Acadia National Park

This is a chapter on Acadia National Park, Maine, for people who are planning to visit.

Acadia National Park

Maine

 

            Acadia National Park is a beautiful retreat to enjoy vacation with the family this year. Its attractive scenery and rugged coastline offers it up as an appealing location for everyone. There are lots of things for everyone to enjoy while staying here, and since this park was the first national park east of the Mississippi River, there is a lot of history here as well.

 

When to go

 

Acadia National Park is open all year round, but most of its facilities close for the winter. Most of the roads, museums, camping grounds, and visitor centers are only open spring through fall. Of course, some of the attractions are still open, but for the winter campground you would need a special permit.

 

Where to stay

 

Of course, there are some campground options while visiting Acadia National Park. Besides the two campgrounds and a primitive campground, there are no other lodging options available within the park. There are, however, several small towns nearby that offer lodging.

 

What to do

 

There are plenty of fun and exciting things to do during your stay at the park. One fun thing you should check out is the Islesford Historical Museum. It is on Little Cranberry Island, so it is a fun place to visit while exploring the Cranberry Islands. This museum exhibits the life of the people who used to live on these islands. It is also fun because you can only get to this attraction by boat. The park also offers ranger led tours, with a stop here at the museum. Another place to visit is the Wild Gardens of Acadia. In less than one acre, you can witness many of the different plant communities in Acadia.

 

There are many activities for the outdoorsmen here at the park. Bicycling, boating, fishing, bird watching, hiking, climbing, and horseback riding are a few of the fun activities. You can also participate in the EarthCache Program, which is a lot like geo-caching. Armed with your GPS, you can travel around the park following clues that will lead you to some of the park’s most geologically important sites. They also have a variety of winter activities, including cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, scenic driving, and dog sledding. Some couples even get married here, with the natural beauty of the park as the setting.

 

In addition to the Islesford Historical Museum, there is also Abbe Museum and the visitor centers if you need some indoor activities. You can also join the Senior Ranger Program if you are 18 or older. Some of the activities here are indoor activities.

 

For the kids, there is also a Junior Park Ranger program. The park also offers programs just for children that allow a more hands on experience for them. Ranger narrated boat cruises are also a lot of fun for the kids. On the cruises, you can touch real sea life and have fun searching for seals and birds! There are also two sandy beaches that are fun for the whole family, Sand Beach and Echo Lake Beach.

 

Other things you should know

 

·         Pets are allowed in the park, to a certain extent. There are about one hundred miles of trails that they can go on, and the two main campgrounds permit them. Service animals, of course, are permitted to go anywhere with their owner.

·         There is a restaurant at the park that serves lunch, tea, and dinner from mid-May through late October.

·         Rain is common in the park. Fog is also very common in the summer.

·         Check out the official website of the park, for detailed information, opening/closing dates, special events, and more!

 

 

 

Author's Note

I have always had a problem overusing commas...please pay special attention to those, and let me know if I'm misusing them!

Reviews

[Jessi Berlasty]

I would use "there" instead of "here." "Check out the official website of the park,(No comma here) for detailed information"

I'd take out the "There are" and "There is." It would work better flow-wise. Instead of "Of course, there are some campground options while visiting Acadia National Park. Besides the two campgrounds and a primitive campground, there are no other lodging options available within the park. There are, however, several small towns nearby that offer lodging." Go with something along the lines of "Of course, campgrounds will be available during your visit to Acadia National Park. Three separate campgrounds reside on the grounds, but if you are not one to become one with nature during the nighttime, several small towns nearby have lodges that suit your needs" This way it doesn't sound like a list.

Also, you could bulk this up A LOT. You talk about the "great geographic locations," but what are they? Talk about why this park is famous and what there is to see. You could also promote small bed and breakfast places in the small towns. What is there to do in the surrounding areas? What does the coast look like? Talk more about the weather, slap some facts in there. Make me want to go there. I have a cliff, river, and woods in my backyard. What makes this place so special? Sell it!

[Vanessa Rico]

LOL for the commas, I will let Jessi, the self-proclaimed, yet fitting title of "Queen of Commas" deal with that. She is much better than I am at catching those pesky commas. I am the exact opposite of you, I do not use them enough!

"There are lots of things for everyone to enjoy while staying here, and since this park was the first national park east of the Mississippi River, there is a lot of history here as well." I think you should replace the ", and" with a semicolon, which I think will make the sentence flow more smoothly.


"Besides the two campgrounds and a primitive campground" Since you described one of the campgrounds as primitive, I think it would make more sense to describe the other two such as using the words modern or something like that.

I did notice that you used the word "fun" alot...maybe use another word to describe everything. I know I also have the tendency to repeat words, so I understand how easy it is to forgot the overuse of the word.

I love the fact that you reference geo-cashing, which I just learned about the other day by watching Law and Order: SVU, and it seems quite interesting to try out!

All in all, a well written description that made me want to visit Acadia National Park, which is obviously the intent! Great job! Let me know when you have the next chapter up!