9 Quaint Things to Do in Bar Harbor Maine in Autumn

This post is about Bar Harbor.

Planning a trip to Acadia National Park? Then you have to visit Bar Harbor too! Located ten minutes from the entrance of Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor is the perfect place to stay when visiting this beautiful part of Maine. 

This guide will not only tell you where to stay but also what to see and where to eat. I break it all down for you right here, so you won’t miss a single thing Bar Harbor has to offer.

This is the only place you are allowed to station yourself for an adventure in Acadia! I will not allow you to book anywhere else! Alright, I can’t force you, but you should know that this adorable town cannot be missed. It reminded me so much of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls if they were a fishing town. Here are some spots to stop by in this dreamy town!

Where to Stay:

We stayed at the Acadia Hotel. Located right in the heart of Bar Harbor, the Acadia Hotel has so much to offer. Great prices, great location, and great perks!

This hotel also came with free breakfast and bikes you could borrow to ride around town. This was by far my favorite thing about the hotel, and we had a lovely morning of biking out to the shore to watch the sunrise!

I could not recommend this place enough to anyone traveling to the area. Make sure to book in advance for the best prices and best rooms! I suggest looking for deals on Booking.com which is where we got the lowest prices for our stay.

When to Go to Bar Harbor:

Planning when to take the drive up to Maine was very important because we wanted to catch the fall foliage at its peak. After some research, we found that The Foliage Network gave the best update to what the “foliage forecast” would look like. You can sign up for weekly emails that keep you up to date on how close you are to peak season.

We decided to go a few days after peak to avoid the crowds. And it couldn’t have gone more perfectly! Although this did mean that we went out of season and there were some restaurants closed in the neighboring towns, we successfully missed all of the crowds.  

Things to See in Bar Harbor Maine:

Land Bridge

This is probably the coolest thing in town! When the tide is out, the water flows out to sea and leaves a “land bridge” to get to Bar Island. Bar Island is a beautiful little spot for more paths full of fall foliage. But don’t get stuck over there! Make sure you leave plenty of time to walk back across before the tide comes in.

If you have the time, I highly suggest spending a couple hours on the Island. There are trails clearly labeled that you can walk or bike on. We took our bikes from the hotel over to the island which made for a wonderful morning.

Bar Harbor Shore Path

Also, a great path in town, Bar Harbor Shore Path is a 1.5 mile trail easily accessible to all ages. We decided to take our bikes to the path for sunrise which was the best idea we had. Except when we got there, we realized you weren’t allowed to bike on the actual path, so we had to walk out bikes back. But the view easily distracted us!

Getting up for sunrise was perfect because we had the entire stretch of trail all to ourselves. We got to watch the fishermen arrive with their fresh catch of the day. This also allowed us to get the best seats in the house at breakfast.

Where to Eat in Bar Harbor:

Testa’s

If you are going to listen to anything I say here, YOU MUST EAT BREAKFAST AT TESTA’S! Okay, I’ll calm down. But its breakfast with a view! What more could you possibly want in life? I highly recommend the French toast, and you must specifically ask to sit upstairs on the balcony. Get there a few minutes before they open, and you’ll be rewarded with the best seat in the place—a balcony overlooking the small street and a view of the fisherman docking at the pier.

Choco Latte Café

In a hurry to get into the park? Stop here for coffee (or in my case, a hot chocolate) and a small breakfast! Definitely a great option in a pinch.

Mount Desert Island Ice Cream

Ice Cream? But Grace, it’s freezing outside. It is never, ever too cold for ice cream! And when a place like Mount Desert has funky flavors? You must try them all! They even had a butterbeer flavor for all those Harry Potter fans!

Side Street Café

Dinner time! A great spot for sit in or take out to Cadillac Mountain, Side Street Café has plenty of choices and cocktails too.

We actually at here twice. Once was take out and the other we dined in. It is such a great atmosphere with so many great options to choose from! We went with a Bavarian pretzel to start which couldn’t have been a better idea.

Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster Pound

I couldn’t write an entire post about Maine and not mention lobster rolls! I allowed myself a cheat day for this one because I felt I couldn’t go to Maine and not try a lobster roll. Needless to say, it is the freshest lobster you will ever eat. As soon as I ordered, the worker turned around, grabbed a live lobster, and carried it into the kitchen. I had to try very hard to block that image out of my mind when taking my first bite. But the poor guy was delicious!

Bar Harbor Cheesecake

Finally, we end with dessert. Grab yourself a personal cheesecake for takeout in your hotel room like we did. They have so many options, it was impossible to choose just one. So of course, we went back not once, but twice. So. Good!

We also saved this as our fancy dinner night. Treating yourself is very important especially when on vacation and after a strenuous day of hiking in Acadia.

I got the charcuterie board as my meal, and wow was that the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. I will say their vegetarian options are very limited which is why I went with the cheese board (my friend ate the actual charcuterie of the board). 

But still, the spread was delicious, the wine was divine, and of course the cheesecake was to die for. Overall, a great option if you are looking for a fancier meal in Bar Harbor.

Shop Til You Drop

The main street of Bar Harbor not only has amazing restaurants like the ones listed above, but there are also tons of shops to visit!

Some are just your average t-shirt souvenir shops, but there are also amazing local shops selling handmade crafts and other beautiful gems you can only find in Bar Harbor. I highly suggest taking an hour or two to visit each one to see all of the unique things there are. Even if you aren’t going to buy anything, I still think it is worth the time. Did I mention they have a huge independent bookstore aka my kryptonite?

Another perk of visit off season is that most of the stores have end of the season sales, so you can get tons of souvenirs for less than half the price! I’m a big t-shirt collector, and I ended up getting three for the price of one!

Also, there is a store that sells fudge in the front and shirts in the back, and it is literally the best fudge I have ever had in my whole life. And this is a girl who lives near the Jersey Shore which is known for its amazing fudge. But this small-town fudge place beat it all. So you must try it!

A Perfect Weekend in Bar Harbor, Maine.

And there you have it! Everything you need to know about planning your trip to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine! This was such a relaxing and therapeutic trip after being cooped up for months on end. Of course, Taylor Swift dropping her autumnal album, Folklore definitely added a special aesthetic to the trip. 

With this guide to Bar Harbor, you will have no problems settling into the cozy town. With the perfect place to stay, the great list of things to see and do, and of course the countless places to eat, you will absolutely thrive during your stay in Bar Harbor.

Don’t miss my post on all of the spots you need to visit in Acadia National Park! There are literally countless trails and overlooks in this park, so it is easy to be overwhelmed by the number of things to see and do.

I also have a post on stops to add to your Maine road trip which is linked here. Most are right along scenic route one, so you won’t need to detour! Route One takes you through so many cute towns that it can feel impossible to decide which ones to stop in. My post will help you determine which ones are worth the pit stop.

And don’t forget to stop in the towns of Westerly and Mystic which I also have a post for! Mystic most famously known for being the backdrop of the Julia Roberts movie, Mystic Pizza. And Westerly is an adorable beach town which is also home to Taylor Swift’s beach house! The beach house is the inspiration to her folklore song, Last Great American Dynasty.

Have you been yet? Stay tuned for the next posts where I tell you all the places you have to stop along the way during your road trip up and back from Maine!

This post is about Bar Harbor.