Best Places to Stay in Maine with Kids

A family trip to Maine is one of the easier vacations to plan well and one of the harder ones to plan badly. Pick a rental that’s walking distance to the main thing you came for — a beach, a lake, a ski slope — and the trip works. Pick one that requires loading three kids back in the car after every activity and you’ll remember the trip as logistics. Here are five Maine rentals that pass the walk-to test, along with two that justify the drive.

What Makes a Great Maine Family Rental

Walk to the activity — if you can get to the beach, the lake, or the lift on foot with a stroller, you’ve already won. Bunk-room or multi-bedroom layout — kids in their own space equals sleep for everyone. Real kitchen — restaurant fatigue is real on day four. Yard or outdoor space — essential for rainy-day cabin fever.

Where to Go by Age

Toddlers and preschool: Old Orchard Beach — flat sand, shallow tide pools, Palace Playland walking distance.

Elementary: The Belgrade Lakes — swimming, paddling, fishing, and no waves.

Middle school and up: Sunday River in summer — mountain biking, alpine slide, pool.

Five of the Best Places to Stay in Maine with Kids

1. Little Miss Cottages — Two Bedroom Cottage (Old Orchard Beach)

• Best for: young-kid beach trips
• Town: Old Orchard Beach
• Price tier: $$

Little Miss Cottages is the ideal small-footprint family rental — one-level, walkable beach, and a cottage-colony feel that kids remember. Short walk to Palace Playland and the pier.

• Walk to the beach and OOB pier
• Simple one-level layout
• Cottage-colony vibe

2. Tideside House — 4BR Walk to Beach (Old Orchard Beach)

• Best for: larger families or two-family trips
• Town: Old Orchard Beach
• Price tier: $$$

Four bedrooms, a real yard, and a walk to the beach. Tideside is the “pool of kids under one roof” house — the parents get a kitchen and couches, the kids get a bunk situation.

• Four bedrooms
• Walk to the beach
• Yard for rainy-day energy

3. Heart of Old Orchard — 2BR Walk to Beach & Pier

• Best for: a smaller family who wants the busy part of OOB
• Town: Old Orchard Beach
• Price tier: $$

Right in the middle of the OOB scene — two bedrooms, walk to everything kids want (pier, beach, Palace Playland). The most kid-energy location in Maine.

• Central OOB location
• Two bedrooms
• Walk to Palace Playland

4. Epic Group Getaway — Outdoor Kitchen + Saltwater Pool (Bethel)

• Best for: summer family reunions or two-family trips in the mountains
• Town: Bethel
• Price tier: $$$$

A saltwater pool changes everything for a summer family trip in the mountains. The kids swim while the adults prep dinner at the outdoor kitchen; everyone wins.

• Saltwater pool
• Outdoor kitchen
• Near Sunday River’s summer amenities

5. The Tipsy Moose — Ayuh Lakeside Lodge (Mount Vernon)

• Best for: classic Maine summer-camp week for kids
• Town: Mount Vernon
• Price tier: $$

This is the Maine summer of your memory — dock, kayaks, no waves, low cell service, and kids who build forts instead of refreshing iPads. The pace of a lake trip is the whole point.

• Private lake frontage
• Calm-water swimming for all ages
• Paddle, fish, read

Plan Your Trip

Best beach for toddlers?

Old Orchard Beach — long flat sand, tide pools at low tide.

No-waves option?

The Belgrade Lakes.

Rainy-day backup near OOB?

Funtown Splashtown (25 min), Maine Aquarium (20 min), Portland Children’s Museum (35 min).

Keep planning: explore Old Orchard Beach, the Maine coast, or Maine region guide.

Looking for the right rental or considering hosting?

Whether you’re planning a stay or thinking about putting your own Maine home on the market, Everrow can help. Browse our curated collection of vetted rentals, or learn how our full-service management turns the right property into a reliable year-round business.