<p>Here is an author who still lives in the area: Linda Greenlaw</p>
<p>Greenlaw is the female swordfish boat captain whose character appears in the book and movie The Perfect Storm. She has retired from swordfishing and now runs a lobster boat out of one of the islands, I think Cranberry Island (but I might have that wrong). In the off-season, she has taken to writing detective-type novels that revolve around the fishing industry. I read one of them; it is entertaining enough, and certainly gives you a good deal of information about the life and skills of people who make their living on the water.</p>
<p>Here are two titles, but there are several others by her, both non-fiction and the detective genre: Slipknot, and Fisherman’s Bend.</p>
<p>The Wooden Nickel about a Maine Lobsterman by William Carpenter (writing professor at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor)</p>
<p>Places to eat:
Breakfast: Cafe this Way
Lunch: Jordans Pond House - and yes, make sure you have some popovers
Dinner with a view:
Bar Harbor Inn - expensive and need to be dressed up but good food and wonderful view. Piano player when we went.
The Quarterdeck - haven’t eaten there but they were very accomodating when we wanted a place to just have drinks and nowhere else would serve us unless we ordered dinner. My son is working there this season so leave him a good tip.
The Chart Room - outside of town (Hulls Cove) with decent food, early bird lobster special, and great view if the tide is in.</p>
<p>Other places we’ve enjoyed:
Mache Bistro - small, cozy, good food, good music selection, good wine menu.
Lompac - relaxing bar/restaurant not like some of the crazier places on the main tourist strip
Siam Orchid - thai/sushi - also on a quieter side street
Rosalie’s Pizza - place your order at the counter and find a table
Burning Tree Restaurant - outside of town (Otter Creek) - white tablecloths but still feels casual, wonderful food, creative use of local ingredients, reservations usually needed.</p>
<p>Sightseeing: When visiting Bar Harbor with people who haven’t been there before I always like to start them off with the informational movie at the visitor’s center at Acadia Park for a short intro/history lesson on the area. Buy a map while you are there so you can pick a carriage road or trail to hike later.</p>
<p>Next, ride up to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Feel free to stop at any of the pull offs along the way. Each view is great and the view at the top is stupendous.</p>
<p>Last time we were in Bar Harbor we did the 2 hour nature cruise out of the town dock area which was very informative and lets you see the area, both the homes and the wildlife, from the water rather than the land and was definately worth the cost of admission.</p>
<p>I was in Maine 2 weeks ago and was surprised at how empty of tourists Bar Harbor was even though it was before Labor Day. Every hotel had a vacancy although I guess you already have accomodations. Lobster was $3.75 a pound to cook yourself.</p>
<p>There is an LL Bean OUTLET in Ellsworth on the road to Acadia.</p>
<p>One of the most beautiful roads in the U.S. is Route 175 from Blue Hill to the ocean.</p>
<p>Another vote for the Maine State Prison showroom (cash only, at least when we were there!). The prisoners make some amazing things, that you’ll find on sale elsewhere in Maine at huge markups. </p>
<p>Last time we were there, had good lobster rolls from…McDonalds. I don’t know if they sell them all the time.</p>
<p>D wants to apply to U-Maine as a result of my never-ending claims that Maine is my favorite place in the world and I’m going to retire there someday.</p>
<p>I, too, live just north of Portland and I completely second this advice.</p>
<p>Bar Harbor itself is pretty much a tourist trap, although I would recommend Jordan’s Pancake House for breakfast.</p>
<p>On Mt Desert, do as much hiking as possible. The views from the summits, most of which are nicely bald, are superb. Make sure you visit the Jordan Pond House for popovers and tea in their perennial garden after hiking. Perhaps take a ferry out to Cranberry and visit the museum there. </p>
<p>Why go to Bean’s in the middle of the night? A) because you can, and B) because the tourists won’t be there.</p>
<p>You can easily paint for a week on Mt Desert.</p>
<p>How will you get to Mt.Desert Island ?
If you pass through Liberty ME, stop by John’s ice cream. It’s the best.Most of the fruit flavored ice cream is vanilla mixed with chunks of fruit.
Another interesting stop is the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. It houses paintings of many celebrated Maine artists, Andrew Wyeth,George Bellows, Fitz Henry Lane.</p>
<p>Also a Maine resident, near Augusta…LLBean at night is fun b/c its open 24/7 and less busy. But we are nearly into off season since school is open so anytime is probably fine. Not weekends, though. Leaf peepers are out. I 2nd the vote to stay on MDI. However, if you have a car and time, take Route 1 downeast to Lubec and go over the bridge to Campobello Island, home of FDR’s place and a lovely, small island. A day trip only. If you do say “hi” to the Townsends…my family who settled there! I’ve personally never been which is BAD. Mainelonghorn and Puzzled 88 both had good ideas. When you live here you often miss some of the neat little places by getting stuck in your daily routine. Enjoy! Also be sure to try a Wicked Whoopie pie! Sold in small shops all over Maine. Deadly on calories but so worth it.</p>
<p>khsstiches, you are BAD! I live in CA and I went to Campobello in June. It is lovely but I’m not sure I’d put it on my must-do list for a first trip to Maine. Also, if you do go, be sure to take your passport.</p>
<p>If you want to stop in Ogunquit on your way in or out of Maine, be sure to walk the Marginal Way. It offers a breathtaking view of the rocky coastline.</p>
<p>I also like Camden, a small town (though a bit touristy) in mid coastal Maine.</p>
<p>We spent a week in Campobello one summer and stayed in a former hunting lodge about 15 years ago. It was lovely, but there were not many restaurants. My niece had to bring her passport with her every day as we drove over the bridge every day for laundry, food shopping, or sight-seeing. I don’t know if there is much after Labor Day.
Camden is also lovely, but as twinmom said, a bit touristy. We happened to be eating in a restaurant when the filming of a scene in Stephen King’s The Shining took place.</p>
<p>Taking my daughter this weekend for an overnight stay at Colby. She is being recruited for Track and will spend Sunday night with a member of the team. We are flying to Boston on Friday and driving up to Hanover to see our son. We will stay for the first half of the football game with Colgate and then drive the four hours to Boothbay Harbor. Looking forward to driving up the coast of Maine. Plan on going to Young’s Lobster Pound for lunch in Belfast and then dropping our daughter off at Colby by 4:00pm. Then will drive back down to Boothbay Harbor for the night. Any thoughts for sights or food choices on this itinerary would be appreciated. Will go back up to Waterville on Monday morning to get my daughter and drive back to Boston for a 7:00pm flight. I am sure we will stop in Freeport for some shopping.</p>
<p>You can eat (and stay) at Brown’s Wharf Inn, an excellent restaurant with nice views of the Boothbay Harbor. There is a restaurant across the water from there (can’t remember the name) but they have wonderful blueberry muffins at breakfast. It’s also possible to take the mail boat out to the islands…the locals use it to come to the mainland to do their grocery shopping. Boothbay…I can’t say enough good things about it.</p>
<p>We stopped at Young’s Lobster Pound last month and found their prices too high for lobsters that can be bought at a supermarket for $4-$6 a pound. IIRC they charge about $18 for a 1 1/4 lb cooked- high for a place without service. We eventually went to Dockside Family Restaurant by the downtown waterfront. Great food and very reasonable prices. DH and I shared an order of steamers as appetizers and it was more than both of us could eat. Their stuffed haddock was delicious.</p>
<p>^^ The news straight from Boothbay…the place I was thinking of was Harborside but now it has been surpassed by Mama D’s which has wonderful blueberry crumbcake and has won an award.</p>