Bar Harbor/Acadia Recommendations

[husky429]

Going to Bar Harbor with my wife and the dog for 4 days over the weekend.

Need recommendations for food, stuff to do, things to see, anything but where to stay because the hotel is booked.

Thanks ya'll!

 

[mussels]

Bring your bikes or rent them, and ride around the perimeter of the park and then on the carriage paths. My wife and I did this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. They say that the top of Cadillac Mountain is the first place the sun strikes in the continental US. I have lights for my bike, so I figured I'd ride up and be the first guy in the US to see the sun rise. Picture below is what I saw as I approached the summit maybe 20 minutes before sunrise. (guess I wasn't the only guy with this idea)

 

[Hi-Low]

Acadia National Park obviously....right there. Plenty to see and do to fill a day. I imagine it will be crowded over the holiday weekend so try and book Cadillac Mountain Summit Drive in advance. Jordan Pond House "tea & popovers" on the lawn is popular and you can bring the dog since outside...make a reservation if can otherwise will be a wait, trails around the pond as well.

This is a fun hike from dowtown Bar Harbor to Bar Island with the dog....just have to time it right with tides. Hike Bar Island Trail (U.S. National Park Service)

Southwest Harbor is cool town on quieter side of Mt Desert Island.

 

[8893]

Bring your bikes or rent them, and ride around the perimeter of the park and then on the carriage paths. My wife and I did this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. They say that the top of Cadillac Mountain is the first place the sun strikes in the continental US. I have lights for my bike, so I figured I'd ride up and be the first guy in the US to see the sun rise. Picture below is what I saw as I approached the summit maybe 20 minutes before sunrise. (guess I wasn't the only guy with this idea)

View attachment 76516

Yeah, biking on the carriage paths there is awesome. Definite must-do.

 

[runner11]

I had a really good time biking at the Schoodic Peninsula and then grabbing good bar food with locals at The Pickled Wrinkle. All in Winter Harbor. Havana is supposed to be a great farm to table restaurant in Bar Harbor. I haven’t been but I know the farmers who they get their stuff from and it’s the highest of quality.

 

[CL82]

They say that the top of Cadillac Mountain is the first place the sun strikes in the continental US.

I believe that is Mount Katahdin even though it is further west.

But you did use the qualifier “ they say”. You are right, it’s often said that Cadillac Mountain is the first place the sun hits on the continental US because it is the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard. Katahdin though is higher though and the sunrise hits it a couple of minutes earlier. That said, there’s no road to the top of Katahdin, and the weather there is often cloudy, so I guess you can argue that the first place a person could see the sunrise would be Cadillac Mountain.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

If you need a pit stop on the way, stop by Camden for a coffee or lunch. I love it up there, have a blas!

I haven't been up to Maine is almost 10 years and heading up there for a wedding in October. Can't wait!

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Atlantic Brewing

 

[CL82]

Yeah, biking on the carriage paths there is awesome. Definite must-do.

It is. They used to offer horseback riding on the carriage trail, which was a blast. I believe it is now limited to just carriage riding. Still worth doing. There’s something about the monotonous sound of horses hooves on a trail that is very relaxing. it’s worth doing both in my opinion.

@Hi-Low Has a great call with the Jordan Pond house and tea and popovers. That’s fun. It’s been a while since I’ve been there but I believe the north and south bubbles are right in the same area, so you can combined a height of the two of them with the Jordan Pond house stop.

When I’m up there, and it’s been a while, I always stop at Echo Lake, probably for nostalgia more than anything else. They used to have a megaphone on the shore that you could yell into to enhance your “echo.” If you had a dollar for every time someone shouted “echo“ at Echo Lake, you would be a very wealthy man.

 

[98Uconn]

Do not miss Little Hunters Beach in Acadia. It’s a 10 minute stop but it’s amazing. The rocks make a very cool and relaxing sound as the waves retreat. It’s not very publicized but one of the best things to see in Acadia… also, the boat trip to the Cranberry
Islands is pretty neat.

 

[Fishy]

1) Rent bikes.
2) Cadillac Mountain.
3) Country breakfast and pancakes at Cafe This Way.
4) Tap and Barrel for beer and lunch.

Dinner restaurants are all pretty good, but no real standouts. You’re pretty much fine wherever you go.

 

[husky429]

Collective thank you to everyone. Definitely renting bikes it sounds like!

 

[runner11]

1) Rent bikes.
2) Cadillac Mountain.
3) Country breakfast and pancakes at Cafe This Way.
4) Tap and Barrel for beer and lunch.

Dinner restaurants are all pretty good, but no real standouts. You’re pretty much fine wherever you go.

Cafe This Way is a great recommendation

 

[husky429]

I had a really good time biking at the Schoodic Peninsula and then grabbing good bar food with locals at The Pickled Wrinkle. All in Winter Harbor. Havana is supposed to be a great farm to table restaurant in Bar Harbor. I haven’t been but I know the farmers who they get their stuff from and it’s the highest of quality.

A friend of mine mentioned havana as a good spot too. Looks like the menu has some cool options. There's not lany nights I'll turn down a paella with local seafood in it!

 

[husky429]

Acadia National Park obviously....right there. Plenty to see and do to fill a day. I imagine it will be crowded over the holiday weekend so try and book Cadillac Mountain Summit Drive in advance. Jordan Pond House "tea & popovers" on the lawn is popular and you can bring the dog since outside...make a reservation if can otherwise will be a wait, trails around the pond as well.

This is a fun hike from dowtown Bar Harbor to Bar Island with the dog....just have to time it right with tides. Hike Bar Island Trail (U.S. National Park Service)

Southwest Harbor is cool town on quieter side of Mt Desert Island.

Didn't know Jordan Pond House did reservations... good tip--thank you.

This will be the most north my wife has ever been--she's from NC/GA border area. Trying to give her the full New Englander experience this weekend

 

[husky429]

Atlantic Brewing

She's been in court for days "representing the stupidest man I've ever met" so I think a brewery may hit the spot. Thanks.

 

[husky429]

Yeah, biking on the carriage paths there is awesome. Definite must-do.

Do I need a rack on my car to rent them? The car we're taking doesn't have a hitch

 

[runner11]

A friend of mine mentioned havana as a good spot too. Looks like the menu has some cool options. There's not lany nights I'll turn down a paella with local seafood in it!

Yea I went up to Bar Harbor 2 months ago. A client recommended I visit Havana. I get up there to visit somebody working on a farm in Gouldsboro and mention that I was recommended Havana only to find out that is their biggest account.

 

[8893]

Do I need a rack on my car to rent them? The car we're taking doesn't have a hitch

I brought my own bike and had a rack. I have one rack that attaches to the trailer hitch on my car, and another that can attach to any car with a hatch or trunk. Whether you need one or not I guess depends on whether the vehicle you have could fit them inside, maybe even popping off the front tires.

If that’s an issue, maybe call the hotel where you’re staying and ask the concierge if they have a rental place they recommend that will bring them to the hotel if that’s close enough to get to a nice ride, or if there is a place near a trailhead where you can rent.

 

[8893]

This rental company will also rent you a rack, and they discourage you from putting the bikes in your car:

Bike Rentals — Acadia Bike

www.acadiabike.com

 

[Bazz4A]

Best whale watching iv ever done was in bar harbor. Might be a little early in the season - id just double check that.

 

[CL82]

Best whale watching iv ever done was in bar harbor. Might be a little early in the season - id just double check that.

Lol, probably the worst whale watching I’ve ever done was in Bar Harbor. My wife and I decided to go to the “environmentally responsible” company and so we were watching the whales from like 3 miles away. Meanwhile the “environmentally unresponsible” company was right in there with them. I could see them in the distance through binoculars. I think at one point they may have set up the tables and chairs on top of a whale and had lunch on it.

 

[pj]

I believe that is Mount Katahdin even though it is further west.
View attachment 76517 View attachment 76518
But you did use the qualifier “ they say”. You are right, it’s often said that Cadillac Mountain is the first place the sun hits on the continental US because it is the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard. Katahdin though is higher though and the sunrise hits it a couple of minutes earlier. That said, there’s no road to the top of Katahdin, and the weather there is often cloudy, so I guess you can argue that the first place a person could see the sunrise would be Cadillac Mountain.

Sunrise at Quoddy Head Maine is 6 minutes earlier than Mt Cadillac and 4 minutes earlier than Mt Katahdin.

 

[pj]

Hike the Beehive. Hang out at Sand Beach and walk the paths at Great Head. Visit Thunder Hole and Otter Point. Swim at Echo Lake Beach.

 

[CL82]

Sunrise at Quoddy Head Maine is 6 minutes earlier than Mt Cadillac and 4 minutes earlier than Mt Katahdin.

This was news to me, but…