Bottom Line: A little park in downtown Bar Harbor with views of Frenchmen Bay…read more Agamont Park is a lovely little green space in downtown Bar Harbor. It has several benches all positioned to look out at Frenchman Bay. If the weather is agreeable it's a good spot to sit with a coffee a a pastry or ice cream cone.

Don't miss Agamont park if you are visiting Bar Harbor. This park has much to do and see. I'm not…read moremuch for the tourist shops so I enjoyed seeing the boats in the bay. You need to pay to park but not after 9:00 pm. There are restrooms conveniently located near the parking area. During the summer the sun rises at 4:00 am and sets around 8:00 pm. It provides for secular evening photos. The gazebo was so beautiful. I would like to do a family photo here next time.

What lovely gardens inside Acadia National Park! The signage is excellent with many examples of the…read morevarious plants, flowers, trees etc. the paths are also nice as well. I would highly recommend!

Less than an acre, this is a nice short stop along the Park Loop Road. During our visit in late…read moreJune, there were a few flowers blooming. The plants are labeled for easy identification. Parking is readily available.

Village green is a large open green space that's kind of in the center of the downtown/harbor/…read moreshopping area. We parked on the street in front of the square to let our dog out to use the restroom and walk around. We also wanted to do some shopping and this is a prime location to start your journey on foot. There are great stores in every direction. We had to use the restrooms as well and there is a public restroom across the street from the green near the police station. We ended up spending 20 or 30 minutes at the green itself, walking the path around the little gazebo and enjoying the fact that we were visiting during the off-season. It's just a beautiful, welcoming space with great views of the historic buildings in the area. If we return, I would definitely stop here again and maybe grab some food from a local restaurant and enjoy a picnic here or just a snack on the bench.

I was in town to run the famous Mount Desert Island Marathon. The Village Green was used as the…read morestaging area for the race. I thought it was the perfect location for runners to hang out right before running the race! It was centrally located in Bar Harbor so it was easy to get to no matter where you were staying. The start line for the race was just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Bar Island is a tidal island connected to Bar Harbor by a gravel and sand bar that is exposed at…read morelow tide and submerged at high tide. So interesting to be able to cross from Bar Harbor by foot and then hike to the top of the island for a view of historic Bar Harbor. The city of Gouldsboro still maintains jurisdiction over the island based on its 1798 articles of incorporation. Many families have tried to build a bridge to the island from Bar Harbor, however John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased the half of the island that has the sandbar which stopped the bridge from being constructed. Today, the island is part of Acadia National Park. If you visit, mind the times for the tides. People have been stranded and apparently cars have been washed away back in the days when they parked on the sandbar. Once high tide comes in, you will need to wait approximately nine hours for low tide or pay a hefty fine for being stranded on Bar Island. A unique experience in Acadia National Park.

Despite having done some research in advance, I had not been aware of this particular opportunity…read more There are many small islands in the region, but this one is notable for having a gravel walkway that sits above the tide for only a few hours a day. An appropriately timed hike yields an array of fantastic views that beggar belief. And this is despite the fact that walking to the end of the trail on the island from downtown, Bar Harbor takes maybe half an hour. Signage warns people not to get trapped on the island when the tide rises as getting a boat is expensive. I could imagine that if the weather is rough one could get into a bit of trouble here, but as long as you're smart about it, this is a fantastic place to visit.

Gorgeous views! It's worth paying the extra fee to get up on Cadillac Mountain. If you can snag the…read moremorning sunrise, DO IT, because this is the highest point on the eastern seaboard - Cadillac Mountain sees the first sunrise of the day. It's amazing.

Does Cadillac Mountain have spectacular views ? Of course, that's not in question. But the amount…read moreof people at the top of Cadillac this afternoon was overwhelming, that's even with reservations being required for access. I saw license plates from over a dozen different states, some as far away as Utah and Texas. I read some Yelp reviews stating there was "ample parking", not sure how that could ever be, we had to circle around the top several times before getting a parking space, and that's in late September during the week (there was only a handful of school age children out and about on the mountain today). I feel you can get the same viewing experience in the Penobscot Bay area at Camden Hills State Park w/o all the crowds (we went there the same time frame two years ago). Just my 2 cents. And I saved my comments concerning the Eco-Store gift shop for a separate review. The amount of people on Cadillac today detracted from the experience.

A lovely walk along Bar Harbor, we didn't do the whole thing I'm not sure how long it goes for…read more However it was interactive with different signs along the way telling you history about the spot or the viewpoint. Easy too, pretty flat so accessible, although some rocks/pebbles. Bring a little sweater at night it gets cool, and perfect to see the sunset. Some parts don't have a railing so just be careful.

The compromise that seems to have been made involves a set of private properties that go near to…read morethe shore, but then a path that is open to the public right on the shoreline. It is a narrow space but plenty wide enough to walk in two directions. The views are majestic, so thankfully people that didn't invest in waterfront property have access to them. The length of the path is modest and it adjoins other parklands, and there is no reason not to stop by when in town.

Grant Park is named for Harry Allen Grant, Jr., who built the second summer cottage in Bar Harbor…read morein 1869. He paid $400 for the lot. The home was relocated 14 years after he died to another location on Bar Harbor. Today, the park is midway along Shore Path. It is across from Balance Rock which was deposited during an Ice Age. Stop and enjoy the view. There are very nice picnic tables. Perfect place to relax, enjoy the ocean breeze and spend an hour or two on a summer day in Bar Harbor.

I'm no stranger to parks and beautiful natural places, but Acadia is like a dreamscape. There's…read morestunning ocean views from crumbling gorgeous cliff sides. There are lakes, streams, ponds, scenic lighthouses, boats, bikes, trails, gardens, crazy hikes with vertical iron rungs, rolling forest hikes, lighthouses, and more! The main issue you'll run into is crowds.. lots of people want to come here, especially in July and August. Best thing to do, go in as early as possible, do some things, take a break, go back again after 3. If you're early, you can get a parking spot then work from there. If you are flexible on time, take advantage of the shuttles, but be warned, they may be full, and they don't run every 10-15 minutes, so plan accordingly. I would be in the park by 7, have plans maybe on a tour in Bar Harbor late morning or early afternoon, then head back after 4, and I got to all the must-do's, ie hiked the Beehive, the Bubbles, Cadillac Mountain sunrise and sunset (reserve this early as spots sell out, I booked mine 3 months in advance the minute they released and they were sold out shortly later, especially sunrise tickets), Jordan Pond and popovers, Bass Harbor Lighthouse, as well as some boat tours in the area, including very successful whale and puffin watching. For more hints and tips, I watched some YouTube videos, there's great info out there, especially the videos from Ash, a former park ranger, who has loads of helpful tips to get around and not spend your trip sitting in traffic or waiting in a parking spot.

Did we go in a wrong entrance or something?!…read more I was underwhelmed for sure. We walked a few trails and took some photos but ??? Im very glad we hit Cadillac Mountain - that's where it's at!!!

When in Bar Harbor, I definitely wanted to do a cruise around the shorelines of Bar Harbor and see…read moreFrenchman Bay, maybe see sea creatures, lighthouses, famous mansions. Well you do see this and more when you go on a nature cruise with Acadian Boat Tours. They have other tours as well like a Puffin or whale watch. We did want to do the Puffin tour but it was filled. I am so glad I got to go in this one. You need a camera, to take lots of pictures.They have drinks and snacks on the boat to purchase. It's clean, you get a narrated tour by professionals. You learn so much you can't come to Bar Harbor and not do it. Highly recommend!

My wife and I went on a private fishing charter with captain Kelly. We had an amazing trip. On the…read moreway to the fishing hole we saw seals which was very cool. Once we arrived at the spot we dropped the lines. The second the baits hit the bottom we had fish on . We caught a variety of fish. Cod, mackerel, pollack , and something she called a Conner. She also said that fish was her family's favorite because it tastes like crab. The other weird catch was a squid.Captain Kelly was a great guide. She was full of so much information about the fish in the area. We so enjoyed her company that it made the trip seem like fishing with an old friend. The scenery was awesome as we fished near some sea cliffs . I will gladly take another trip with Kelly the next time we are in Bar harbor.