Frenchman’s Bay from Bar Harbor
There is more to see on Mount Desert Island than Acadia National Park. There are several small towns that have their own charm and attractions.
Bar Harbor
The largest town on Mount Desert Island is Bar Harbor. It is the gateway to Acadia and it is mostly a tourist town. In fact, it is the place that cruise ships stop when they visit the area. That being said, there are some excellent restaurants that stay open during the off-season. Vacationland Coffee Roasters was open early, serves a great cup of Java, and has a friendly staff. Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium provides an amazing selection of ice cream flavors, including a lobster ice cream. Lunch Bar Harbor serve great sandwiches and a wonderful clam chowder.
Northeast Harbor
The village of Northeast Harbor is a small enclave on Mount Desert Island. It is the summer home of members of the Rockefeller family, and many of Philadelphia’s rich and famous. The Salt Market offers great coffee and pastries, and the Milk and Honey Kitchen has an excellent selection of sandwiches for lunch.
Seal Cove Auto Museum
1910 Pierce Arrow
On the western side of the island is the Seal Cove Auto Museum. Richard Cushing Paine Jr. was a local doctor, and the son of local business owners. He collected classic cars during his life. In 1963 he created a museum to protect, care for, and grow the collection. Today, the museum houses around 200 cars and other motor vehicles, focusing on the era from 1917-1925, when cars were known for their brass decorations.
1912 Maxwell Mascotte
1904 Knox
1909 Corbin
1916 Saxon Model 14
1910 White
1904 Pope HartfordMaine Granite Industry Historical Society
This small museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the mining and production of granite in Maine, and on Mount Desert Island in particular. There are two large rooms whose walls filled with historic photos and newspaper articles. Here there are displays of the tools used to quarry granite, to cut it to size and to polish it. There are also samples of stone from the many different quarries on the island. A third room serves as a workshop where demonstrations and classes are held.
Finished and Unfinished samples of Granite
Map of Quarries on Mount Desert Island
Carving Guide for the Seal of New York City
Quarry Tools
Acadia National Park is certainly the main draw on Mount Desert Island, but there is a lot more to do and see once your are there. So come to Maine and enjoy your time there.
I went to Bar Harbor in the 1970s and loved it. It wasn’t so touristy then and I don’t recall there being any cruise ships. Great photos.
This was my first trip in 50 years. The only cruise ship was the ferry to Yarmouth
For a number of years in the late 70s and early 80s, we used to vacation at a campsite at Somesville, mid-island and were often in Bar Harbor. It had tourist shops then, but on a brief visit two summers ago, it seemed to have nothing but…
On the other hand, the cruise ships are on the way out; the town first imposed a limit and now has banned them. I was on a Viking cruise last October that had planned to call at Bar Harbor and was diverted to Eastport because of the limit.
If Bar Harbor is over-touristy, Eastport is the opposite. We had a shore excursion by bus with a guide whose two high points were a large commercial lobster tank and repeated pointing out of the Family Dollar store…