The Maine Adventure
Eight Amazing Days
June 16 - 23, 2024
Enrollment Is Open
Enrollment is open. We are limiting this trip to 11 boys and four adults.
Click here for the application.
Enrollment is open. We are limiting this trip to 11 boys and four adults.
Click here for the application.
Love it or hate it, but all boys will get a chance to enjoy a lobster dinner. Or, they can pick something else, But you can't come to Maine without at least the option.
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This will be our sixth trip to Maine. There's a reason we keep returning. It's one of our favorite destinations.
We will fly into Portland and stay there the first night and the last two nights of the trip. We'll be in Bar Harbor for the other four nights. Check over the activities on this page and then go to "more to know" for additional information about how the program works. We've picked high-interest activities that boys have enjoyed on past Maine adventures...and as always we have added a few new twists. |
Note on Enrollment:
We're holding enrollment to a small and manageable number. If you're interested in grabbing a place, you should inquire or sign up now. There's always a chance someone will drop out, so we'll add you to the waitlist once enrollment is full.
Get ready for an amazing experience. Each day is totally different than any of the others.
Ask anyone who has been on a MindStretch Travel Adventures trip and you'll quickly realize that no two days are alike. That's one of the advantages of a travel camp. There is no routine. We don't even eat meals at the same time, and other than breakfast, our other meals are usually eaten at a different restaurant each time. We are no ordinary camp. Some of the differences include motel beds with private baths (as opposed to a cabin with 8 or more boys and a shared bath), a swimming pool (instead of a lake), and restaurants where you get to choose from the menu (instead of a mess hall). And instead of 250 boys, this trip will have fewer than a dozen. It adds up to a whole new experience.
What will we do for fun?
Below you'll find some of the planned activities we'll be squeezing into our trip. There could always be changes. Sometimes weather will mean we have to switch something for another adventure...but usually what we list here will be the activities we'll be enjoying.
Kayaking on Frenchmen Bay
in Bar Harbor
in Bar Harbor
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We'll take sea kayaks out in Frenchman's Bay which skirts Mt. Desert Island, home of Bar Harbor. Here's a chance to see the bay from a different perspective and get a chance to see eagles and other wildlife. The trip is expertly led by professional guides.
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The group in 2019. They were just as happy when the kayaking experience was over as they were when it started. It was a great day!
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Biking on the Carriage Roads in Acadia National Park
We'll bike a few of the 45 miles of broken-stone carriage paths that cross a portion of Acadia National Park. Our trip will be guided by an outfitter.
These paths are closed to motorized traffic, and will take us around lakes, to vistas, and through the forests of the Park. 
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Sailing in Casco Bay out of Portland
We'll board a sailboat for a two-hour tour around Casco Bay during our stay in Portland. Boys will have a chance to hoist the sails and get the schooner ready for our trip. Depending on the captain's needs, they might get pressed into other chores.
This was the boat we sailed the last time we were here in 2019.
Some of our group before boarding our sailboat in 2019, our last trip to Maine. Two of these guys might be with us again in 2024.
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A little ice cream after our sailing excursion is always a nice treat.
Casco Bay
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Touring Acadia National Park
The bay as seen from atop Cadillac Mountain.
Boys celebrating reaching the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Actually, it's not that hard.
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We'll be taking a tour of Acadia National Park including hiking up Cadillac Mountain to get an amazing view of the bay around the Park. We'll make a stop at Thunder Hole and see if we can time our visit to see how the tide pops into a cove to make a sound similar to thunder. We can't attest to this as we always seem to get there at the wrong time. Just the same, it's an experience - another "adventure."
Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park
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Some of our other Adventures...
Is there time for anything else? Of course, what did you expect? Our unofficial motto has always been, "Every day is an adventure." That is definitely true in a MindStretch Travel Adventures program where every day is different.
We'll spend a couple of hours on some of the high ropes adventure course and a zipline at Monkey C Monkey Do in Wiscasset, ME. Boys have enjoyed testing their climbing skills and conquering their possible fear of heights on these aerial adventure courses over the past several years.
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Only on a few occasions have boys been locked up during of our trips. This was at Pirate's Cove, a miniature golf course where we'll enjoy a little friendly competition.
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Miniature Golf is one of those activities we'll throw in as a filler. We do spice up the game with some prize money...but it's all just for fun.
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Candlepins is something most boys have never heard of and certainly not played before. It is form of bowling that is unique to certain parts of the country - mainly New England and the maritime provinces of Canada. The ball is more the size of a large grapefruit, and there are no finger holes. You just roll the ball down the alley as best you can. But the differences don't stop there. Three rolls make up a frame and the pins that get knocked down with the first one or two balls stay in place. So, it's possible to use that to your advantage to knock the rest of your pins down. It is definitely a New England experience!
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People have been flocking to Canobie Lake Park for over a century. It's an amusement park, and while everything has been updated over the decades...it has the feel of stepping back in time. We'll actually have to travel a little ways into New Hampshire to get here, but it will be worth the drive from Portland. They even have a water park. You can learn more about Canobie Lake with this link.
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We might get a chance to stop at the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor. Boys can explore every imaginable land vehicle including military jeeps, full-size train cars, and antique snow plows. If it rolls, they have it.
No trip through Maine would be complete if we didn't stop at the flagship store for LL Bean. Boys could spend hours here (if you give them your credit card), but our stop will be more like an hour or so. |
Perry's Nut House is...well, kind of hard to describe. Let's just say it's one of those roadside attractions we all love to hate. Plenty of goodies inside.
Our motels will have pools. The motel in Bar Harbor also boasts other activities such as badminton, bocce, and slack lining.
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Everyone will get an opportunity to have a lobster dinner if they wish. Or, something else. You choose all your own foods on our trips.
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Can there be anything else?
Of course. For sure, boys will get a couple of opportunities to explore the shops in downtown Bar Harbor. It's similar to being free to roam Manitou Springs like we did this summer in Colorado. And we always find other things to do. There's a chance we'll stop at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath if the timing is right.
All of these activities are planned. Please note that things can change because of weather or other circumstances out of our control that might necessitate a change to something else. But for sure...you'll have fun.
Of course. For sure, boys will get a couple of opportunities to explore the shops in downtown Bar Harbor. It's similar to being free to roam Manitou Springs like we did this summer in Colorado. And we always find other things to do. There's a chance we'll stop at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath if the timing is right.
All of these activities are planned. Please note that things can change because of weather or other circumstances out of our control that might necessitate a change to something else. But for sure...you'll have fun.
If you're ready for this adventure, click the links below to get started.
Enrollment is limited and openings won't last long.
Enrollment is limited and openings won't last long.