York Beach Maine, A Great Escape Travel Families.com

York Beach Maine, A Great Escape

York Beach, Maine is one of my favorite vacation spots. It’s an hour from Boston, easy to find (off Route 1) and it’s a family friendly town with tons to do. It’s such a charming place, you’ll forget all about home once you arrive. Just park your car at the hotel and it might be days before you climb back in it again.

I highly recommend, The Union Bluff Hotel that sits atop a hill with stunning views of the sea. The staff is friendly and there’s a restaurant on the first floor with a pub. You can choose the main hotel or the separate building (we haven’t stayed there but heard good reports). Inside the Bluff, you can choose a room that offers a fireplace or a Jacuzzi with a television in the bathroom. My 3 ½ year old loves that tub at the end of a fun, hot day.
If you decide to do a day trip instead of staying at a hotel (where parking is included) be prepared to bring quarters for the parking meters. There is also Long Sands Beach, Passaconaway and Harbor Beach. My family tends to stay at Short Sands Beach because that’s where many of our favorite shops are.

Don’t miss these fun stops:

• Short Sands Beach. Not only is the beach super close to the parking lot, handy with tired kids, but it’s next to Fun-O-Rama, an open air arcade.

• My son is fond of saying that the playground is awesome. Also located on Short Sands Beach.

• Maine’s largest Zoo and Amusement park, York Animal Kingdom. If you walk through York Beach, you will find the entrance at the end of the street. Say hi to the white Bengal tiger for us.

• Goldenrod’s Restaurant. They serve delicious food, ice cream and salt water taffy that you can buy after watching it being stretched a mile long.

• Nubble Lighthouse (also called Cape Neddick 1879. You can’t actually tour the Lighthouse but you can stand at Sohier Park and take great photos.

Upcoming York/York Beach events include:

Christmas in July on Sunday, July 30th. You can see the Nubble Lighthouse as it appears during Christmas, all lit up. The Seacoast Wind Ensemble will be performing.

York Days Craft Fair is Saturday and Sunday, August 5th and 6th.

If you love history, you must visit York during the Harvest Fest in October. We’ve gone two years in a row and it’s wonderful. **Be aware the hotels do get booked fast. ** During October Fest, you can take a free trolley from York Beach to York. York boasts an old jail cell that is very creepy and full of rich stories. Tours are only a few dollars and well worth it. Also you might tour old buildings and then once outside, peel an apple for cider. It’s a long process for a bit of juice, let me tell you! Residents dress in Colonial clothes which adds to the fun and there’s always a great raffle contest. And don’t forget the craft tents, art exhibits and a huge food tent where local restaurants offer tastes of apple crunch pie, clam chowder and other savory dishes. Plus there’s a large antique car show that takes place in the parking lot of Short Sands Beach. Have fun.

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