Picking up where we left off at Seawall: that same night at high tide, the waves were putting on a full show. The kids were wide-eyed, the sunset was unreal, and of course, we left damp because apparently no one in our family can watch the ocean without wearing some of it home. From there, we made it to Thunder Hole at high tide — and yes, it really does sound like thunder. (Also yes, we got wet again. Sensing a theme here?) We hiked the Bowl Trail, skirting around the Beehive, which gave us some incredible views without having to risk our lives climbing cliffs with three kids in tow. Then we struck gold at a restaurant that had raw oysters for us and a kids’ menu — rare, magical, and everyone ate without complaint. A true Acadia miracle. We stepped back in time at the Carroll Homestead, then checked out Schoodic Point where the waves were on another level — dramatic, crashing, and worth every second. Like true New Englanders, we also made the pilgrimage to the L.L. Bean outlet because… tradition. The Sea Princess cruise promised seals; we got a brief cameo from two of them before they disappeared like, “That’s enough for today.” Luckily the ride itself was still beautiful, so we’ll call it a win. Now we’re on our way home: dreaming of real showers, facing a mountain of laundry that should honestly count as its own hike, returning to a house mid-dormer renovation, and oh yeah — school starts Monday. Because why ease back in when you can dive straight into chaos? Acadia, you gave us snails, thunder, oysters, waves, seals (kind of), and memories we’ll be laughing about for a long time. Family of five: survived and thriving… mostly 🌊🦪🦭 ⸻ acadianationalpark maineadventures visitmaine familytravel travelwithkids familyvacation housealadventures adventurewithkids traveljournal familyof5 eastcoasttravel familyoutdoors hikingwithkids kidsinnature travelmemories seawall thunderhole schoodicpoint thebowltrail beehiveacadia oysterlovers rawoysters sealcruise llbean newenglandlife getoutside familyadventures coastalviews chaoticmagic travelstories