Bar Harbor, Maine: Wouldn't You Like to be There Now?

Source: acadiamagic.com via Heather on Pinterest

When creating our New England Pinterest pinboards, I came across one photo that I keep coming back to:  a colorful picture of downtown Bar Harbor, Maine.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Bar Harbor is the lively commercial center of the Acadia National Park area. Just minutes from Acadia where the ocean meets the mountains, Bar Harbor has an enviable and impossibly beautiful harbor location with enough shops and restaurants to keep the most insatiable shopper and diner happy throughout the vacation. Tree-lined in many parts and with a relaxing town common, Bar Harbor might be too hectic from Memorial Day to Labor Day Weekend for those in touch with the spectacular natural, pristine setting of Acadia National Park, but let's remember, too, that it's not exactly one of those tacky, souvenir-laden tourist traps. Sure, you'll get elements of that here, but, all in all, Bar Harbor has an attractive, often beautiful walkable downtown with almost all of the shops and restaurants running on a pride of ownership platform. The town also has some amazing historic inns that add a touch of class like the Primrose Inn and Bar Harbor Manor. Bar Harbor is really the perfect companion and foundation for your Acadia National Park vacation.

My favorite downtown things to do? Visiting the West End Drug Store (105 Main St.) for the old-fashioned soda fountain, Island Artisans (99 Main St.) for hundreds of locally-made handmade crafts, Roslie's (46 Cottage St.) for delicious hand-tossed pizza and tunes on the Wurlitzer jukebox, and Testa's (53 Main St.) for delicious lobster, seafood and pasta.

That's just a fraction, however, of what's in Bar Harbor.  You could spend several hours here, but in the name of fair and balanced, I would first get out to see Acadia National Park and then leave enough time to enjoy downtown Bar Harbor. That way, you get the best of both vacation worlds!

Log onto the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce web site for more information on Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park and the surrounding region.

Related articles and resources:
Visiting Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park
Exploring Sand Beach at Acadia National Park
Relaxing at Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park
Book a hotel room in Bar Harbor

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Bright Future for 2009 Maine Fall Foliage

Photo: Early foliage color Tuesday on Munsungan Lake in Piscataquis County north of Baxter State Park. Credit: Maine Department of Conservation

Editor's preface: While New Hampshire and Vermont are household names when it comes to fall foliage leaf peeping, we suggest keeping in mind the other four New England states -- that Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have some traditionally mighty fine fall foliage. To keep up to date on fall foliage colors in New England, we recommend calling all the following state hot lines: Connecticut 888.288.4748 , Maine 1.888.MAINE.45,Massachusetts 800.227.6277, New Hampshire 800.258.3600 , Rhode Island (Department of Tourism) 800.556.2484 , Vermont 800.837.666

And now back to our regularly scheduled program... Fall Foliage in Maine!

Just got some great news from our New England neighbors at the Maine Office of Travel and Tourism in Augusta, Maine, that fall foliage color in the northern half of Maine is ranging from 30 to 75 percent peak.

That's the word, according to the state Department of Conservation. Aroostook County and Piscataquis and Somerset County forest rangers observe 50-75 percent peak color in the northern sections and low leaf drop, the report states.

Aroostook State Park Manager Scott Thompson states that the low-lying areas surrounding the park are 50 to 60 percent toward peak, and the ridges of hills and mountains are nearing peak. He expects peak color to develop during the next two weekends if overnight temperatures continue to drop in the Presque Isle area.

Color in Northwestern locations-- including Jackman, Eustis and Greenville, and northeastern locations like Millinocket and Houlton -- have moderate color, or 30 to 50 percent toward peak according to the report. Leaf drop in both regions is still less than 10 percent, according to the report.

Rangers report 10 to 30 percent color change in the western mountains region from Bethel to Rangeley, central locations from Augusta to Bangor, and the downeast coast from Belfast to Eastport. Leaf drop is less than 10 percent in these regions.

Southern coast foliage color is still very low, or less than 10 percent toward peak, according to the report.

In related news, the Department of Conservation announced that Aroostook State Park will host the first in a series of state park guided foliage hikes on Sunday, Sept. 26. For information about the hike and to register, visit http://take-it-outside.com/hike.shtml.

Maine's fall foliage conditions are updated every Wednesday through Oct. 21 and posted on www.mainefoliage.com. Web site visitors can sign up to receive the weekly reports by email and post comments about Maine foliage adventures on the Foliage Forum page.

Other fun fall events happening this weekend include the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, the Punkinfiddle National Estuaries Day Celebration in Wells, and the Family Arts Festival in Brunswick.

For more information about events and activities happening in Maine this fall, log on to http://www.visitmaine.com.

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"Fall" Into Some Warm Maine Beach Weather

Article and photo (of Short Sands Beach, York Beach, Maine), by Eric H.

Before turning over a new leaf by planning ahead your New England travel and vacations into the fall foliage season, consider that summer often lingers on in Maine in the form of some of the season's warmest ocean waters.

Not that every day will bring relatively warm ocean water in the next week or so, but check out the daily forecast and you just might find the ocean temperatures in the low 60s. Yes, that sounds mighty cold for swimming, but, then again, Maine was never known for its Hilton Head Island bath-water-like ocean beaches.

Over the Labor Day weekend, we found the water temperatures at Short Sands Beach in York Beach, Maine, at 61 degrees. The air temperature was 60 degrees. So, jumping into the waters wasn't difficult for us, given the nearly identical water and air temperatures.

If you find a warm to hot day in September, then the Post-Labor Day Weekend bridge between fall and summer is a great time to go swimming. The crowds are also fewer and if you stay until night, the feel of fall is in the air with its slight-to-moderate chill. You really get the best of both Maine seasons in September!

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Maine Open Lighthouse Day, Sept. 12!

Just received word from our friends at the Maine Office of Tourism that the country's largest open house of lighthouses will take place at Maine Open Lighthouse Day, Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. With lighthouses open to the public from Kittery to Lubec, many communities, businesses and lighthouse volunteer groups are planning special events and activities on that day, and local lodging establishments are offering travel packages. Sounds like a "beacon" of great travel opportunity to us!

Additionally, a number of museums and visitor centers at lighthouses will be open on September 12. For more information on Maine Open Lighthouse Day, we recommend logging onto www.lighthouseday.com.

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New England Town of the Day: Somesville, Maine

Article and Photos (from Port In a Storm Book Store in Somesville) by Eric H.

Not to be confused with the more urbane Somerville, MA, Somesville, Maine, isn't even officially a town: it's part of the municipality of Mt. Desert Island! Regardless of its designation, Somesville sure looks like a real New England coastal town with its quaint look enhanced by amazing views of Somes Sound, mountains, inlets and other rural scenery that remain unspoiled. There's not much to do in Somesville except take in the views and visit the wonderful Port In A Storm Book Store -- one of the best examples of a successful, friendly independent book store that we've found in New England. Of course, it helps to have those great water views (including a waterfall) within a stone's throw of the book store. Port In A Storm is up to date on many of the latest books, but offers an especially impressive selection of books about Maine.

Acadia National Park is the real draw within Mt. Desert Island with its stunning views of the ocean and mountains, but make sure to include Somesville as part of your travel plans here. Its unassuming qualities might just rank up there with the best memories during your Acadia National Park vacation.

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Bath, Maine, Getting Ready for the Holiday Season

Intro by Eric H., Bath holiday event info, courtesy of VisitMaine.com

We've written before in The Weekly New England Travel and Vacation Blog about Bath, Maine, as a wonderful, coastal mid-Maine travel and vacation destination. A truly authentic small Maine city with a vibrant, historical downtown, travelers often think of Bath as a summer travel spot, given its proximity to beaches and all the great benefits that come with it -- seafood restaurants, lodging with a water view, and refreshing ocean breezes. The reality is, however, that places like Bath thrive year-round as a residential community -- and, surprise, a place to visit even during the colder months.

A good case in point is the holiday season. We recently received information from VisitMaine.com on a special holiday event to be held in Bath:

Bath's Old Fashioned Christmas Turns Green

The city of Bath's Old Fashioned Christmas celebration is living up to its name and getting greener in 2008.

The month-long event in Bath's downtown kicks off November 29 with the Jingle Bell Walk from Library Park to city hall. The walk is open to the public and replaces the traditional rolling parade of decorated floats pulled by pick-up trucks. At city hall children can help Santa Claus with the lighting of the city tree, and carolers will sing songs of the season.

Area businesses will display elaborately decorated balsam trees during the Festival of Trees at the Maine Maritime Museum, December 2. This year's decorating theme is "Christmas treats." There will also be maritime crafts, storytelling and music.

On Friday's from November 20 through December 19, the Bath Trolley Company will offer evening caroling trolley rides through the city. Enjoy the scenery of dressed up storefronts while singing along with carolers.

The popular Candy Cane Train, a favorite for children, will run between Bath and Wiscasset on December 13 and 14. The 90 minute round-trip ride with Santa Claus and his elves, storytelling, hot chocolate and cookies is a memorable treat.

Bath's downtown businesses will offer special sales and services like gift wrapping and store registries during the month of December. Fun events like cooking and candy making demonstrations and wine tastings will also take place. Wreaths and Christmas trees will be for sale in the city.

The festivities will conclude on December 31 with singing, refreshments and the
ringing of the 1802 Paul Revere bell at city hall. For more information about Old Fashioned Christmas in Bath go to www.visitbath.com or call 207-442-7291.

To learn more about events and activities happening in Maine this winter, log on to www.visitmaine.com.

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Maine Fall Foliage Updates

Colorful fall foliage leaf peeping opportunities still exist in Maine, most notably in southern Maine and all coastal locations over the next several days, according to the Department of Conservation's final fall foliage report of the season. We recommend viewing the map in this post to see current conditions and to visit MaineFoliage.com for continuous updates -- or VisitMaine.com for the latest events and activities for your Maine vacation.

Two key events coming up are:
Blue Hill's 3rd Annual Foliage Food and Wine Festival, Oct. 16-19 http://www.bluehillpeninsula.org/
The City of Hallowell's annual Fall Festival, Oct. 17-19 http://www.hallowell.org/

Both events are located in regions with peak foliage, at this writing, thus, enhancing great events even more!

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