Have you ever fallen in love with a place? A smell? A feeling? Bar Harbor is one of those simply magical places in the world that makes me a different person; a better person. My stress melts away the second I smell the fresh pines and the wood fires burning. I hear the waves crashing against the boats in the harbor. I see the mountains to one side and the ocean at my other side. My family and I have visited every October for as long as I can remember. 

Bar Harbor, located on Mount Desert Island, is home to incredible restaurants, quintessential New England shops, and perhaps most importantly, Acadia National Park. There are incredible hikes, trails for biking or walking, stunning water views, beaches and rocky cliffs, amongst many other attractions in the park.

One of my all-time favorite experiences is to rent bikes in downtown Bar Harbor and ride up West Street Extension toward the park loop road. Make your second right-hand turn toward Duck Brook Pond for stunning views from the carriage road bridge. Just beyond the overlook, you can follow the bike trails all the way to Jordan Pond House. If you’re like me, you will be stopping every 20 feet to take pictures! I usually time my bike ride to have some popovers at the Jordan Pond House (the halfway point) and take a rest and then ride back. It is approximately 20 miles roundtrip. I would say it is an intermediate ride, most of which is flat, with a few strenuous hills. It is 1000% worth the views and is such a beautifully intimate way to see the park away from cars and crowds.

 A few of my “must see and do experiences” are listed below. As always, please reach out to me with questions, additional suggestions, etc.! I love hearing from each and every one of you! 

Hotels

• Harborside Resort & Spa
• West Street Hotel

Restaurants, Bars, & Cafes:

• Side Street Cafe
• Stewman’s Lobster Pound
• La Bella Vita
• Lompoc Cafe
• The Reading Room

***I haven’t tried the below, but have heard incredible things:

• Salt & Steel
• Havana
• Project Social

Acadia National Park Locations:

• Bubble Rock (extremely limited parking – access via the “Explorer”, a shuttle running from downtown)
• Bubble Pond (extremely limited parking – access via the “Explorer”, a shuttle running from downtown)
• Eagle Lake
• Jordan Pond (pop in for popovers *pun intended* around lunch time! Be sure to arrive early as there is always a long line!)
• Duck Brook Pond
• Sand Beach
• Thunder Hole
• Cadillac Mountain
• Wildwood Stables (book in advance! in non-COVID years, tourists book months in advance)
• Bar Island (make sure you watch the tides! it’s a long 12 hours if you get stuck!)