New England Getaway: New England travel, vacation, and destination guide

Bar Harbor is a little town nestled into a cove on Mount Desert Island in Hancock Country, Maine and home to one of the finest summer colonies in the Downeast region. Activities for visitors are limitless in the Bar Harbor region. 1/13/2008

Bar Harbor Vacation Activities

History:

Bar Harbor is a little town nestled into a cove on Mount Desert Island in Hancock Country, Maine and home to one of the finest summer colonies in the Downeast region. It is generally thought that Samuel de Champlain ran aground at Otter Point in 1604, not far from Abenkai tribal lands. He would meet with Abenaki leaders and name the island Isles des Monts Deserts or 'island of the barren mountains'.

 

By 1880, Bar Harbor had already become a hub for Northern New England agriculture and maritime affairs, but also had a thriving tourist economy with over 30 hotels in the town at the time. Notable families taking up summer residences in the area would include the Astor's, Edsel Ford, Katherine Hepburn, J.P. Morgan, the Vanderbilt's, Joseph Pulitzer, and the Rockefellers. Each millionaire tried to outdo the next with lavish gardens, swinging social scenes, and monumental 'summer homes'.

 

In 1947, a fire swept through 'Millionaire's Row' and destroyed many of the fine homes. The business district of the now-named Bar Harbor was spared and still exists as it did in yesteryears.

 

Activities:

Activities for visitors are limitless in the Bar Harbor region. One is surrounded by Acadia National Park and can visit some of the more picturesque Downeast Maine towns in a nice day's drive around the island. Don't let the previously gilded residents of the town intimidate you from making the trip to Bar Harbor. The tourist town is dedicated to serving every type of visitor, from senior citizen to families with young children.

 

The crowds can be cumbersome in the peak summer months, but one can easily get out of the downtown district and enjoy a peaceful picnic in nearby Southeast Harbor, known as the backside if the island. Say 'Hiyah Martha' as you pass by her summer estate on your way through Seal Cove onto your stop at the Azalea Gardens near the Asticou Inn.

 

You will need a car to get around the island, but you can camp, RV, crash at a motel or slumber in luxury at your choice of inns, hotels and campgrounds. Don't let another vacation pass you by without taking a glimpse of all that Bar Harbor, Maine has to offer.

 

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