Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Bar Harbor (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Agamont Park, Bar Harbor Historical Society, and Criterion Theatre. Also, be sure to include 33 Ledgelawn Avenue in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Bar Harbor (Maine).
Table of Contents
Agamont Park
Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. Agamont Park is an urban park in Bar Harbor, Maine, United States. It is located at the northern end of the town's Main Street, at its intersection with West Street. The park, set upon a hill, affords 180-degree views to the northwest, north, northeast, east and southeast, including that of Mount Desert Narrows, Frenchman Bay and its islands. As such, it is a popular viewing point for tourists.
Its entrance from Newport Drive, off Main Street, is marked by a water fountain, designed by Eric Sodderholtz. (Newport Drive is named for Newport House, a hotel which stood just south of the park between 1869 and 1938.)
In October 2013, The O'Reilly Factor sent one of its correspondents to Bar Harbor after the town council voted to remove a Wreaths Across America display that had been in the park since July 2011.
The park is a recommended viewpoint to watch the Fourth of July fireworks each year.
The park has a free Wi-Fi network.
Bar Harbor's Shore Path begins beside the park at Ells Pier and runs south along the shore of Frenchman Bay for about 0.7 miles (1.1 km).[1]
Address: 1 Main St, 04609 Bar Harbor
Bar Harbor Historical Society
Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine. The Bar Harbor Historical Society is the principal historical society of Bar Harbor, Maine and Mount Desert Island. The society's museum is located in the La Rochelle mansion at 127 West Street in Bar Harbor, having moved from 33 Ledgelawn Avenue in early 2019. The 41-room property was built in 1902 for George Bowdoin.[2]
Address: 33 Ledgelawn Ave, 04609-1303 Bar Harbor
Criterion Theatre
Movie theater in Bar Harbor, Maine. The Criterion Theatre is a historic performance space at 35 Cottage Street in downtown Bar Harbor, Maine. Built in 1932 when Bar Harbor's summer scene was at its height, it is one of only two Art Deco theaters in the state of Maine. The theatre has in recent years struggled for financial solvency but was purchased in 2014 by a nonprofit organization. After a major renovation, the theater reopened for business in May 2015. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[3]
Address: 35 Cottage St, 04609-1809 Bar Harbor
33 Ledgelawn Avenue
33 Ledgelawn Avenue is an historic building in Bar Harbor, Maine, formerly St. Edward's Convent. It is an architecturally distinguished building designed by local architect Milton Stratton and built in 1917 in the Jacobethan style. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It was home to the Bar Harbor Historical Society until early 2019.[4]
Dorr Museum of Natural History
Natural history museum, Museum
Address: 105 Eden St, 04609-1136 Bar Harbor
Saint Saviour's Episcopal Church and Rectory
Episcopal church in Bar Harbor, Maine. Saint Saviour's Episcopal Church and Rectory is a historic church complex at 41 Mt. Desert Street in Bar Harbor, Maine. Built over several construction campaigns between 1877 and 1938, it is fine local example of an American Shingle Style church executed in stone and wood. The complex includes the large cruciform church and a Shingle Style rectory originally built in the 1899 and twice enlarged. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[5]
Address: 41 Mount Desert St, 04609-1753 Bar Harbor
Abbe Museum
Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine. The Abbe Museum is a museum with two locations in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Mount Desert Island. The museum is dedicated to exploring the history and culture of Maine's Native people, the Wabanaki. It has one location at 26 Mount Desert Street in the center of Bar Harbor, and a second location at Sieur de Monts in Acadia National Park. The Sieur de Monts building is an architecturally distinctive structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the state's first purpose-built museum buildings, and as a rare example in the state of Mediterranean architecture.
The museum was formerly led by CEO Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, who has been an advocate for decolonizing museums. In 2020, the Abbe board of trustees hired Passamaquoddy tribal citizen Chris Newell to lead the museum under the dual role of Executive Director and Sr. Partner to Wabanaki Nations.[6]
Jesup Memorial Library
Public library. Jesup Memorial Library is the public library of Bar Harbor, Maine. It is located in an architecturally distinguished Colonial Revival building at 34 Mount Desert Street in the town's main village. The building was built in 1910-11, donated to the community by Mrs. Morris K. Jesup in memory of her late husband, both of them longtime summer residents of the area, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 for its architecture.[7]
Address: 34 Mount Desert St, 04609 Bar Harbor
Acadia National Park Tours
Nature and wildlife tours, Bus tours, Park, Tours, Relax in park, Outdoor activities
Address: 53 Main St, 04609-1865 Bar Harbor
Egg Rock Light
Lighthouse in Winter Harbor, Maine. Egg Rock Light is a lighthouse on Frenchman Bay, Maine. Built in 1875, it is one of coastal Maine's architecturally unique lighthouses, with a square tower projecting through the square keeper's house. Located on Egg Rock, midway between Mount Desert Island and the Schoodic Peninsula, it is an active aid to navigation, flashing red every 40 seconds. The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Egg Rock Light Station in 1988.[8]
Bar Island
Island in Gouldsboro, Maine. Bar Island is a tidal island across from Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine, United States. The uninhabited island is mostly forested in pine and birch trees and the island is now part of Acadia National Park. There are walking trails on the island.
A sand and gravel bar exposed only a couple of hours at low tide connects Bar Island to Bridge Street in Bar Harbor. At low tide visitors often walk across, or park cars on the exposed bar. However, on the island side in front of a locked gate, only a small area fringed with dense sea rose bushes is elevated enough to provide safe parking. Visitors have been known to return from a hike to find their cars submerging and themselves stranded until the tide recedes.
The town of Bar Harbor has repeatedly attempted to obtain jurisdiction over this island connected to it by the eponymous bar, but a 1903 court decision confirmed that the distant town of Gouldsboro retains jurisdiction under its 1798 articles of incorporation.[9]