The Best of Bar Harbor, Maine

While visiting Maine this fall, we spent 3 nights in Bar Harbor. Although we spent quite a bit of time in Acadia National Park, we were still able to enjoy many things in the Bar Harbor area. This is our list of the best places in and around Bar Harbor.

We arrived on a late Thursday afternoon to our waterfront bed & breakfast. The Saltair Inn was the perfect place to relax and unwind after site seeing all day. With views of The Sandbar from the back porch, we watched the tide rise and fall each day. We enjoyed a delightful breakfast along with coffee and juice each morning as well as daily afternoon treats or cookies.

The Saltair Inn is also within walking distance to shops and restaurants in the town of Bar Harbor. We found cute little shops to buy some souvenirs.

Dining

For dinner, we enjoyed several restaurants. On our first evening, we had lobster rolls at Dog & Pony Tavern. This spot was recommended by another couple staying at the inn. After dinner, we ventured to Atlantic Brewing Co.

We also enjoyed an early dinner at McKay’s Public House one evening. Our meals each consisted of fresh seafood off the Maine coast. Then we headed to Finback Alehouse for drinks. I was in the mood for an espresso martini.

Our final evening in town, we made our way to Side Street Cafe for more lobster rolls and clam chowder. We also picked up a slice of blueberry pie and a chocolate whoopie pie from the Pink Pastry Shop. This was the best blueberry pie we’ve ever had! There really is something special about Maine blueberries.

Driving from Bar Harbor on Route 1, we stopped at the following towns to explore.

Bucksport

Driving from Bar Harbor on Route 1, we stopped at Fort Knox and the Penobscot Bridge & Observatory. We went up to the observatory, which is the tallest bridge observatory in the world. At the top, we were able to see 360 degree views, including the quaint little village of Bucksport. The engineering and structure of the bridge is quite fascinating!

Lincolnville

We stopped at Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville, Maine. We shared a wine tasting looking out over the beautiful vineyard.

Camden

If I lived in Maine, I would reside in the charming town of Camden. The downtown street is filled with little local shops and restaurants. And there is a greenspace right across from the Camden Public Library where visitors can stop for waterfront views of the town.

Rockland

The city of Rockland owns the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. Located at the end of a 7/8 of a mile breakwater is the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.

We learned that the breakwater was built with approximately 700,000 tons of granite. It was completed in 1900 after taking 18 years to build. On the afternoon we visited, the tide was coming up so we couldn’t walk all the way down to the lighthouse.

Bristol

The Bristol Parks and Recreation department runs and maintains the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, Maine. This lighthouse was build in 1827. Visitors can climb to the top of the lighthouse from May to early October as well as visit the museum and art gallery. Since we were visiting in mid-October, the lighthouse was closed. We were still able to walk around the lighthouse and capture sea-side views.

Boothbay Harbor.

Boothbay Harbor is a tourist destination with it’s number of site-seeing cruises. Additionally, Boothbay is home to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. There are also trails to hike in the Boothbay area.

During our stop here, we wanted to visit the harbor to catch a glimpse of the sailboats and yachts along the water. The town was pretty quiet this late afternoon in October. Although many of the locally owned fish shacks were closed for the season, it was neat to see this area of Maine!

To explore more on Maine, visit Bath, Freeport, and Portland.

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