Staying in Portland with little kids

Hello, I am from the Boston area in MA. We have rented a place in South Portland for the week 9/1 to 9/8. My kids will be 3 and 5 and I am bringing my 60something parents along as well. We have the Portland children%26#39;s Museum as a rainy day placeholder. The Maine Narrow Gauge Railway looks good. And a trip to LL Bean is in the works.

What else do you suggest? I%26#39;d like to keep any day trips under an hour each way. If we do a trip to an island, which do you suggest? What makes one island stand out from another?

My older son%26#39;s Bday is 9/1, any place we can go for dinner that is extra special?

The boys are the typical plane/trains/auto freaks and my Mom, Dad and I love garden%26#39;s and wildlife. Any good whale watch/seal watch that you would think safe to have a short, excited 3 year old on?

Lastly and most important...LOBSTER. I want to wear a bib and get dirty with out having to worry about the kids breaking glasses or wrinkling the table cloth. :) You know what I mean. Thanks for your advice and suggestions!

Staying in Portland with little kids

Two Lights State Park has a nice lobster shack on the water...but while you eat, someone in your party will have to watch the kids as they%26#39;ll just want to roam the rocks looking for starfish and shells.

Staying in Portland with little kids

Go to Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth and fly kites. The famous Portland Head Light is there as well.

Great ideas! Thank you. I think our house is very close to the light houses, maybe even walking distance. I%26#39;ll have to remember to pack our kite. Is there a cool place to buyone in the area or should I pick up another before we go?

Great kites at Sky Toys in the Old Port area of Portland - on Fore Street....just across the bridge from SoPo. Sounds like you%26#39;ll be in my ';hood';, we live in SoPo- one mile from the Portland Headlight (which is actually in Cape Elizabeth).

Great! Thank you. We are very excited about our location and all it has to offer.

Does anyone have an opinion on the different islands? Is there enough to keep a non beach fmaily busy out there for a day? What about fishing? My dad loves to fish and my son%26#39;s would like a go with him. Do they need fishing licenses? Can they rent kiddie poles some where?

Also, birthday dinner for a 5 year old? Any suggestions that will make him feel super special. Car, train or boat theme would be cool too.

THANKS as always for fabulous advice.

You do not need a license for salt-water fishing. I am not recommending this company since I have no experience with them, but as it is in South Portland, it should give you some reference on fishing charters.

http://www.gofishmaine.com/

Peaks Island is the easiest to get to: http://www.peaksisland.com/

Here is the ferry schedule: http://www.peaksisland.com/ferry.html

It leaves from the pier near the Narrow Gauge RR, so you could probably do both that day.

On the island you can rent bikes, hike around and eat at several restaurants.

What hotel are you staying at in South Portland? It%26#39;s not easy to walk around that area.

Northern Sky Toyz is closed, unfortunately. A real shame, too, they had the coolest kites!

There really isn%26#39;t anything to do on the islands other than walk/bike around or go to the beach. (That%26#39;s why we love %26#39;em!) There%26#39;s no amusements per se, and the only one with family-type restaurants at the moment is Peaks Island. If you%26#39;re not interested in spending the day at a beach (Long Island has the most beautiful, unspoiled one in the State IMO), you can just take the ferry ride to get out on the water and see the islands from the boat. Trips would range from 1 (Peaks Island and back) to 4 hours (Cliff Island and back), depending on which island it goes to. Schedules at cascobaylines.com, or feel free to ask specific questions.

Whale watches might be too long for kids that age, but there are several wonderful seal watch/harbor cruise boats, all located on Commercial St in Portland. They all know what they%26#39;re doing, and kids of all ages enjoy themselves. Lucky Catch is a lobster boat that in addition to a harbor cruise, you get to see how lobsters are caught, etc. Small children fine, also. http://www.luckycatch.com/shipinfo/index.html

In the same area with these boats is Portland Lobster Co, exactly what you%26#39;re looking for in the bibs and paper plate style. There are lots and lots of place like it, and another is The Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth, as mentioned. You%26#39;re bound to have at least a couple great days while here, and plan to spend part of them wandering Portland%26#39;s waterfront and Old Port district. Everyone will enjoy!

For his birthday? Old Orchard Beach! Talk about honky tonk - fried dough, temporary tattoo, ferris wheel, noise, lights. A five-year-old will think he%26#39;s in heaven, and the adults will laugh at the old time ridiculousness of it all.

Do you mind saying where the house you%26#39;re renting is? The location in So. Portland may lead me to offer a couple more suggestions...there is one area of town that offers several terrific sites withing walking distance.

I think the exact address is on my home computer which I can%26#39;t access from here but the description on the website is:

';This Willard Beach carriage house blends contemporary amenities with old-world charm in a friendly, seaside neighborhood community. It boasts the ideal location for an unforgettable Maine vacation: just a 5-10 minute walk from one of southern Maine%26#39;s most beautiful beaches, this vacation home is also perfectly situated between Portland%26#39;s famous Old Port district (an 8-minute drive) and Cape Elizabeth%26#39;s spectacular Fort Williams State Park, home to Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the United States (within walking distance just 1 mile away).

The owner converted the property carriage house into a vacation rental unit. Looks really cute.

Thank you all for your great ideas. The seal cruises and lobster cruise would work well for us. Thank you for that info. Lots of good stuff. Keep the ideas coming if you have them. Also, as much as I don%26#39;t want to spend my vacation at the playground, my boys LOVE them. If there are any really unique playgrounds in the area, I%26#39;d love to be aware of them. Thanks again.

Would 21 Coolidge St make sense for the above description? I looked up the landlord%26#39;s name and I think she lives on the property. It sounds familiar.