Eat a Lobster Roll– Locals tell you that you should enjoy one hot and one cold, but I never made it to the cold ones because I loved all the hot ones so much…SO Yummy!
o Side Street Café apparently has amazing huge lobster rolls, but they were sold out both times I tried.
o Geddy’s was amazing! It was my very first lobster roll in Maine and it did not disappoint. I thought it was pretty awesome that they physically hand pick all of their lobsters daily!
o Lobster Co.-We had an amazing one here too and liked the casual outdoor setup.
Drink/Eat all things Blueberry
o Geddy’s had fresh blueberries that danced in one of their beers!!! I got it for the visual and it actually ended up being so yummy.
o Side Street Café had an amazing blueberry dessert that was to die for!
o Blueberry margaritas at Thirsty Whale…yes, please!
o Blueberry cheesecake at Bar Harbor Cheesecake Company
o Ha.. basically anything blueberry in Maine, order it!
Walk across the Bar Harbor Land Bridge to Bar Island-Basically, when the tide is lower, you can walk across the sandbar to the island and catch a great view of Bar Harbor and maybe even some good hiking.
o Be sure to watch the tide schedule though, because the way back would be pretty tricky when the tide comes back.
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse-Once you park, make sure to walk around to the back where the rocks and the view you see in all the pictures is! At first, we walked to the front and we were so confused because you basically just walk up on the lighthouse! If you are a wino like me, bring a bottle of wine and some plastic cups to enjoy a glass while chilling on the rocks and taking in the view. This would be a pretty cool spot to watch the sunset too.
Walk along Shore Path-Take in all the beautiful houses as you walk around the perimeter of the town, and, if you are there in the fall, enjoy the view of all the autumn colors.
Acadia National Park-Plan a route that makes sense though, because a lot of the roads are one way.
We did the following:
o Sand Beach
o Beehive> LOL, ok, so don’t do this hike unless you are an avid hiker, trust me. Also, be aware that there is another way up which people were calling the back way and it was much easier.
o Thunder Hole
o Otter Cliffs-It requires a short hike, but the path is along the coast so the view helps.
o Jordan Pond-We ended up getting lunch there. I would probably not recommend eating a full meal there, especially during COVID. I would, however, recommend getting a lite snack and a beverage. (They are known for their popovers, so, if you do get food, don’t miss those!) I had an overpriced, not-so-great turkey sandwich, so I can’t really say I was impressed. Ha.
Watch the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain-This is the first spot in the US you are able to see the sunrise everyday which is pretty cool. We went in the fall, so it wasn’t too early of a morning for us. Be aware that it was EXTREMELY cold in October (I can’t imagine what it’s like up there in the winter months), so pack accordingly!
Watch the sunset at Eagle Lake-It was honestly the best!!! So beautiful! However, watch the weather because, if it is overcast, you won’t be able to see anything and it won’t be worth your time!
Spend some time walking around downtown-There are so many cute boutiques and shops to go along with all the restaurants and bars!
Grab a coffee at a local coffee shop
o Everyone went to Choco-Latte every morning.
o We ended up going to Black Fly Coffee Co. and loved the drinks and the way shorter line too!
Enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail at Ivy Manor Inn-They have an adorable outdoor bar setup and it is such a cute spot to chill. They serve drinks in front of the inn on the lawn and have fire pits and comfy seating in the fall
If you like sweets, do yourself a favor and visit the Bar Harbor Cheesecake Company. They do cheesecake and wine tastings. Pretty cool and the wine was actually not bad!
Other information:
In the summer, I would definitely go on a boat ride. With it being so close to the end of the season when we went, we weren’t able to because they canceled our boat ride the weekend before. Looks like a blast though!
Some locals said, if you want to enjoy Maine in the fall, go in early October. We went the last weekend in October, and we loved it. Everything was great but I can see why they said that because it was obvious things were starting to shut down for the winter. Also, we went during COVID, so I’m sure that played a part in it as well.
We stayed at the Acadia Hotel. It definitely had a bed and breakfast feel. We really enjoyed our time there and, since it was right in the middle of everything, we were able to walk to all of the restaurants and shops in the downtown area with no issues.
We flew into the airport in Bangor and rented a car to make the hour and fifteen minute drive to Bar Harbor. I would definitely recommend flying into Bangor instead of Portland, because it is a two hour closer drive. If you plan on going to other spots up and down the coast though, I guess it might not matter so much.
Anything else you want to know, feel free to ask or head to my story highlights!
