Maine has always been this mystical place in my mind, and before we traveled to Bar Harbor, I imagined it to be a beautiful northern woodland that resided in this remote location. When we finally had the opportunity to travel there, it was like this but so much more.

I remember the drive up to Maine ended up taking a full day from the Philadelphia area. (I would estimate about 15 hours with rest stops. If you traveled from Philly to Bar Harbor in one day without stops, it would probably be about 13 hours.) New England is so gorgeous and it made the drive easy honestly. As you travel more north, there are these lush evergreen and pine trees that line the road, and it smells so good!

As we finally got to the Maine state line, it was dark outside, but we still ended up taking Route 1 along the coast just in case if we could still sneak in some views. The roads basically emptied as we made our way up the coast, and at times it did seem pretty dark because there were not street lights in some of these areas.

One tip I do have for you is to gauge where you are at all times. In the not as populated areas of Maine where it was a little more remote, we did end up losing phone reception at some spots. Luckily, it is not that difficult to just continue going the same direction for awhile, and the reception did come back, it could just get a little spotty at times. By time we arrived at our hotel, it was dark at night, and we quickly settled in so that we were rested for the next days of adventures!

The next day we were up early and ready to explore Bar Harbor! The town itself is so pretty and is lined with restaurants, coffee shops, and little boutiques. Our favorite coffee shop was “Choco-Latte Cafe.” They have delicious coffee, bagels, sandwiches, and even chocolates. When we went, my favorite was the roast beef sandwich, and it was a perfect meal before a long day of hiking!

We stayed in a hotel right by Main Street in Bar Harbor, so we ended up just walking to everything the first day. The coastline is so pretty and it was dotted with boats, so it made it a fun little area to walk around.

The sea life is very present, and as you get close to the water line, you can see mussels enjoying the sun on the rocky areas. We also did see a crab walking as well which was pretty neat. If you enjoy seeing the marine life, there are a lot of whale watching places dotted along the city if you want to check that out. When we went, it was extremely foggy, so we did not end up going, but I heard from the locals that this is a really fun activity! Other activities that you might enjoy when traveling here are hiking, bird watching, and mountain climbing. This scenic area really caters to the outdoor enthusiasts!

I am looking forward to going more in depth with our adventures here in this series all about Maine, and the next feature will be about Bar Island in Bar Harbor so make sure you stay tuned for that! Let me know in the comments if you have also traveled to Bar Harbor Maine, and what your experience was like there. Make sure you click that subscribe button and have a wonderful day!

https://www.visitbarharbor.com

https://northeastallie.com/2021/05/25/bar-island-acadia-national-park-maine/

https://northeastallie.com/2021/06/02/the-top-five-places-i-recommend-visiting-in-acadia-national-park/

https://northeastallie.com/2021/06/15/the-best-locations-in-portland-maine/

NortheastAllie

For generations, my family has lived in the Philadelphia area, and my writing reflects these influences. This blog explores perspectives on life, encouragement, travel, health, and local living.

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