Downeast Information Mount Desert Island

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, which to some resembles a lobster claw in shape, is the third largest island off the coast of the continental United States. Connected to the mainland by two short bridges spanning the Mount Desejurt Narrows, MDI is divided into four towns: Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Mount Desert, and Tremont. About three quarters of the islands contains Acadia National Park. Ninety-six percent of Maine is privately owned; the 36,000 actres of Acadia National Park is the largest publicly-owned portion. There are restroom facilities at the Thompson Island information center at the head of the island. In Bar Harbor, there are facilities adjoining Agamont Park.

Shortly after coming onto Mount Desert Island, you're confronted with a fork: the left road, Rte 3, leads to Bar Harbor and Northeast Harbor. The right road, Rte 102, goes to Southwest Harbor and Tremont.

If you take Rte 102, you'll come upon the Bar Harbor KOA Kampground, Parcadia Exxon Pizza, MOHR Signs, MDI Imported Car Service, MDI Bottle Redemption Center, EBS, Windward Cottages, Acadia Storage, Salisbury's Organic Garden Center, Mother's Kitchen, Carisa's, Randy Sqrague Heating & Plumbing, Westwind Cottages, Seaside Cottages, Kitchens by Northwoods of Maine, a KOA kampground, Super's Junkin Co., Acadia Storage, Ernie's Sculptures, Island Auto Repair, Rich Bradbury, Aquarius Artifacts, Peacock Builders, and Town Hill Market.

At MDI IMPORTED CAR SERVICE, David White runs perhaps the world's greenest auto repair business. Among other things, he heats his place with recycled motor oil and wastes next to nothing. A certified Bosch Automotive Service Center, MDI Imported Car Service understands foreign cars like few others.

If you're among those who

think art should be fun, you won't want to miss ERNIE'S. Operating from a small shop in Town Hill, Ernie Abdelnour fashions fascinating, often funny sculptures of copper and brass, odd pieces of plumbing, tools, assorted debris, and anything else that strikes his fancy. Truth be told, Ernie seems to be a bit hung up on vehicles--many of his pieces are boats, trains, cars, fire engines and wagons, although he also has done sundry buildings and much else. He does a frog series that features a piano-playing frog campaigning against gourmet food—including, of course, frog legs. Call 207-288-5337.

To your left is a turnoff onto the Knox Road which will take you to the Atlantic Brewing Company-Estate Bewery/Winery, the Lake and Sea Boatworks, and the Desert Boat Company.

ATLANTIC BREWING COMPANY-ESTATE BREWERY/WINERY features an open air garden bistro and tavern, a gift shop and tasting room, and on Saturday there’s a barbecue.

Back on Rte 102, look for the West Eden Commons: Town Hill Bistro, Therapeutic Massage, Deja V Hair & Nails, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Curves, Town Hill Wine & Cheese, Camden National Bank, Town Hill Playground, Asticou Connection Gallery, L.E. Norwood & Sons, Collier House, Pentacostal Lighthouse Church, Folly Farm, Mount Desert Granite & Brick, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Island Acupncture, Sally's Hair Studio, Somesville Rehabilitation Services, Somesville One Stop, and Bar Harbor Banking & Trust.

Rte 102 is a designated Bike Route.

SOMESVILLE was the site of the first European settlement on Mount Desert Island.

A turnoff left onto Rtes 3 and 198, the Eagle Lake Road, leads to Northeast Harbor and Bar Harbor.

Back on Rte 102, watch for Pat Foster Real Estate, the Somesville Public Library, the Mount Desert Island Historical Society Museum, the

Somvesville Union Meeting House, Somesville Meeting House, Somesville Fire Department, Dr. Bob's chem-free willd blueberries and pure maple syrup, and the Acadia Repertory Theatre, Maine Island Properties.

The MOUNT DESERT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM has a collection of local documents and artifacts, including period clothing, pewter, and old maps. Open 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays, mid-July to Labor Day. Both wild and domestic ducks swim in nearby Mill Pond. You might enjoy checking out the frequently-photographed Somesville Bridge, a graceful span over Somes Creek. In season, you'll endjoy the gardens.

The ACADIA REPERTORY THEATRE has been presenting summer theater for the past quarter century. Call 207-244-7260 for reservations and additional information.

To the right is the turn onto the Pretty Marsh Road. which leads to the R. Scott Baltz Gallery, National Park Canoe Rentals, Seal Cove Cabins, the Pretty Marsh Picnic Area, the Judy Tayor Gallery, Cat's Pride Print & Transfer, Seal Cove Auto Museum, St. Andrews by the Lake Episcopal Church,Tremont Baptist Church, Seal Cove Pottery & Gallery, BEEZ, Inc., Carter's Construction, Edna's Variety Store, West Tremont Pacific Hall, Hillcrest Cemetery, Quietside Campground, Classic Boats, Tremont Congregational Church.

The PRETTY MARSH PICNIC AREA, which is in the national park, provides views over bluffs to Pretty Marsh Harbor and onward to Bartlett and Hardwood Islands. Here there is a stony beach.

Imagine finding a world-class collection of early brass era cars stuck away in a metal building on a back road on the quiet side of Mt. Desert Island, in Maine. People still marvel at tripping over the SEAL COVE AUTO MUSEUM—the unlikelihood makes it all the more remarkable.

Back on Rte 102 look for the right turn onto the Beech Hill Road, leading to the Maine Granite Industry Museum.

It's a littl

e hard to find and it's nothing fancy, but the MAINE GRANITE INDUSTRY MUSEUM is certainly an interesting place. Proprietors Steven Haynes and Juanita Sprague are the foremost authority on Maine's historic granite industry. They have collected specimens from over 350 of the state's abandoned granite quarries. (Steven can look a hunk of rock and tell you precisely where it came from!) They will show you their extensive collection of artifacts, including blacksmith and stone cutting tools, oxen shoes, railroad cartwheels, railroad spikes, old photos and derrick parts. Studying granite has been a lifelong pursuit for Steven; nobody knows more about this somewhat ignored aspect of Maine history. The museum, which is presently sharing space with a mower shop, is very much a work in progress. Steven says that in the present economy donations have dried up, but with him hope springs eternal and he's hoping for better times soon.

Back on Rte 102 the road to Hall Quarry is on the left. It leads to MCM Electric, the Head Lines Hair Salon, the Somes Sound View Campground, and the John M. Williams Co.

Further down Rte 102, look for Ike's Point, the Acadia Mountain parking, Appalachian Mountain Club Camp, St. Saviour Mountain parking, Acadia National Park Echo Lake Entrance, Smuggler's Den Campground, DeMuro's Top of the Hill Restaurant, Flying Mountain Artisans, and the Westside Market Plaza: Southwest Food Mart, Total Look Day Spa, Downeast Pilates, Tidal Graphics, Plaza Laundry, and Acadia Family Center.

At IKES POINT, there are boat-launching facilities (Powerboats with motors exceeding 10 hp are prohibited.)

You can get a good deal on family camping at the APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB CAMP on Echo Lake. Campers live in tents that have board floors and are supplied with beds, sheets, and blankets. Hot showers are available along with three daily family-style meals, including a clambake and lobster picnic. The camp is so popular that a lottery must often be held to determine who will get in. Write Echo Lake Camp, Mt. Desert, ME 04660, or call 207-244-3747.

You'll see the parking area for ACADIA MOUNTAIN, which provides a 3.5 mile round trip climb and spectacular views of Somes Sound.

From the parking area for ST. SAVIOUR MOUNTAIN, you can go hiking and climbing.

Watch for the ECHO LAKE entrance to Acadia National Park. At Echo Lake, there is a man-made beach with changing facilities and lifeguard. From the parking area, a steep trail leads up the cliff face of Beech Mountain.

The Fernald Point Road goes to the Causeway Golf Club, Valley Cove, Flying Mountain, and Charlotte Rhodes Park.

From the FERNALD POINT ROAD, you can take a trail up Flying Mountain. It's an easy climb, said by many to provide the park's best view for the least effort (unless you count driving up Cadillac Mountain).

Further on is the Seal Cove Road. Look for Milagro Coffee & Espresso, Southwest Liquor Locker, Westside Florist, Artful Designs, Quilt 'n' Fabric, Dandy Diaper Service, Southwest Video, Brandon and Laura's Cafe, JWF Jr., Mainely Acappella, Show2, Southwest Harbor Veterinary Clinic, Slipcovers, MDI Vacation Homes, First Bank, Mt. Desert Spring Water Co., Storage Unlimited, Pettegrow Custom Boats, Island Watch B&B, and Acadia National Park Fire Roads.

The SEAL COVE ROAD, most of which is in Acadia National Park, is a winding dirt road that takes

you thru a heavy coniferous forest, providing access to Bald and Western Mountains, two of MDI's quieter hiking areas. Roaming around these parts is a great way to avoid the crowds that flock to Sand Beach and Thunder Hole. You may meet no other hikers as you explore such places as Seal Cove and Hodgdon Ponds. Likewise is true of the Long Pond Fire Road, an unpaved loop providing access to Western Trail, which leads to a notch between Bernard and Mansell Mountain and Long Pond. The forests hereabouts have been untouched for decades, allowing for mature growth.

Coming into Southwest Harbor, look for the River Run Deli and Wendell Gilley Museum of Bird Carving.

In Southwest Harbor, the WENDELL GILLERY MUSEUM OF BIRD CARVING features

changing exhibits of carvings by Gilley and other artists. Gilley, author of the classic "The Art of Bird Carving," did around 6,000 wooden birds, some of which have in recent years commanded thousands of dollars. The museum is housed in a state-of-the-art solar heated building; staff is on hand to explain its workings. During the summer months, the museum has a full schedule of demonstrations and classes. Call 207-244-7555 for schedules. Low ticket prices make this a real cultural building. General admission: $5; children 5-12, $2; children under 5 free.

Downtown you'll see Mount Desert Island Real Estate, Southwest Harbor Fire Department, Newman Marine Brokerage, Maine State Sea Kayak Guide Service, Stephen J. Lyman, and sea kayaks, Southwest Harbor Antiques, Village Washtub, Hypnotherapy/Reiki, Harbor Barber, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, K. Kelley Pressure Point Studio, Salty Dog Gallery, Carrol Drug Store.

If you are in the Southwest Harbor area, CARROLL DRUG STORE will deliver your prescription.

A turn to the right takes you to the All-in-One Consignment Shop, the Chamber of Commerce Information CenTer, the Southwest Harbor Public Library, the Southwest Harbor Fire Department, Municipal Offices, Police Department, and the Comunity Health Center.

Back on Main Street, look for Salty Dog Gallery, Under the Dogwood Tree, Cafe 2, Aylen & Son Jewelers, Harbor House, a public library, Harbor Artisans, Gallery on Main, Little Notch Cafe, L.S. Robinson Co., McEachern Hutchings, Sawyer's Market, The First, Photo Gallery, Sawyers Specialties, Cafe Drydock, PIzazz, Hatched on MDI, Moody Mermaid, Quietside Cafe, Davis Agency Real Estate, Inn at Southwest, Southwest Cycle, Penury Hall B&B, Kingsleigh Inn, WOCA Gallery.

SAWYER'S SPECIALTIES has the biggest selection of fine wines on Mount Desert Island. The second Saturday of every month from 2 to 5 p.m., the folks here sponsor wine tastings.

The CAFE DRY DOCK serves seriously wonderful food, including Crispy Chilean Style Haddock, Scallops Southwest Harbor, Scallops Mornay, Walkers Wellington, Filet Mignon, and Lobster along with Great Salads, and Homemade Soups and Chowders. The good folks here have been cooking from scratch for nearly a quarter of a century. Go there for lunch, dinner, or lighter fare served all evening. There is a full bar as well as beer and wine. Listen to great music on Wednesday evenings or dine under the stars on the deck.

The lovely

DRYDOCK INN is open year round and during spring and summer guests enjoy room service. The inn features two suites with kitchen/living room combo and also kitchenettes. All eight rooms have cable TV, wireless internet, phones, in-room coffee, and hair dryers. The inn is convenient to shops and other amenities.

There is way more than meets the eye at the QUIETSIDE CAFE & ICE CREAM SHOP

on Main Street in Southwest Harbor. Besides the more than 20 flavors of hard ice cream and yogurt (along with 24-plus flavors of soft serve) there are salads, specialty sandwiches, and Maine's best homemade blueberry and apple pie. In addition to that, there are daily specials, pizza, and incredible seafood baskets. It's an Ice Cream Shop with a whole lot more!

The Clark Point Road leads to the waterfront. You'll pass Sips, the Red Sky Restaurant, Tom Cat, Inc. Variety Store, Chow Maine, The Corner Cafe, a U.S. Post Office, the road to the Medical Center, Goldeneye Gallery, Clark Point Inn, Lindenwood Inn, Southwest Lobster, Hamilton Marine, Claremont Inn, Southwest Boat Marine Services, DNW Marine Services, Beal's Lobster Pier, Captain's Galley, Musako Queen Co., and Coast Guard Station.

SIPS at 4 Clark point Road South West Harbor, the newest creation of the Worcester family ( Sawyer's Specialties and Sawyers Market )offers gourmet cuisine served up in an enjoyable atmosphere at affordable prices. They have an Espresso bar and a wine bar. Open-year round for breakfast ,lunch and dinner. Sunday brunch is from 9 to 2. Reservations recommended. Bon Appetite!

The CLAREMONT HOTEL, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, holds an annual summer croquet tournament.

You can eat your lunch at an authentic Maine working wharf at BEAL'S LOBSTER PIER.

SOUTHWEST BOAT MARINE SERVICES serves the individual needs of anybody with a boat. From metal fabrications and welding to underwater hull inspections, Southwest Boat is the company to turn to.

Back on Main Street as you leave the downtown area, you'll see Mansell Boat Rental, Sea Biscuit Cafe, Fiddler's Green Restaurant, Acadia Cottages, Dysart's Great Harbor Marina with its several shops, Harbor View Motel, and Giley's Head of the Harbor Restaurant.

The FIDDLER'S GREEN RESTAURANT is known for providing outstanding quality of food and service in a warm casual amosphere overlooking the harbor. Chef-owned and operated since 1999, the culinary style celebrates New England traditions without being bound by them. The cuisine is prepared daily using the finest seasonal ingredients, local and organic produce, farm-raised meats and very best fish the oceans have to offer. A food critic for Fodor's wrote, "The Most Difficult Part of Dining at this Harborside Restaurant is Selecting Just One Entree."

In Dysart's Great Harbor Marina, look for West Marine, Grumpy's Breakfast, Marine Point Blankets, Deck House Restaurant and Cabaret Theatre, Acadia Sales, Hinckley Yacht Charters, and the Black Ledge Lobster Pound.

GILLEY'S HEAD OF THE HARBOR RESTAURANT is famous locally for its fish and chips and fried fish sandwich. But it also does a terrific job with its beer battered onion rings, baked stuffed mushrooms, and harbor nachos. There is also a children's menu and a nice selection of steaks, including the 10 oz. sirloin culotte. The view of the harbor is unsurpassed.

A bit further on, the road to Seawall leads to XYZ Restaurant. Get down to the ocean and watch for Bella Mare, Manset Yacht Service, Hinckley's Ship Store, the Moorings Inn and Restaurant.

Back on Main Street, look for Skip's Automotive Services, H.G. Reed, NAPA and Gott's Store.

A left onto 102A at McKinley's Market takes you past Gordius Garage and down to Bass Harbor. You'll see Nemo's Barbecue, Ocean Front Cottages, Bass Harbor Cottages, Bass Harbor Inn, Island Cruises, Seafood Ketch Restaurant, C.H. Rich and Co., Swan's Island Ferry, Country Store, Morris Yachts, and Ravenswood.

Joe and Anne Paradise both do the wonderful bird carvings found at RAVENSWOOD.

Back on 102A, look for Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Bass Habor Campground, Harbor Handcrafts & Quilts, Acadia National Park Seawall Entrance, Ship's Harbor Nature Trail, Wonderland, Seawall Campground and Picnic Area, a natural seawall, Seawall Motel, Common Good Soup Kitchen, Seawall Camping Supplies, Seawall Take-out, Islandscaping Garden Center, Ellis Boat Co. Inc, Manset Union Church, Gatsby's, St. Peter's Church, Westside Auto Repair, XYZ Restaurant, Clark Point Gallery.

The Ship's Harbor Nature Trail runs about a mile-and-a-half thru a spruce forest and open ledgy woodlands. A self-guided brochure to the trail is available free at Seawall Campground.

The SEAWALL PICNIC AREA on the ocean is near the Seawall Campground. Both are in Acadia National Park. Here there is a rocky shore laced with tidepools.

The trail to WONDERLAND is an old road offering an easy walk to the shore thru a dense spruce forest and open pitch pine forest. Here there is an amazingly wide variety of habitats, making it a good birdwatching spot.

The SEAWALL DRIVE-IN features a wide variety of homemade frozen custard and gelatos. Flavors include blood orange, coconut, carmel mochalatte, pistachio, and cocolate hazelnut.

For outstanding food, great entertainment, and a fantastic atmosphere, check out GATSBY'S on the Seawall Road. Offered is a blended menu (entrees from around the world) as well as karaoke and free WIFI. The fish and the pastries are fresh, there are daily specials, and you can dine outdoors.

A right turn will take you down to the Shore Road and the Henry R. Hinckley Co., the Manset Boat House, and Scotty's Dockside Motel and Restaurant.

HENRY R. HINCKLEY, noted builder of luxury yachts, has its yard in Manset. Driving past the yard and in the harbor at Northeast, you can see some of the world's most beautiful sailing vessels.

If you take the right towards Bernard, you'll come to McEachern & Hutchings, Inc.

Look for the turn to Ann's Point Inn, Bass Harbor Boat, and Sunset Cottages.

The turn to Bernard will lead you to E.L. Higgins Antique Wicker, Linda Fernandez Handknits & Gifts, Island Pet Grooming, A. Jones Gallery, Nancy Neale's Typecraft, and Thurston's Lobster Pond.

In Bernard, check out Nancy Neale Typecraft, Maine's only printing museum and memorabilia shop. Here you'll find one of the country's most extensive collections of wood type. Near the museum is E. & L. Higgins, Inc, Maine's largest antique wicker dealer.

Back on the Pretty Marsh Road, look for Art etc., Quietside Campground, the road to Seal Cove Potttery and Gallery, Judy Taylor Gallery, Edna's Variety Store, Butler's Lodge, West Eden Bed & Breakfast, Seal Cove Auto Museum, Candle Closet, the road to Pretty Marsh and the road to Beech Hill Cliffs.

On the Pretty Marsh Road, you can see one of the country's finest collections of antique cars at the SEAL COVE AUTO MUSEUM . The display represents the fruits of a great deal of dedication as well as heaps of old and inherited money.

The PRETTY MARSH PICNIC AREA, which is in the national park, provides views over bluffs to Pretty Marsh Harbor and onward to Bartlett and Hardwood Islands. Here there is a stony beach.

INDIAN POINT ROAD leads to the Blagden Conservancy, which is owned by the Nature Conservancy. The area was once home to the Passamaquoddy Indians. Now a nature preserve, trails thru the land offer views of old spruce forest, an old apple orchard, and white spruce along the coast.

BAR HARBOR

If you take the left fork at Parkadia Grocery and Lunch you'll be on Rte 3 heading towards Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park headquarters. Right quick you'll come upon the Sunnyside Motel and Cottages, Don's Guitar Studio, Hilton's quality, handcrafted bird houses, Kingdom Hall, the Oceanarium, the Mount Desert Narrows Campground, Downeast Horizons, Willowind Therapeutic Riding Center, Heathwood Inn, Eden Village, Wagon Wheel Inn, Sunflower Greenhouses, Acadian Ranch, the Belle Isle Motel, Llangolan Inn & Cottages, Rose Eden Cottages, Travelin' Lobster.
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A major attraction is the OCEANARIUM, which features a lobster hatchery, a lobster museum, a marsh walk, and a seal tank. Most often there's a lobsterman on hand to explain the mysteries of his venerable trade. The Oceanariums (there is a second one in Southwest Harbor) are run by David and Audrey Mills, good people who take their roles of teachers seriously.

Look for the turnoff to Hadley Point Campground.

Back on Rte 3, look for Sweet Pea Winery, Sew Special, Hiker's Haven Post & Beam Cottage, Coach Stop Inn, Woodland Park Cottages, MDI Biological Laboratory, and Bar Harbor Soap & Candle Co.

The ATLANTIC BREWING COMPANY of Town Hill is establishing a vineyard on Route 3 at what was Sweet Pea’s Farm. The new name is Sweet Pea’s Vineyard. It’s more than a vineyard, however; it is also an organic farm selling vegetables and flowers. It has a nice gift shop.

MT. DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY in Salisbury Cove conducts a free summer visitors' program. Scientists here are engaged in studying various aspects of cell biology, with an emphasis on rheopharmacology--they've been using sharks and dogfish to study kidney functions. Visitors can check out a touch tank, see the laboratories, and listen to scientists describe their work. The tours begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays mid-June thru August. Call 207-288-3605.

A turn to the left goes to Bay Meadow Cottages, Edgewater Motel and Cottages, the Eden Baptist Church, a U.S. Post Office, and Kelley's.

A right turn takes you onto Norway Drive and Bowden Marine Service.

Back on Rte 3, look for the Emory's Cottages, Acadia Park Inn, Bar Harbor Campground, Robbins Motel, Acadia Pines Motel, Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf, Mainely Meat, Udder Heaven / Bay Gulls Bagels, Bar Harbor Convenience and Camping Gear Store, Pirate's Cove Miniature Golf, Log Cabin Restuarant & Bakery, High Seas Motel, Seabreeze Ocean View Motel, Hinckley's Dreamwood Cottages, Hutchin's Mountainview Cottages, Gerrish Chiropractic, Fieldside, Hanscom's Motel and Cottages, Gail's Gardens, Town and Country Dolls & Bears, Mad Hatters Studio, Hazel's Paintings, Church of Our Father, The Chart Room, Pepper's Pizza & Subs, Hulls Cove Schoolhouse, The Colony, and Traditional Downeast Lobster Bake, and Pot and Kettle Club.

In Hulls Cove, you'll see the Chart Room, Tide Watch Cabins, Peppers, and Hull's Cove General Store.

To the right is the Crooked Road which will take you to the Mystery Cove Book Shop.

On the Crooked Road, the MYSTERY COVE BOOK SHOP has a large collection of mystery and detective fiction along with a growing collection of Maine, children's, science fiction, nautical books and more. Open year round. Call 207/288-4665.

Just beyond here is the road to Rocky Mann's Ceramic Studio, the Davis Town Museum, Hulls Cove Sculpture Garden, and the Tool Barn.

The HULLS COVE SCULPTURE GARDEN, featuring the work of contemporary Maine sculptors, spreads across two acres of fields, flowers, trails, ponds, and a stream.

Back on Rte 3, look for the Hulls Cove General Store and the entrance to Acadia National Park Headquarters.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK VISITORS' CENTER has printed information and a free film that'll introduce you to the park. During the summer, park naturalists conduct daily interpretive programs to help visitors understand the ecological processes at work here. Call 207-288-3338.

From the Acadia National Park Headquarters, you can get onto the Park Loop Road, which leads you to Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, the Jordan Pond House, and the road up Cadillac Mountain.

Back on Rte 3 you'll pass Sonogee, Fairfield Inn, Day's Inn, the Bar Harbor Regency Holiday Inn, Stewman's Lobster Pound, Altantic Oceanside, Jack Russell Steakhouse & Brewery, Bar Harbor Motel, Acadia Inn, Bayview Oceanside Rooms, Edenbrook Motel, the Highbrook Motel, Cleftstone Manor, the Bar Harbor Hotel-Blue Nose Inn, College of the Atlantic Natural History Museum, Wonder View Inn and Suites and the Looking Glass Restaurant.

The NATURAL HISTOIRY MUSEUM at College of the Atlantic, open daily Labor Day to Oct. 10, features children's hands-on exhibits, a 20-foot whale skeleton, and other displays of island life. There is a self-guided nature trail on the college campus and summer field studies. The price certainly is right: general admission, $2.50; seniors, $1.50; kids under 12 - 3, one dollar.

At 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC holds a summer distinguished lecturers' series. Call 288-5015.

A left onto West Street will take you by the Maine Sea Coast Mission, Acadia Park Kayak Tours, and the Salt Air Inn.

Yankee Magazine says the SALT AIR INN is New Engand's best oceanfront B&B.

A ledt onto Bridge Street leads you to Bar Island.

BAR ISLAND can be reached by walking across a sand bar when the tide is out. Half of Bar Island is national park, and you're free to explore the whole place. Take care not to let the incoming tide strand you there.

Back on West Street, look for Bar Harbor Club, La Bella Vita at the Harborside Hotel, Laberravera, West Street Cafe, Mason Gallery, Alone Moose, Harbor Side Hotel and Marina, Stewman's Lobster Pound, and Harbor Place, a collection of several businesses at the Town Wharf. Included here is the the Fish House Grill, Acadia Air Tours, Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co., Aquaterra Adventures, and Oli's Trolley.

Acadia Park Kayak Tours offers eco-friendly, small-group kayak tours led by a Registered Maine Guide.

Let the BAR HARBOR WHALE WATCH CO. be your one-stop boating company. There are four different cruises, all of which are informatively narrated. It’s both fun and educational. The folks here promise you’ll see a whale. If you don’t, the next trip’s on them.

Downtown BAR HARBOR has something for just about everybody. There are nice shops with beautiful, expensive things, less nice shops with inexpensive T-Shirts, and shops with expensive T-shirts. There are several pretty decent restaurants. Throughout Bar Harbor, there are motel and hotel rooms aplenty, running the gamut from low cost to really expensive.Many people love Bar Harbor, although there are those who hate it. The people who like it enjoy the many shops carrying quality merchandise not readily available anywhere else in the territory, the wide choice of restaurants, the high energy level. The people who hate it point to the tackiness, the high prices, the crowdedness, the pushiness, the kitsch—all the things that go with great popularity. Whether you love it or hate it probably has more to do with you than with Bar Harbor.

Bar Harbor has an incredible selection of accommodations. Popular ones incude The Ledgelawn Inn, Ivy Manor Inn Bed & Breakfast, Coach Stop Inn, Acadia Inn, Acadia Hotel, Atlantic Eyrie Lodge, Bar Harbor Grand Hotel, Bar Harbor Inn & Spa, Cromwell Harbor Motel, Acadia Pines Motel, Acadia Suites, Anchorage Motel, Bar Harbor Inn, Bar Harbor Manor, Bar Harbor Motel, Bar Harbor Quality Inn, Barton's Motel, Bay Meadow Cottages, Belle Isle Motel, Bluenose Inn, Cadillac Motor Inn, Chiltern Inn, The Colony, Cromwell Harbor MoteL, Days Inn Frenchman Bay, Edenbrook Motel, Edgewater Motel and Cottages, Fairfield Inn, Hanscom's Motel, Harborside Motel, High Seas Motel, Hutchins Mountain View Cottages, Inn At Bay Ledge, Isleview Motel, Maine Street Motel, Ocean Drive Motor Court, Park Entrance Ocean Front Motel, Port Atlantis, Primrose Inn, Quimby House Inn, Rockhurst Motel, Sea Breeze Motel, Seacroft Inn, Snell House, Sunnyside Motel & Cottages, Sunrise Motel, Town Motel & Moseley Cottage Inn, Villager Motel, Wonder View Inn & Suites.

A right onto Main Street will take you by Agamont Park, the Bar Harbor Motor Inn, the Black Bear, the Blueberry Patch, Galyn's Restaurant, Patrick by the Sea, Geddy's Down Under and Geddy's Restaurant, My Maine Bag, Jack's Jewelry, the Christmas Tree, Margaret Todd, Moose Tracks, Jordan Pond Ice Cream and Fudge, Acadia National Park Tours, Bar Harbor Inn & Reading Room Restaurant, Bayside Landing shops, Acadia Outdoors, Sherman's Book Store.

A right puts you on Cottage Street. Look for Bar Harbor Clothing Co., Hot Spot Pizza & Burgers, Jeannie's Breakfast, Opera House Internet Cafe, Sea of Cotton, 8 Cottage, The Village Emporium, Cadillac Mountain Sports, Finback Alehouse, Simply Natural, Criterion Theatre,

The HOT SPO

T is full of surprises. From the street it looks like an ordinary pizza and burger joint, but inside you'll find such entrees as Dank Dank Shrimp (fresh Maine shrimp lightly breaded and tossed with a spicy and sweet cream sauce); an amazingly rich and complex lobster stew; the Dirty Burger (named for its secret combination of spices); and the Gyro (very well seasoned lamb and homemade tzatziki sauce). Here is one of Bar Harbor's most interesting dining experiences.

The original art deco style has been preserved at Bar Harbor's CRITERION THEATRE. The unusual balcony configuration has the upper level, called the loge, split into many compartments. Everything is original, including the two projectors, which go back sixty years. The Criterion was built in 1932 by George McKay, a local legend who is said to have gotten his considerable fortune running rum. In the early days, live vaudeville was spotlighted on the Criterion's stage. Shown now is a wide variety, including recent releases, art films, and foreign language films.

To your right, the Bayside Landing has several shops, including Bayside Liquors, Pretty Marsh Gallery, and Testa's Restaurant.

A left off Cottage St. puts you on Rodick Street. Look for Morning Glory Bakery, Gringos, Siam Orchid, Lompac Cafe, Side Street Cafe, Pat's Pizza, Roberto Hastins Salon, Dog and Pony Tavern, The Ugly Duck Bodega, Fiore Artisan Olive Oil & Vinegar, Reel Pizza, and Mama DiMatteo's.

A favorite destination in downtown Bar Harbor is REEL PIZZA, the place to go for gourmet pizza. Eat pizza any way your like it, enjoy beer or wine, and watch movies ranging from current hits to cult classics.

We've eaten often at MAMA'S DIMATTEO'S and can recommend the food wholeheartedly. It's a family-style, casual Italian restaurant, most everything is made on the premises, and prices are competitive.

Back on Cottage Street, look for Rosalie's, Simply Natural, Swan Agency, Camden National Bank, Sea Kayak Tours, a U.S. Post Office, Rainwise Inc., Central House, Fa-bri-cate, Little Notch Bakery, Cottage St. Bakery & Deli, Bar Harbor Vacation Homes, Bees, Acadia Cornerstone Real Estate, New Image, Bar Harbor Festival, Eden Builders, Arnold's TV, Mike Woodward Realty, First Express, Dillon Real Estate, Collage Cottage, Bar Harbor Times, Big Apple, Jordan's Restaurant, Hannaford Super Market, Black Friar Inn, Bar Harbor Municipal Building, Machias Savings Bank, A & B Naturals, Acadia Outfitters, Quimby House Inn,Tree of Life Day Spa, Dobb's Productions, Mad Hatters Pub & Grill, Cafe Bluefish, 2 Cats Restaurant, McEachern Hutchings, Mache Bistro, Little Anthony's, Queen Anne's Flower Shop, and Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop.

To our way of thinking, the best place to watch sports on TV is the MAD HATTER PUB AND GRILL at 166 Cottage Street. There are several large flatscreen TVs and strategically situated overstuffed couches. The menu features homemade treats made with fresh ingredients such as their famous tri-colored tortilla chips topped with mozzarella cheese black olives, onion, tomato, jalapeno, corn and shredded lettuce, portabello fries, bruschelta chicken, parmesan sandwich ciabatta bread, and fresh mozzarella, homemade bruschetta mix and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. This is where we go to watch Tom Terrific lead the patriots. If the game isn't to your liking, the good folks here also provide free WIFI.

Back on Main Street, you'll see Downeast Deli, Sherman's Book Store, Bay Ferries, Jeckell & Hyde, Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium, Atlantic Climbing School, Christmas Spirits, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Clair de Loon, Acadia Shop, the Acadia Shop, Debbahs of Bar Harbor, Native Arts Gallery, Island Artisans, Our New England Country Store, Bar Harbor Savings & Loan, West End Drug, Alexander H. Phillips Clockmaker, Katahdin Photo Gallery, Argosy Gallery, Art and Soul, Candle Sculptor, Bar Harbor Hemporium, Cool as a Moose, Stone Soup, Rupununi's American Bar & Grill, Acadia Country Store, Del Sol, Joe's Smoke Shop, Get Clocked, Bark Harbor, T-Shirt Express, Scrimshaw Workshop, C.J.'s Big Dipper Ice Cream, J. H. Butterfield Co., In the Wood, Walking the Dog, Psychic Reader, Window Panes, Parkside Restaurat.

WEST END DRUG has a 22-cent cup of coffee (27 cents if you want cream). The old-fashioned ice cream soda fountain here is one of the friendliest places in town. Yankee Magazine says West End Drug offers New England's "Best Sweet Deal." According to Yankee, "In a town of $4 ice cream cones and $7 sandwiches, this (sanctuary) offers a grilled cheese for less than $ 2 and a one-scoop cone for $1.49."

On Mount Desert Street, there's the Village Green, The Best of Bar Harbor, Leary's Landing Irish Pub, Bright Sparkle Studio, the Evergreen Pottery Studio, Argosy II Gallery, Bar Harbor Brewing Co., D'Allessio Gallery, Eclypse Gallery, Spouce & Gussy, Cafe This Way, Bar Harbor Blues Cafe, Acadia Hotel, Abbe Museum, the Jesup Memorial Library, a YWCA, an Episcopal Church, Thornhedge Inn, a bank, Rockhurst Motel, Ledgelawn Inn, Mira Monte Inn, Primrose and Aurora Inns, Bar Harbor Manor, Acadia Cafe, and a Quality Inn.

On Monday and Thursday evenings at 8 during July and August, the TOWN BAND plays at the Village Green. Concerts are free.

The EPISCOPAL CHURCH has wonderful Tiffany windows and welcomes visitors. Performing occasionally in St. Saviour's Parish House is Jackson & Friends, a concert series of comedy, music and new vaudeville. The shows are presented by the wonderfully talented Jackson Gillman, sometimes known as the Stand-up Chameleon.

BAR HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM at Jesup Memorial Library (288-4245) has a large collection of photographs of early hotels, cottages, steamers, and rusticators. There are excellent scrapbooks of the 1947 fire.

MIRA MONTE INN at 69 Mt. Desert St. was built in 1861. (Mira Monte means "behold the mountain" in reference to the beautiful surrounding peaks of Acadia National Park.) Arrington's Bed and Breakfast Journal called Mira Monte "One of Top 15 B&B's with Best Gardens" and singled it out as the "Inn with the Most Privacy" and "Best Inn for Shopping.”

Continue onto the Eagle Lake Road and you'll soon come upon Kebo Valley Club.

KEBO VALLEY GOLF CLUB, founded in 1888, the eighth oldest golf club in the United States, has challenged the skills of many of the country’s finest players, most influential politicians, and top leaders of industry. For many years, Walter Hagen held the course record. A championship par 70 course, Kebo was rated among the "Top 15" public courses in New England by the New England Journal of Golf and among the "Top 10" classical public golf courses by Golf Digest.

Back on Main Street you'll pass Window Panes, the Ivy Manor Inn, climbing lessons, Bar Harbor Villager Motel, Main Street Market & Grill, Mt. Desert Islander, Lynam's Real Estate, McKay's Public House, a YMCA, J.B. Atlantic Co., Macey's, Main Street Market & Grill, Fantail Pub, Bar Harbor Grand Hotel, Gram's, Island Card & Gift, Chowdah's, Tapley's, Mt. Desert Ice Cream, Cadillac Motor Inn, YMCA, Poor Boy's Gourmet Restaurant, Cromwell Harbor Motel, Compass Harbor Village, the Ocean Drive Restaurant, The Jackson Laboratory, Acadia National Park Sieur de Monts Entrance.

Yeah, sure, CHOWDAH'S RESTAURANT serves chowder, great chowder, the best around. What would you expect? But it also serves terrific signature steaks and memorable ribs and the freshest seafood found anywhere. And don't forget the homemade onion rings and the desserts, all of which are made fresh daily. The jury has spoken and the judgment is that Chowdah's is a complete package of excellent Downeast fare dining certain to satisfy the most diverse preferences.

For 25 years, POOR BOY 'S GOURMET RESTAURANT has been a local favorite of diners seeking delicious food at reasonable prices. Featured are lobster, seafood, steak, chicken, vegetarian dishes and Poor Boy's special "Bottomless Bowl of Pasta". Poor Boy's has a full bar and makes what many insist are the best frozen Blueberry Daiquiris in New England. Always on hand are several locally brewed beers on tap. Poor Boy's has an excellent wine list (including nightly $15.00 specials) and a complete selection of non-alcoholic beverages. For dessert, their cheesecake and berry pies are "simply the best!"

A turnoff to the left puts you on the Otter Cliffs Road..

A turn to the left here will take you to an entrance to Acadia National Park.

ABBE MUSEUM, celebrating Maine's Native American heritage, has two locations: the new museum 26 Mount Desert St. in downtown Bar Harbor, open year-round, and the historic, trailside museum at Sieur de Monts Spring, open May-October. At the downtown site there are programs for children and adults including workshops with Native American craftspeople. 207-288-3519.

THE JACKSON LABORATORY, the world's largest center for the study of mammalian genetics, is home to some of the world's foremost genetic researchers. The laboratory also is something of a factory, producing millions of mice used by scientists throughout the world. Many of these mice are unique in that they are genetically destined to have certain traits, including particular diseases.

If you keep going past the lab, you'll get to the TARN, a shallow, steep-banked mountain pond between Dorr Mountain and Hugenot Head. The far end of the Tarn is a favored habitat for beavers.

The PRECIPICE is MDI's toughest climb. Many of the island's mountains have hiking trails; they are tailored for all levels of energy and ability. Consult a park ranger for a hike you'll find suitable.

We are firm believers in the idea that America's nation

al parks belong to the people, all of the people, even people who can't spare $5 to get in. Consequently, we were unhappy when in the late 80s most parks, including Acadia, began charging user fees. The good news locally is that you can legally avoid paying the fee for entering the Park Loop Road, if you don't mind missing Sand Beach and Thunder Hole. From Route 3, turn left onto the OTTER CLIFFS ROAD. This road leads to public restroom facilities from which you can get onto the Park Loop Road free of charge.

Keep going on Rte 3 to get to Otter Creek Village, Seal Harbor, and Northeast Harbor. You'll come upon the Otter Creek Inn and Market, Burning Tree Restaurant, Cottage Flowers, The Hall, Blackwoods Campground, the Village Market, the Lighthouse Inn and Restaurant, The Coffee House Pizzeria, Naturalist's Notebook, Abby Chapel, Seal Harbor Park, Seal Harbor Beach, Acadia National Park Stanley Brook Entrance, and an Episcopal Church.

BLACKWOODS CAMPGROUND, one of two national park campgrounds, has inexpensive sites, although reservations are required well in advance. At Blackwoods, there is an amphitheater where free naturalist talks are conducted.

Once thru OTTER CREEK, you come upon the road to Hunter's Beach. There is a small packing area from which a park trail takes you down to an uncrowded cobblestone beach.

Keep going and you'll reach SEAL HARBOR, summer home to people in control of some of the country's historic fortunes. Fords, Vanderbilts, Astors, Mellons--people like that. Here and in nearby Northeast Harbor you can see their vast, rambling cottages. You can hobnob with some of them at the Northeast Harbor Golf Course, a strange, but beautiful, semi-secret 15-hole layout that accepts greens fee players.

As you leave Seal Harbor, note that on your left is; a public sand beach and on your right a pleasant park. Beyond the park is the STANLEY BROOK ROAD, from which you can get onto the park Loop Road without paying a fee.

If you continue thru Seal Harbor, you'll reach LITTLE LONG POND. The Rockefellers

own the land around the pond, but they let people use it. Beyond this,you come to the Thuya Gardens and Asticou Terraces, an endowed municipal park containing an English formal garden, a waterfront mountainside trail, and a rare historical book library, Thuya Lodge. A walking trail begins a little farther down the road.

Watch for the Cranberry Lodge and Asticou Inn.

Keep going, and you'll come to Rtes 198/3. Turn right and you'll find the entrance to the formal ASTICOU AZELEA GARDENS. Down the road is the Brown Mountain Gatehouse, one of two lovely carriage road English Tudor-style gate houses built in 1932 by John D. Rockefeller Jr. (Rockefeller helped local folks weather the Great Depression with work projects, the fruits of which we continue to enjoy. He was the driving force behind MDI's wonderful carriage roads and marvelous stone bridges.)

A left turn will take you into Northeast Harbor. Check out the marina; there are some impressive yachts moored there. The GREAT HARBOR COLLECTION MUSEUM in the Old Town Hall on Main Street has exhibits representing all facets of early Maine coastal life. Donations are suggested. Nearby, there is a nice assortment of shops and galleries. Prices here aren't necessarily cheap, but browsers are tolerated nicely.

Watch for the Grey Rock Inn on Harborside Road,

A tur to the left takes you to the Northest Harbor Fleet, Main Sail Restaurant and Kimball Terrace Inn.

Back on Main St., look for Knowles Co., hardware store and a bank, Holmes Store, Island Artisans, Pine Tree Market and Landromat, Northeast Fine Art & Design, Shaw Jewelry, Kimball Shop, Smart Studio and Gallery, Local Color, The Colonel's Delicatessen, Generations, Jack Ledbetter Studio, and The Romantiac Room.

A right will take you down to Sargent Drive and the Northeast Harbor Golf Club.

SARGENT DRIVE skirts Somes Sound from Northeast Harbor. The sound constitutes the only natural fjord on the Atlantic coast. At Somes Sound Lookout, you'll gaze upon Acadia Mountain. You may see porpoises frolicking in the sound. Further on, the Somes Sound Picnic Area hugs the shore.

NORTHEAST HARBOR GOLF CLUB is one of the Island's well-kept secrets. Golfers are presented with the best of all worlds — 13 magnificent wooded holes surrounded by thousands of trees and five traditional links-style holes. There are several significant elevation changes, very small greens, and unrivaled beauty.

Questions or comments? Send them along to Captain D.

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