Bar Harbor

Located on Mount Desert Island, the second largest island on the Eastern seaboard, Bar Harbor is a quaint little town where local artistry thrives and very close in proximity to one of the most magnificent areas in the world, Acadia National Park. Over 5000 people call Bar Harbor home all year, with that number swelling to 18,000 during the summer months. With over 2 million visitors per year, Bar Harbor and it’s surrounding beauty is far from a well-kept secret but not overwhelmed by tourism either.

 

Downtown Bar Harbor offers plenty of things to do and is particularly lively in the summer and fall months. Restaurants, inns, galleries, and specialty shops align on the cozy streets of the business district. From maple syrup to jewelry, browse handcrafted Maine items that are works of local artists at a number of shops and boutiques. Venture on a brewery tour where you can sample local craft beers or sit down at a variety of one-of-a-kind eateries. Downtown Bar Harbor is also where you will find any supplies and gear you might possibly need to make the most out of your experience in any part of Acadia and the rest of Mount Desert Island. There’s a wide range of activities to participate in Bar Harbor - play golf right outside of Acadia, go boating or fishing in the ocean, or try visiting an oceanarium, zoo, or a historical museum.

 

While much has changed in Bar Harbor over the years, one thing that has not is that it remains as one of New England’s chief summer resort destinations. In the 19th century, the town was known for being a premier summer colony for the country’s most elite. At this point in time, Bar Harbor was the location of North America’s largest hotel as well as a group of summer estates known as Millionaires’ Row - a line of homes of America’s super-affluent and powerful families including the Fords, the Rockefellers, and the Vanderbilts along with former presidents and vice-presidents. Many of these estates as well as regular homes and a number of grand hotels were destroyed in a 1947 fire. Fortunately, much of the town was not affected, including the business district and a handful of former summer homes on the National Register of Historic Places that now operate as inns. Be sure to check out the homes from this time period to grasp what continues to draw so many of the nation’s most elite to live in Bar Harbor.

 

The foremost attraction to Bar Harbor is Acadia National Park, the northeast region’s only national park and the oldest east of the Mississippi River. Only a few miles from downtown Bar Harbor, the park is made up of more than fifty square miles of mountains, lakes, woodlands, coastline, and dramatic views that are perfect for hiking, biking, and sightseeing. Be one of the first people in the United States to see the sunrise as Acadia is home to the 1532-foot Cadillac Mountain - the highest point on the Atlantic Coast. Observe the wide variety of wildlife and plants that are unique to the region, or visit the inlet Somes Sound, which is characterized as the only fjord on the East Coast.

 

The only way to truly justify life in Bar Harbor is to live there yourself. If you have interest in buying a home that will keep your family coming back for generations, contact us to start your search for Bar Harbor, ME homes for sale.