Bar Harbor Weekend Getaway

Bar Harbor is one of the loveliest towns in the state of Maine on the Northeast coast of the USA. I’m Karen Worrall, creator of travel site Cruise Ship Karen and I’ve visited Bar Harbor over 40 times over the past 13 years, and am still enamored with its charm every time.  I highly recommend a Bar Harbor weekend getaway.

It is a small but ideal place for nature lovers, foodies, and anyone who enjoys the vibe of old-fashioned main street USA. Filled with souvenir shops, wonderful seafood restaurants, dog friendly pubs, coffee shops, parks, relaxing spots to watch the world go by from, and the nearby Acadia National Park, it appeals to all ages, solo travelers, couples, groups of friends, and families.

Here is my guide to some of the top things to do in Bar Harbor if you have a whole weekend (or longer) at your disposal.

(Cover photo attribution: Dana Moos from Southwest Harbor, Maine, USA [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

 

 

The best time to visit Bar Harbor:

• Spring – In spring, from April until June, the temperature is usually between 12-20 degrees Celsius (55-70 Fahrenheit).
• Summer July-September, the temperature is around 18-25 degrees Celsius (68-80 Fahrenheit).
• Fall – September until the start of November in the fall is very beautiful, with the changing leaves. Despite having lower temperatures and more rain than summer months, is one of the most popular times to visit, with temperatures of usually around 10-15 degrees Celsius (50-60 Fahrenheit).
• Winter – Winter is very pretty, but in off-season less shops and amenities open including Acadia National Park, however you can take advantage of lower prices and having the place to yourself more.

At any time the weather can be quite unpredictable and changeable. Even the spring and summer season and can be sunny, windy, rainy, cold, cloudy and hot, all within a couple of hours. The key to the weather is to wear layers.

Never leave your hotel without an umbrella and rain jacket, and have two or three layers you can take on or off to be prepared for whatever the weather brings.

Who should visit Bar Harbor?

Bar Harbor appeals to a wide range of types of visitors.

• Outdoors types  – These are the main visitors, due to the stunning Acadia National Park being so close by, it is the main reason most people come. There are also lots of outdoor sports available.
• Foodies – Seafood and especially lobster is the most famous food here, with excellent local catches available in almost every restaurant.
• Families – With the wide range of accommodations available, from tents in the park to fancy hotel rooms, the variety of outdoor activities keep children amused, tired at the end of the day, (and many options are free), along with so many great picnic spots, it is easy to keep all the family amused, make memories together away from digital amusements, and keep costs low if you wish here.
• Relaxed vacationers – If you want to relax, Bar Harbor has plenty of quiet spots to sit and read, take a slow stroll in town or past its many Cottages or on the waterfront, or sit and sip a cold local blueberry beer or coffee in any of the many bars and coffee shops.
• Shoppers – Bar Harbor has a huge amount of souvenir shops. Local-logos on hoodies are a favorite, the usual magnets, t-shirts, and trinkets, as well as a dedicated Christmas shop, and plenty of artisan locally crafted jewelry.
• Dog lovers – The campsites, and some of the hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes are dog friendly, and with so many beautiful trails to walk on, this is an ideal spot to vacation with man’s best friend.

Things to do in Bar Harbor

The town is quite small and easily walk-able with all attractions easy to enjoy within a leisurely weekend.

There are many tours available to suit many tastes. The tourist information office on the waterfront, and the ranger’s office in the Village Green are both fantastic sources of up to date information locally for booking or taking any tours.

Both provide fantastic maps of the whole area, bus loops for Acadia and nearby towns, and hiking trails, for free. They can also advise on organized tours for hiking, sports, or history on the area, and all tours below can be booked in the tourist office.

 

 

Hiking

Acadia National Park: This is the main attraction, which you can see on your own hiking, taking the bus from Bar Harbor Village Green, or going on a guided tour. See more information on this in my guide to Acadia National Park.

 

 

Trails

 As well as going to the park itself, there are many trails that go right out from town, which you can follow. They are very well signposted, like the shore walk, which follows the shoreline along the coast from the tourist information office.

Kayaking 

There are several companies, which offer kayak tours that take you out on the water to kayak around the Porcupine Islands and across Frenchman Bay. These don’t require a high fitness level, and wildlife sightings are very common. I have taken two kayak tours here and seen bald eagles, seals, and dolphins.

 

 

Cycling 

You can bring your own and follow any of the public trails, or go with an organized tour and cycle the Acadian National Park or trails along the coast.

Fishing

Arrange a tour at the tourist office to take a fishing tour or hop on a lobster boat to learn about the art of catching the area’s crustaceans first hand.

 

Nature

Whale Watching Tours: There are whale-watching tours available through the tourist office on the waterfront. Pilot, sperm and humpback whales are often seen around Frenchman Bay and beyond.

History

Visit the Cottages: Bar Harbor is one of the USA’s most historic towns with past residents like the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers helping raise it’s popularity, and building the impressive “Cottages”, which are gorgeous Maine style mansions. Walking tours are available to learn the secrets of many of the dwellings.

 

 

Abbe Museum: Learn about the history of the indigenous people of the area at the Abbe Museum. There are exhibitions on the different tribes, and you can see some works of art by local artists and traditional dress in the hallway before paying to go in to give you a taster. Located behind the Village Green.   You can learn more at the Abbe Museum website.  

 

Shopping

 

Souvenirs: There are many souvenir stores throughout the town, with all kinds of trinkets, magnets, t-shirts, and lobster related things to take home. Debbah’s on the corner, is probably the largest solely souvenir store, and it has some good deals on hoodies, T-shirts and cuddly toys.

Local Artisan products: The weekly Sunday Market at The Village Green has a large artisan market showcasing works by many local artists of all types, from carvers, sculptures, painters, photographers and jewelers.  Learn more about the Sunday Market at the Bar Harbor Magic website.

Household gifts and books: Sherman’s Books is a sizable bookstore for the size of the town, plus has many fun greetings cards, gifts, souvenirs and lovely pottery, tea towels, and ornaments for the home too. I bought a gorgeous plate shaped like a sea urchin for a friend’s wedding present before here, which is much loved.  Learn more about Sherman’s Books on their website.

 

 

Jewelry and handcrafts: The Maine Store. Right by the Abbe Museum on the Village Green is The Maine Store, run by very nice local couple Darrin and Christine. All manner of nautical and sea life souvenirs and jewelry all made by local artisans are on offer. Their jewelry made with shells of the area’s popular seafood like lobster and mussel shell jewelry are in my opinion, some of the prettiest and most unique gifts you can get in Bar Harbor.  You can see some of the gorgeous options at Acadia Image Arts.  

 

 

Where to Eat in Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor is one of the best places to eat seafood in the world – especially lobster. The cold seas, protected waters and well-regulated fishing laws mean there is a plentiful supply of some of the world’s tastiest lobsters, clams, and mussels. The prices are also some of the most reasonable I have seen too. It is paradise for seafood lovers.

 

 

The quintessential Bar Harbor meal is to have a whole lobster, with a side of clam chowder, a corn on the cob, and home made blueberry pie for dessert. Many restaurants offer this as a special meal deal, which is well worth having at least once during your visit.

If you don’t love seafood though, don’t worry. All the restaurants cater for varied food tastes.

Blueberries are a Bar Harbor staple eaten in many ways, as they grown wild (and farmed) locally. Blueberry pie is probably the most popular way to consume them, but blueberry beer is also available in pretty much every bar, and several of the coffee shops offer blueberry coffee.

My top food place picks:

For a proper lobster dinner:

Geddy’s

There are many very nice restaurants with high-quality lobster and good atmosphere in Bar Harbor, but my favorite that I always end up going back to is this one. It has a casual welcoming atmosphere, nautical décor and the best quintessential Bar Harbor lobster meal in town. For a reasonable fixed price (which changes slightly depending on market costs, but in August 2018 was around $35), you can have a full 1 ¼ pound lobster with butter and hot homemade roll, corn cob (or switch for salad or fries), cup of thick clam-filled clam chowder, and slice of home made blueberry pie for dessert. The rest of the menu is good too (especially the crab stew) and burger for non-seafood lovers, but the lobster dinner is my top pick. Their blueberry beer on draught is great too, and they have fast free Wi-Fi, and crayons for the kids. If you go here, tell the lovely manager Nieve I say hi. https://geddys.com/

 

 

For picnics:

Downtown East Deli

On Main Street, this is a good spot to grab a cold lobster roll or clam chowder to take on the go for picnics. The fresh sandwiches are tasty and reasonable priced, and they have other fillings for the non-lobster fans.  Check their menu on the Downeast Deli website.  

 

 

Rite Aid

To supplement your picnic, especially for families or those on a budget, there is a Rite Aid in town. It is very centrally located just off Main Street and you can purchase other snacks, like granola bars, chips, candies, fruit, juices and sodas to take out on your hikes.

 

For the sweet tooth:

 

Ben & Bill’s Ice Cream Parlor:

This old-fashioned ice cream and sweet shop on Main Street offers many delicious homemade chocolate and toffee treats, as well as real ice cream milk shakes and their large selection of ice cream flavors. They allow you to try before you buy. The most sampled – and least sold – flavor is their (in)famous lobster flavored ice cream, which is a butter vanilla hinted ice cream with chunks of frozen lobster within it. Take a pic with the ice cream holding lobster figure outside before you go. http://www.benandbills.com/