Dining in Bar Harbor, Maine

To finish out my recap of my adventures in Maine last month, here is a look at what we ate on our trip!

If you missed my other posts on Maine, check them out first:

- Easy to Moderate Hikes in Acadia National Park: The Tarn and Great Head Trail

- Easy to Moderate Hiking in Acadia National Park: Gorham Mountain Trail, Jordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain

- Short Hikes in Bass Harbor and Bar Harbor

Breakfast

Our first breakfast in Bar Harbor was at 2 Cats. In addition to being a cafe, 2 Cats is an inn and seemed to be very popular. I found their decor to be super cute, and I don't tend to like cats. Oh yeah, and there was a kitty scampering about during our meal so I think there is something to their name!

I ordered the breakfast burrito, which came with home fries and black beans. I was in the mood for something salty, but I must admit this wasn't the best breakfast burrito I've had in my life. Raisin Bread had pancakes and they looked delish!

For breakfast on our final morning in Maine, we went to Cafe This Way, which we had just been to the previous night for dessert (see below). I wanted to keep up my lobster-eating streak and decided on the lobster benedict. I have been trying to convince myself to try a benny again because they have two things I enjoy: poached eggs and an English muffin. Plus, this one, in particular, has lobster. How can I not like something with lobster? But alas, I think this will be my last attempt to like benedicts because they just don't do it for me. Maybe it's the Hollandaise sauce. I also ordered a cup of strawberries and cream and would have liked it much more if that had been my entire meal, although I would have needed another cup or two to be full. So yummy!

Raisin Bread had the granola and, fitting to his name, the cinnamon-raisin French toast. 

Lunch

As I mentioned in this post, we had a picnic lunch from Adelmann's Deli on our first day.

My favorite meal of the trip had to be from Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. Super simple but so delicious! We originally tried to go to a roadside shack called The Travelin' Lobster but it was closed every time we drove past. There are lobster pounds all up and down the main road. We picked this one from Yelp.

The lobsters are all live here, so when we ordered, the cashier opened a big cooler with all the lobsters napping inside for us to pick which ones we wanted. They were then placed into a rope net/basket and brought outside to this steamers.

When our number was called, we got these beauties. They were so tasty. The only annoying thing about this place was that you have to pay extra for lemons and butter. What's up with that? 

We also each ordered a corn on the cob. Also delish!

Dinner

My second favorite meal of the trip was dinner at Side Street Cafe. The restaurant was packed when we got there so we had to wait a few minutes for a table. I ordered the Curious Traveler Shandy while we waited.

For dinner, I ordered a side salad and a half order of the lobster mac and cheese and added in bacon and mushroom. Oh my! It was ridiculously decadent but I don't regret it one bit.

Raisin Bread had a burger and blueberry pie for dessert. There were blueberries everywhere, but I had no idea Maine was famous for them until we got there.

Our anniversary dinner was at Mache Bistro. It is a tiny place with a rotating menu that changes daily. Because of this, I can't remember what exactly we ate since I couldn't refer to their website for help. 

We ordered the three goat cheese plate to start. Raisin Bread had fish and I had steak. Sorry, no other details available!

Snacks

Snacks were available high and low through all of Mount Desert Island. As I mentioned before, we visited Jordan Pond House for popovers and tea one afternoon.

After dinner at Mache Bistro, we went for a short walk around town for some shopping and in search of dessert. We settled on Cafe This Way for homemade strawberry rhubarb pie and cheesecake.

Ice cream is another popular treat around town. I had a scoop of chocolate chili ice cream from Mount Desert Island Ice Cream. That hit the spot. 

Another ice cream shop sells a vile sounding creation called lobster ice cream. I didn't try it. Ick. 

We visited the Morning Glory Bakery on two occasions because Raisin Bread loved it so much. They have lots of reasonably priced pastries and desserts. We enjoyed blueberry bread and cookies. 

That's all. I had a wonderful time in Maine. It is a beautiful place and reminds me how much there is to see and experience in our great country. 

2 Cats

130 Cottage Street

Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Cafe This Way
14 Mount Desert Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound
1237 Bar Harbor Road
Trenton, ME 04605

Side Street Cafe
49 Rodick Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Mache Bistro
135 Cottage Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
7 Firefly Lane
Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Morning Glory Bakery
39 Rodick Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Short Hikes in Bass Harbor and Bar Harbor

We took it easy on our last full day of exploring Acadia National Park. 

If you missed my other two Acadia recaps, check them out: 

- Easy to Moderate Hikes in Acadia National Park: The Tarn and Great Head Trail

- Easy to Moderate Hiking in Acadia National Park: Gorham Mountain Trail, Jordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain

The previous night brought quite a bit of rain and it drizzled on and off for the remainder of the day. The extra moisture created little waterfalls along the rocky cliffs of the park. 

After breakfast, we headed back to Thunder Hole to see if we could get a better glimpse of its power, but it wasn't high tide yet. The water was a bit rougher and the waves were bigger, but we didn't see it in all of its glory this trip. 

For the remainder of the morning, we ventured off Park Loop Road and headed to Bass Harbor. From the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse parking lot, we headed to the trail that took us down a long wooden staircase. It was a little scary at first since the stairs were still slick from the rains, but there was nothing to worry about.

At the bottom of the staircase, the Lighthouse was visible on the boulder-strewn shoreline.

On the other side of the parking lot was a paved path that led up a driveway to the lighthouse and the keeper's house. The house is occupied by a member of the Coast Guard and their family so one is not able to visit either structures.

We drove a short way down the road to the Wonder Land trailhead. Along the way, we encountered a fawn. It was so tiny and still very precarious on its feet. Must have been a wee baby!

Wonder Land definitely lived up to its name this day. We saw so many beautiful things. Tree roots along the wet ground, oddly shaped tree tops and rain-covered flowers. 

When we reached the beach, we saw the mist rising above the ocean as well as pastel-colored seaweed along the rocky sand. 

We had to turn back at this point because the rest of the trail was flooded and we were only wearing sneakers. 

Following lunch, we headed back to Bar Harbor for some strolls around town. First up was the Shore Path. 

We passed by the hotels situated along the shore as well as the boats and outlying Porcupine Islands.

It was a leisurely, peaceful walk with lots of ocean air in a serene setting.

For our last stroll of the day, we back tracked to the Bar Island Trail. Along the way, we passed by this cool looking seaside restaurant and bar. 

Bar Island is directly north of Mount Desert Island and connected via a sand bar. What makes it so special is that the sand bar is only accessible for a few hours near low tide. During these times, you can walk across the sand bar to reach the other island. 

Walking to Bar Island

It was hard for me to imagine what it would look like outside of low tide. Can't believe that this whole strip of land is completely submerged most of the time!

Sand Bar at low tide

Bar Island is a mostly wooded forest. We followed the paths to a beautiful view point of the ocean and the town of Bass Harbor. Not wanting to get stuck on the island, we quickly made our way back across the land bridge.

I'll have one more post about my trip to Maine: all about the food! Stay tuned! 

Easy to Moderate Hiking in Acadia National Park: Gorham Mountain Trail, Jordan Pond and Cadillac Mountain

If you missed my first post on Acadia, check it out here: 

Easy to Moderate Hikes in Acadia National Park: The Tarn and Great Head Trail

We finished hiking Great Head Trail and connected to the Ocean Path. As its name suggests, this Path takes you along the shoreline for views of the sea, the park's green peninsulas and the rocky shorescape. 

Along the walk, we came upon Thunder Hole. It wasn't high tide at this time so we didn't get to see any big waves or hear the roar. 

Thunder Hole

Continuing on we saw more of the rocky shore and the trees that line the island.

We made our way to the Gorham Mountain Trailhead, but before that we saw plenty more interesting plant life.

Gorham Mountain Trail is rated moderate due to the elevation gain of 500 feet. We went off the main trail for 0.3 miles and took the slightly more difficult Cadillac Cliffs Trail. This trail meets up with the main trail but requires a climb up steep rocks and across iron rungs before you get there. It was fun to take this detour and do something a little more strenuous. 

Hiking Cadillac Cliffs Trail

From the top of Gorham Mountain, we had some rather gloomy views of the park on this cloudy day.

Gorham Mountain is actually one of the shortest mountains in Acadia, and since we were sticking to the non-difficult hikes, it was a fun climb.

We made our way back down from the mountain and to our car, which was still in the Sand Beach parking lot. From there, we drove south along the Ocean Path to Otter Cliff. 

Looking back from the Ocean Path

It was getting to be around mid-afternoon at this point, so we needed a snack! Good thing there is a little place called Jordan Pond House that serves up all the snacks you can want. We drove to Jordan Pond House and passed some Carriage Roads, which we did not have time to enjoy on this trip. They are used for carriage rides as well as biking. 

For my snack, I ordered some hot tea and one of their famous popovers with butter and jelly. It was so good. I was tempted to get a second one! 

When snack time was over, we took a stroll around Jordan Pond on the Jordan Pond Nature Trail. It was starting to get a little drizzly. There were very few people in the park this weekend, so that plus the weather gave us lots of opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of the park on our own. 

Two mountains called The Bubbles are near Jordan Pond, and we got great views of them on this trail. 

The Bubbles

This bridge was also along our stroll. It felt like we were in our own private enchanted forest. 

Our last stop for the day, as the weather was getting really ugly at this point, was Cadillac Mountain. This is the only mountain that you can drive to the peak of. It is also the tallest mountain in the park. From this vantage point, we could see the many outlying islands surrounding Mount Desert Island despite the grey skies! 

That concluded our first day of hiking Acadia National Park. Stay tuned for the adventures from our second day!

Jordan Pond House
Park Loop Road
Bar Harbor, ME

Easy to Moderate Hikes in Acadia National Park: The Tarn and Great Head Trail

Several weeks ago, Raisin Bread and I flew to Maine to spend a few days exploring Acadia National Park in celebration of our second wedding anniversary. Acadia National Park makes up a large portion of Mount Desert Island in coastal Maine and is situated near the town of Bar Harbor. While there is the small regional airport of Hancock County-Bar Harbor just a stone's throw away, it was more convenient for us to fly into Bangor and rent a car. From Bangor, it is about an hour to an hour and a half drive to the park.

Maybe it is because I spent most of my life living by the beach, but being by the ocean always makes me feel more at home. The ocean always invokes a sense of adventure and freedom for me.

View from Cadillac Mountain

Our day started off slightly later than expected because we wanted to pick up a packed lunch to bring with us on our hike and the place I wanted to go to didn't open until 11 am, so we bided time by walking around the town of Bar Harbor. When Adelmann's Deli and Grill finally opened, we were the second group in line and purchased our packed lunches and continued on our way.

The plan for the day was to complete The Park Loop Road, which is a 27-mile scenic drive around the park, but we were also planning to do several short hikes along the route. We decided to stick to the easy-to-moderate hikes because of the weather. It was expected to be drizzly and rainy, so we didn't want to risk slipping and falling on any steep surfaces. Better to play it safe!

Rather than backtrack all the way to Hulls Cove Visitor Center, we entered the park via Ledgelawn.

Soon after, we arrived at our first stop of the day: Sieur de Monts Spring. Raisin Bread wanted to eat his cup of clam chowder that we just purchased, so we sat in the parking lot for a few minutes enjoying the start of our beautiful day before heading to The Tarn.

To get to The Tarn, we passed by Sieur de Monts Spring, which is a natural spring that is oddly contained within a domed structure, and followed a footpath through the woods.

The footpath then led to a pond, which we traversed via stone steps. 

The Tarn looks like an abandoned pond and is surrounded by lush hills...

as well as beautiful wild flowers. From the Sieur de Monts parking lot to The Tarn is about a 0.3 mile walk.

At the Sieur de Monts stop, there is also a Nature Center, botanic garden and the Abbe Museum. We did not visit any of them due to time constraints. Instead, we got back in our car and went on to our next stop: Schooner Head Overlook for very brief photo stop. 

View from Schooner Head Overlook

The turnoff to Schooner Head Overlook is just before the Entrance Station to Acadia National Park, so at this point, we paid our $20 entrance fee (valid for 7 days). From there, we parked in the Sand Beach parking lot for our first long stop of the day. Our original plan was to hike from Sand Beach to the Great Head Trail, connect with the Ocean Path to Otter Point and then take the Gorham Mountain Trail back to the Sand Beach parking lot. Since our day started off late, we had to adjust our plan. 

We began as originally planned by parking in Sand Beach parking lot and crossing over to the start of Great Head Trail.

Great Head Trail is rated as moderate. There are blue markings on the boulders to keep you on the correct path and requires quite a bit of scrambling up rocks to reach the top. Once you have finished that section of the hike, though, the rest is fairly easy.

Great Head Trail leads you on a loop around a peninsula named "Great Head" and provides sweeping views of Sand Beach below and the Beehive.

Lovely greenery surrounded us as we made our way along Great Head Trail. 

We eventually found a nice spot along the cliffs to enjoy our picnic lunch from Adelmann's. I had a roast beef sandwich with lots of veggies. As you can see, the sandwich as very bready, which I didn't particularly like.

Continuing along the coast, we could see beautiful views of the ocean and the rocky shoreline.

So enthralled were we with the shore that we forgot where we were headed and kept walking up the coast instead of turning inland. We realized our mistake about 0.2 miles later and had to backtrack. The inland portion of Great Head Trail includes a cluster of white birch trees.

This portion of the day consisted of about 1.6 miles of hiking. From there, we made our way back to Sand Beach to connect with the Ocean Path. More on that later!

Adelmann's Deli and Grill
224 Main Street

Bar Harbor, ME 04609