Bar Harbor Trip Report

[darthmacho]

Since this is not a WDW trip report, I'll stick to the highlights, but we just spent the week in Bar Harbor, and had a great time.

Cast:
Me
DW
DD10
DD7

Day 1:

• Overnight in Old Orchard Beach
• Weather: Mostly overcast, warm.
• Stayed at: Sea View Motel (right on beach, but actual sea views were a 3 night minimum.) Nice motel though.
• Activities: The Pier, Paradise Playland Amusement Park, Shopping, Beach.
• Dining: Pier Pizza (L), Surf 6 Shipyard: Lobster Stew. Food was good, music was too loud on patio.

Day 2:

• Travel to Bar Harbor.
• Checked into: Bar Harbor Motel. We had a two room suite. Nice, convenient, quiet motel. Very clean and modern.
• Weather: Rain and wind.
• Activities: Exploring downtown Bar Harbor.
• Dining: Chartroom Restaurant. (D) Good food on an enclosed patio. Mixed seafood grill.

Day 3:

• Weather: Overcast, fog, late clearing.
• Activities: Trolley Tour of Acadia National Park o get the lay of the land. Visited Sand Beach, Jordan Pond, Bubble Rock, Thunder Hole, and Cadillac Mountain. No view from summit as the mountain was "socked in" with fog.
• Dining: Stewman's Downtown (L), Log Cabin Restaurant (D) Both were decent, nothing spectacular.

Day 4:

• Weather: Clear and sunny.
• Activities: Whale and Puffin Cruise. Barely saw puffins, only saw two whales, but they were a mother and baby, and we saw TONS of dolphins and porpoises! I'd say a moderate success, but for a "puffin" cruise, I expected a better view of the puffins. After the cruise, we drove up Cadillac Mountain to get the spectacular view!
• Dining: Route 66 (L). Jordan Pond Restaurant (D) First stop was great theming, and second was casually elegant.

Day 5:

• Weather: Rain again.
• Activities: Oceanarium. More of an educational thing than exciting, but a decent take.
• Dining: 2 Cats Inn (B) Cafe This Way (D) Both of these restaurants were a hit.

Day 6:

• Weather: Clearing.
• Activities: Lighthouse Cruise, we saw Bass Harbor Light (back of the ME quarter), Bear Island Light, Baker Island Light, Winter Harbor Light, and Egg Rock Light. Bass Harbor was the best. Shopping for souvenirs in town.
• Dining: Jeannie's Breakfast (B), Geddy's Bar Harbor (D).

Day 7:

• Weather: Sunny.
• Activities: Checked out. Drove around Acadia, and up to Cadillac Mountain again before heading home. Stopped off in Wells to eat at the Maine Diner, and in York for Brown's Ice Cream and for our yearly visit (5 years running) to see the Nubble Lighthouse.
• Dining: Looking Glass Restaurant (B), Maine Diner (D), and Brown's Ice Cream for Dessert.

Lobster Consumed by Me:

• Lobster Stew, Surf 6.
• Lobster Roll, Stewman's.
• Lobster Roll, Route 66.
• Lobster Roll Trio, Classic, Asian, Southwestern, Cafe This Way.
• Lobster Omelette, 2 Cats.
• Lobster Mac n Cheese, Maine Diner.

Local Beers I tried:

• Thunder Hole Ale.
• Cadillac Mountain Stout.
• Bar Harbor Real Ale.
• Shipyard Summer Ale.
• Moosebreath (by Shipyard).
• I had another beer by Shipyard, but I forget what it was...

Other seafood and local tastings:

• Seafood Grill (tuna, swordfish, scallop) Chartroom.
• Crabmeat Roll, Geddy's.
• Duck and popovers, Jordan Pond.
• Blueberry Pie.
• Blueberry Pancakes.
• Fresh Maine Wild Blueberries.
• A bottle of Merlot from Bar Harbor Vineyards (at which we stopped by.) We took home a bottle of their Cabernet, along with a couple of other local wines!

I think that about covers it. Sorry it went longer than I intended. We did a lot, but barely scratched the surface of this great place. Didn't get to hike, bike, or kayak, which I regret, but maybe next time. If anyone has questions, please ask!!!!

Thanks.

[BrowncatP]

Do the McDonalds in Maine still serve a lobster roll?

[darthmacho]

Do the McDonalds in Maine still serve a lobster roll?

I'm not sure because I didn't go in one. Sorry.

[Katzateer]

Glad you had a good trip! Love Bar Harbour and Cadillac Mountain - the sunrise is beautiful on a clear day.

[NJGIRL]

Great report! Thanks for posting and giving us all ideas for future vacations. Glad you had a good time.

[princessgirls]

Thanks for the report Darth!!!

Glad you had a wonderful time in Maine. It is such a pretty State.

LOVE the Lobster and the Blueberries.

A nice family trip!

Julie

[darthmacho]

Thanks everyone! We love Maine, and while we couldn't do WDW just yet, I'm grateful for the time spent discovering adventures with my family so close to home.

[MNNHFLTX]

Love, love, love the Maine coast, especially Bar Harbor! Sounds like you had such a great time! Sand Beach is a beautiful spot even though the water is COLD, isn't it? And the lobster up there is wonderful, although we usually just go to one of the local lobster pounds to eat it.

You mention Nubble Lighthouse (also very pretty, BTW)--have you ever been to Pemaquid Point lighthouse? It's a further off the beaten path, but the scenery is spectacular.

[darthmacho]

Love, love, love the Maine coast, especially Bar Harbor! Sounds like you had such a great time! Sand Beach is a beautiful spot even though the water is COLD, isn't it? And the lobster up there is wonderful, although we usually just go to one of the local lobster pounds to eat it.

You mention Nubble Lighthouse (also very pretty, BTW)--have you ever been to Pemaquid Point lighthouse? It's a further off the beaten path, but the scenery is spectacular.

You'll have to ask my kids about water temperature. I refused to touch the water because I knew better.

Haven't been to Pemaquid yet, but it tops my lighthouse checklist. I'm thinking of doing the Mid-coast next time. Over 60 lighthouses to see in Maine, and I'm only up to 14. I have a long way to go!

Oh, and I also misstated that Bass Harbor light was on the back of the ME quarter, but it's actually Pemaquid Light on the quarter. More incentive to see it, right?