Bar Harbor in June

[lisajl]

Hi!

We (my family of 5) are going to Maine in June. While I have a cabin booked, I need to know what we can do there.
We will be close to Acadia and I think it is about 4 miles into town from the cabin.
I got a couple of books from the library but there is so much info to sort through. Thought I would come here and see what all the Disers like to do in Maine.
We will be there for a week, I hope that is enough time to do some fun stuff.
We are thinking of a whale watching trip, def. going to Acadia, wander around town a bit.

Does anyone know where the LL Bean outlet is and how far away it is from Bar Harbor?

Thanks for any help you can give us....we have never been there, so this will be an adventure.
Lisa

 

[Jennifer S]

I have never been there but I'm subscribing because my DH went as a child and said it was awesome. So we may head there someday in the not so distant future.

 

[lisajl]

Can anyone help us?

Hey Jennifer when we get back we could always send you our info.

 

[Jennifer S]

OK - thanks. I hope you get some help here. My DH has always said it was one of his favorite vacations.

 

[Bearvet]

We love Bar Harbor and Acadia! A lot depends on the ages of your children, so that would help if you let us know. Last time we were there my boys were 9, 11 and 15. Some of the activities we enjoyed:
Sea Kayaking - very cool!
Renting bikes and ride on the carriage trail (no cars!). You can also do a carriage ride (or maybe a horseback ride?), but I think it's expensive.
Reel Pizza - an awesome pizzeria/movie theater with sofas, recliners, etc. lots of fun!
Hikes - check the nps.gov site for info on the National Parks (my youngest DS loves to earn his junior ranger badges). There are many easy walks/hikes appropriate for families. It's also worthwhile to begin at the Visitors Center and park rangers can suggest hikes for you. One of my favorites is on the "quiet" side of the island - the trail is called "Wonderland" - it's tricky to find, but watch for signs. It's a short walk through a wooded area that brings you to the ocean with lots of rocks to climb on and tidepools to explore. One of my favorite places on the earth! I think we also did the hike to Bubble Rock, but that may be difficult for young kids.
Eat Lobster!! Lots of fun roadside stands - those are the best.
Drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain and explore (some people hike, but that's too much for us!).

We did not do a whale watch from Bar Harbor since we've done them from many other area of New England. It will be a full day and lots of fun - bring something to do on the boat because it takes awhile to get out to the whales feeding grounds - I usually pack a deck of UNO cards, puzzle books and some snacks.

I'll post more ideas if I think of them - hope this helps!
My boys are not big into shopiing, so we don't do too much of that.

 

[DisneyForLife]

LLBean is in Freeport. It is about 3 hours away so it would be quite a ride.

 

[Lanshark]

We visited Bar Harbor about a year ago. DD looked at College of the Atlantic, which is in Bar Harbor. She loved the school and plans on attending after she gets her Associates.

It is a beautiful area. I had the best seafood I've ever had in my life. Lobster, whole belly clams and mussels.

 

[lisajl]

Thanks for the replies.
Our DD is 21 and we have two DS's they will be 13 and 10 by then.
The Wonderland Trail sounds fun!

We may still have to drive 3 hours to LL Bean...we will be there a full week, so maybe my DD and I will do that.

Thanks for the idea on bringing things for the whale watch boat ride.
I did not even think we would get bored, but I could easily see my youngest want to leave after an hour on the boat!

Lisa

 

[Bearvet]

With the ages of your children, I will definitely recommend sea kayaking. They still talk about it and it's acutally pretty easy - I did it and I'm by no means in good shape. Maybe your DH and the boys could do this on the day you and DD go to LLBean?

LLBean is worth the drive - your DH and the boys might also enjoy it. My DH is very big into trying different beers at local microbreweries and the pub-style food usually appeals to everyone. There is one near LLBean (Gritty McDuff's) which was great and another on Mt. Desert Island. The one on MDI is called Atlantic Brewing Co. and on Saturday while we were there they had a huge meat smoker going with all-you-can-eat. DH was in heaven with the great beer and smoked BBQ and the kids enjoyed the homemade root beer. It was really affordable too - maybe $12/adult and they only charged us half price for the kids. DS15 ate 5 plates of food! Not sure if they still do this but it's worth checking into!

Your family would probably enjoy Reel Pizza too - the pizza is great and the atmosphere is fun!

Have fun planning!

 

[Mermaid02]

There is an LL Bean outlet store (not the big anchor store in Freeport) in Ellsworth. You HAVE to go past it to get to Bar Harbor.

 

[dejr_8]

Also go to the top of Cadillac Mountain to watch a sunrise. I believe it is the first place in the US to see the sunrise. Make sure you dress warm because it will be chilly and windy.

I would also go to Bass Harbor light house to watch the sunset. You will need to "climb" out onto the rocks/beach but it is well worth it.

Your kids could probably do the hike from the bottom of Cadillac Mountain to the top. It is about a three to four hour hike to the top and back down. Pack a lunch and enjoy and the view. It is well marked. You could always stop 1/2 way and head back down.

Also, wait for low tide and walk to Bar Island.

 

[ennazus]

Bar Harbor is a BEAUTIFUL area! A TOPS in my book!!

This is shopping in the down town area. We brought our bikes once and rode into town from our hotel.

Acadia National Park has lots to do! Don't miss Thunder Hole and Sand beach (and look very closely at the 'sand' and you'll find it's not really sand at all)

Take a tour. Even a short one. It's nice to get some inside scoops.

Here's some reviews on a little zoo. I can't say I recommend it, but our son did enjoy it when he was 3 or 4 years old.... it's NO AK!!!!!!!
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mg...=acadia@240&cur_section=sig&property_id=44994

ENJOY!

 

[magical4us4]

Me and my husband stayed at the Bar Harbor Inn. It was beautiful.

We did whale watching, which was awsome! Took a chartered boat out to sea. We saw a lot of penguins and minki whales. Don't miss this one.

We also did a tour of a place where they raise baby lobsters and then let them free into the water. I forgot the name of it, but it was incredible!

We took our car up to Aracadia National Park. It was beautiful. My lungs heart a little from all the clean air!

And the lobster, to die for. It was the best!

Our plane landed in Portland, and we drove to Bar Harbor. We did hit the outlets on the way up. They are worth visiting. My husband still has the down jacket he bought from London Fog. We're talking about 10 years ago!

We were even talking about bringing the kids up there soon. It is a nice place to visit.

 

[Mermaid02]

Me and my husband stayed at the Bar Harbor Inn. It was beautiful.

We did whale watching, which was awsome! Took a chartered boat out to sea. We saw a lot of penguins and minki whales. Don't miss this one.

We also did a tour of a place where they raise baby lobsters and then let them free into the water. I forgot the name of it, but it was incredible!

We took our car up to Aracadia National Park. It was beautiful. My lungs heart a little from all the clean air!

And the lobster, to die for. It was the best!

Our plane landed in Portland, and we drove to Bar Harbor. We did hit the outlets on the way up. They are worth visiting. My husband still has the down jacket he bought from London Fog. We're talking about 10 years ago!

We were even talking about bringing the kids up there soon. It is a nice place to visit.

You saw Puffins not Penguins on your whale watch trip. It can get cold up here in Maine, but not that cold.

 

[magical4us4]

You saw Puffins not Penguins on your whale watch trip. It can get cold up here in Maine, but not that cold.

Thank you. That's funny you corrected me, as I was typing and thinking, were they penguins or something of the sort!

 

[Soubrette]

There is an LL Bean outlet store (not the big anchor store in Freeport) in Ellsworth. You HAVE to go past it to get to Bar Harbor.

I actually found better deals at the Ellsworth outlet than the Freeport location (and didn't have to deal with all the crowds)!

We've been camping at Acadia in the past, and it's one of our favorite places. Check out all the highlights in the nat. park; the view from Cadalaic Mtn. is great, but there are also some great shorter hikes. We also went on a sunrise sea kyacking (sp?) trip, which was fun but also kind of scary because it was so foggy and we didn't know the area. If you do this, I'd suggest a trip with a guide.

Bar Harbor has some great restaurants. and, I think they have a summer concert series in the park...it's nice to just sit out and enjoy the music with some ice cream.

 

[snowman]

Bar Harbor is about 45 minutes from home for me. If you are driving you will probably get to go across our brand new bridge (it just opened Dec 30th, I haven't even been across it yet). As has been said there is an LL Bean outlet in Ellsworth, which is your last "city" (if you want to call it that) before you get to Mount Desert Island (where Bar Harbor is). There is also one in Bangor, which is a little better than an hour from Bar Harbor and certainly more....city-ized than Ellsworth.

You definately have to go up Cadillac Mountain and check out Thunder Hole...but enjoy the Car Museum in Seal Cove too http://www.sealcoveautomuseum.org/directions.html.

There is also an oceanarium on the island http://www.theoceanarium.com/oceanbhsite.html.

Also - if you decide to take a trip to Bangor, be sure to drive by author Stephen King's house....his fence is an attraction of its own.

Enjoy your trip and honk if you go thru Bucksport.

 

[lisajl]

Yeah! Thanks everyone...I knew I could get great info from the Disboards.

I will definately check out the outlet store first, and the car museum...my DH will thank you for that suggestion!
The sunrise and sunset ideas are wonderful too! I am really getting into this trip now. A bit hesitant about the drive...but I hate long drives anyway.

Thanks everyone..and Jennifer..I will post some photos when we get back.
We will be staying in a cabin near Acadia Nat'l Park, so it should be fun.

Lisa

 

[mickeyboat]

Check weather.com for average June temps in the area and time you are going. It might still be a little chilly.

Denae

 

[Jennifer S]

Have a great time. I'd love to see your pics when you get back. How did you rent your cabin?