My family and I vacationed at Acadia during July and August. We chose Blackwoods because of its location within Acadia. It's close to many of the more popular attractions - Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, and Cadillac Mountain. There is a shuttle stop not too far from the camp entrance.

The campground was pretty typical for a car-camp campground. Cleared areas for camping, fire pits, and picnic tables at each site. There are communal bathrooms, but the shower facilities are about a mile from the camp entrance and the showers run on quarters. Note: the showers can get pretty crowded at peak times (mid morning and late afternoon), so be prepared to wait. There is firewood for sale at stores close to the campgrounds.

Overall, we enjoyed camping there. The only part of the experience we didn't like was how close the individual campsites were to each other. It was pretty easy to overhear the conversation of others and a surprising number of people brought televisions, which we thought tainted our attempt to 'get off the grid' for awhile.

We had planned to spend half our time at the campground and the other half at a bed and breakfast in Bar Harbor. This turned out to be a good idea, because the proximity of the camp sites and the shower set up ended up being a bit much for us after a week.

Despite those limitations, we had a fun time. As mentioned, the campground is in the middle of the park, so it takes little time getting to the activities the family wanted to participate in.

Make sure you reserve a space (1-800-365-226) early, as they fill up quickly.

Don't forget the s'mores!

This is a great market that has been gaining popularity for years. In addition to great seasonal produce and local meats, there are vendors selling fresh baked goods (including some awesome donuts), coffee, crafts and small hand-made furniture. It's a great place to see some interesting things. But be warned, this is a popular destination on Saturday mornings and can get quite crowded. Better to go early (i.e., 7am) than later in the morning.

I am a long-time Cowboy fan, and I was excited when the new stadium was completed. I even contemplated taking my family to see a game when we were in Texas on our vacation...until I checked the ticket prices. For the game in question (division game, end of October), the remaining seats were up near the top of the stadium in the corner of the end zone and were going for $108 + tax each. Add the cost of transportation, food and lodging and our family of four was quickly out of our budget. I'm going to see a game in the stadium some day, but not anytime soon.

For families with children who are old enough to spend a few hours outside, Klockner field is a nice place to go. One side of the field is lined with fan seating consisting of aluminium bleachers, while the other side is a grass-covered hill with enough elevation that people in back can still see the field. Single game ticket prices for both soccer and lacrosse are reasonably priced, but can be hard to come by late in the season if the teams are doing well.

For families with children who are old enough to sit through some or all of a baseball game, it's hard to beat this place for entertainment value. The staff at the stadium are some of the most pleasant we have encountered at any of the sporting venues in town and the ticket prices are incredibly reasonable. There are day games as well as evening games, so everyone's schedule can be accommodated. The concession prices are marked up as you would expect, but we bring our snacks in the gear bag in order to cut down on some of the costs. Although the stadium plays some music between innings, we haven't found the atmosphere to be as frenzied as the football game, where the goal seems to be fill every non-play moment with as much noise or chatter as possible.