as we headed 15 minutes south of Portland to Saco. Funtown/Splashtown USA was on the agenda and we planned to make t
he most of the day by arriving as they opened. Apparently, other Moms had the same plan because we were greeted by about 100 other people waiting before 10 a.m. Yikes! Already almost 90 degrees, I listened to a lot of whining and did some myself while we waited for our turn to get tickets. {Note to self – order tickets online next time to breeze right through the lines.}
The wait was well worth it, though, because Funtown/Splashtown USA was a blast! Smaller than Water Country in New Hampshire, but certainly enough for the kids to enjoy, we stayed at the waterpark for 8 hours and were some of the last people to leave the park at closing! The only downside to our day was the fact that admission to the amusement park side is a separate cost and because of the heat, we chose not to visit that side. So I heard a lot of requests throughout the day from my kids to go on the rollercoasters, etc. Next time we visit (and there will definitely be a next time), I think I will buy a combo admission and plan to change into regular clothes to play at the park at night when it’s cooler.
Our final day of vacation included a trip to Old Orchard Beach. Why hasn’t anyone told me about how awesome this place is? I’ve been on a mission to find a vacation spot similar to Nantasket Beach in the 80s, when Paragon Park was there, and OOB is IT! I am absolutely in love with the area and so are my kids! We hung at the beach for most of the day, had lunch on the historical Pier, and then walked around a bit. Although we didn’t visit it, New England’s last beach front amusement park Palace Playland looks like a ton of fun and we will definitely put it on our ‘to-do’ list for the next visit. OOB is my new favorite summer spot!
As you can tell from my enthusiastic post, I highly recommend visiting this area of Maine. My kids, because of their ages, have varying interests, and these places were a hit with all of them, even my teenager. We loved it so much; our reservations for a few days in August are already booked!
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