Young family campers discover a cool cave in Acadia National ParkEach day, families will participate in guided activities including the following:
- An orientation and geological introduction to Acadia National Park
- Naturalist guided ecology hike
- Tide pool walk
- Owl presentation with Grayson Richmond of Birdsacre — Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary
- An evening with Tony Sohns, the “Bug Man”
- Diver Ed’s Dive-In Theater cruise
- Acadian Boat Tours — your choice of a Nature Cruise or 1/2 Day Fishing Trip
- Nature arts and crafts for the artist in your family
- Visit COA’s Dorr Museum of Natural History anytime you want!
- Opening and closing activities
Children exploring tide pools at Family Nature CampIn addition, when you arrive at COA, you’ll have the option of signing up for additional activities, all included in the cost of registration:
- Sunset visit to the top of Cadillac Mountain
- Early morning bird walk with local ornithologist and naturalist, Rich MacDonald of The Natural History Center
- Assemble the bones of a real Minke whale skeleton
- “Catch and release” insect hunt
Kayaking at Family CampAll of the field trips, presentations, and boat cruises listed above are included in the cost of your Family Nature Camp registration. A more detailed description of each of these field trips and presentations can be found in the pdf files below.
Free time can be spent socializing with other families, visiting Bar Harbor or exploring other areas of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park. You may use your own vehicle or the Island Explorer, a free, island-wide shuttle making daily stops at the College of the Atlantic campus approximately every 15 minutes. If you and your family plan a day-long outing, the dining hall will make sure you have a delicious bag lunch to take with you.
Optional Additional Boat Trips ($)
If you wish, you may compliment the scheduled field trips with up to two additional boat trips, offered to you at special discounted rates through Family Nature Camp. These include guided kayak tours, a schooner cruise on the Margaret Todd, a whale-watching or puffin expedition with the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company, and the Bass Harbor Nature Cruise or Frenchboro trips offered through Bass Harbor Island Cruises.
For more information, click below to download the following pdf files: