Once a semiprivate enclave of the very rich (can you say Rockefeller?), the town of Bar Harbor (pop. 4,400), the largest and busiest on Mount Desert Island, has turned to catering to the less-well-heeled visitor as the old money has retreated to more discreet settlements to the west, such as Northeast Harbor—aka Philadelphia on the Rocks. Bar Harbor’s principal thoroughfares, lined with gift shops, art galleries, bike rental stands, hotels, and restaurants, intersect at the lively and pleasant Village Green. Since most of Bar Harbor’s old mansions were destroyed in a 1947 fire, there aren’t all that many sights to search out, although the Tiffany windows of lovely little St. Saviour’s Church on the west side of the Village Green give some sense of the wealth that once lingered here.
There are dozens of generally good and relatively inexpensive restaurants clustered together in Bar Harbor’s few short blocks, so wander around and take your pick. Many are clearly aimed at the tourist trade, none more so than the amiable Freddie’s Route 66 Restaurant (207/288-3708), at 21 Cottage Street, a pseudo-1950s diner that’s absolutely packed with nostalgic memorabilia—jukeboxes, gas pumps, neon signs, you name it. Another fun place is Reel Pizza (207/288-3811), at 33 Kennebec Place across from the Village Green, where you can watch a classic or art-house film while kicking back in a recliner, waiting for your pizza. Lobsters, of course, are at the core of Maine cuisine: Sample them at Fisherman’s Landing (207/288-4632), on the West Street Pier.
The classic place to stay is the Bar Harbor Inn ($80 and up; 207/288-3351), which has a lovely historic inn and standard motel rooms right on the water. Other reasonable accommodations include the Cadillac Motor Inn (207/288-3831) at 336 Main Street, and the hilltop Wonder View Motor Lodge (207/288-3358) on Route 3 northwest of town.
