Bar Harbor and
Acadia National Park
For me going to Bar Harbor is almost always about spending at least a little time in the Park. Acadia has so many things to offer and one can come back over and over again. There are many great restaurants too, but the central attraction is this magnificent park. It's just 45 minutes away from your home here on Woods Pond.
If you like you can ditch your car at the Trenton Marketplace before you drive onto Mt. Desert Island and take the free Island Explorer bus whose routes can take you almost anywhere, returning you back to your car just at dark. The buses run on propane and really help keep the park's air cleaner.
Stop at the Visitors' Center, no matter whether you're traveling by bus or car, and get maps of the Park and of the Island, as well as getting a better idea of what's possible. And, ahead of time, check the Park's website. Then, at some point, take the Park Loop Road, stopping at Sand Beach to stroll along Otter Cliffs or go for a swim in the Ocean from one of our few veritable sand beaches.
We also like the trails and forest quiet around Sieur de Monts Spring. Skip Thunder Hole but don't forget to stop for popovers at the Jordan Pond House. Pick a day when you can sit outside, taking in the view along the pond and the incredible views. From there you can also hike on several of the Carriage Trails. (There's usually a map of these roads in the drawer at the house, or you can buy one at the Visitor's Center.
Lest we pretend that the Park is the only attraction we do want to tell you where we like to eat. Our absolute tops is Burning Tree, located in Otter Creek, just south of the village of Bar Harbor. Try Havana for high-end, wonderful food, or go for the simplicity of Siam Orchid on Rodick Street in Bar Harbor.
This just scratches the surface of what you can do on Mt. Desert Island. In some places you'll get mobbed by the crowds, but it's not hard at all to get off into the woods or to sit by the ocean and let the peace of the world wash over you.