1. Take the scenic route – drive up the coast
We flew into Portland, Maine which is about three hours (driving) away from Bar Harbor; however, there is the option to take the scenic route along the coast. We landed in Portland before lunch and had plenty of time to make our way to Bar Harbor before it got too late. The drive started with trees lining both sides of the road. Unfortunately, the trees were about a week from turning to the gorgeous golds, yellows, and oranges that would have been breathtaking. The scenery was still stunning as we wound our way to Boothbay, Maine. Once in Boothbay we stopped for lunch and were the youngest tourists by about 40 years. The sleepy town was right on the ocean and we ate our first Maine seafood and drank a local beer overlooking the ocean at Mine Oyster.
2. Visit Acadia National Park – take a hike
The major draw of Bar Harbor, Maine is that it’s right at the entrance of Acadia National Park. Most of the national park is on Mount Desert Island and is a bizarre, beautiful mix between forest and ocean. We started our visit in the park on the beach and almost got caught in the waves crashing on the shore.
We also wanted to go on a hike in the wooded area of the park, but didn’t want anything too strenuous as we had to run a half marathon the next day. Luckily, we found a short hike near the beach that ended up being quite steep. We kept climbing and found ourselves with a stunning view of the forest and ocean. We had never seen two opposing landscapes coming together in the most perfect way. It was worth the trip just for that view.
3. Eat the local cuisine – lobster and blueberry everything
The food in Maine was amazing! Obviously, the seafood was extremely fresh and delicious, but what we didn’t expect were the blueberries. We chowed down on lobster salad, lobster rolls, blueberry pancakes, blueberry soft-serve ice cream, and even blueberry beer. We’ve listed (and linked) to all the restaurants we visited in Bar Harbor.
- Café This Way – amazing breakfast
- Havana – Latin American tapas style restaurant (we ate here the night before the race)
- CJ’s Big Dipper – blueberry soft-serve ice cream
- Geddy’s – lobster rolls, blueberry ice cream, and life-changing pumpkin beer with a cinnamon/sugar rim