We got up around 8:00. The boys had been busy the previous fiew days (and weeks!) and we wanted them to get their rest. We had a 3 hour drive ahead of us.
We went into town to get some breakfast. Tomatico and my wife went to a local organic juice bar called BIO. It had opened earlier in the summer and we hope it is able to stay in business because Tomatico and my wife are both huge fans of their smoothies! The love “The Mainer” which has blueberries, pine nuts, and other Maine flavors. My yougest and I went elsewehere to get our breakfast before circling back to pick them up.
The Long Drive
It’s about 3 hours from the lake to Bar Harbor. There’s a more coastal route which many people enjoy, but it can get busy on weekends. Being it was a Sunday, Google Maps said we’d save about 15 minutes by going a route with more highway. I’ve seen the coast and I’d rather get there so we chose that route.
About half way there, we needed to stop to get some gas and it was a good time to get the kids a snack since they had a light breakfast. We stopped at a gas stations and my wife took the boys in to get something. She came out with an arm full of alcohol wipe packages. It’s something we hadn’t seen in months and she was super happy with her prize!
While I had waited for them I had called my dad, looking for recommendations of things to do and places to go. He grew up there and goes up several times a year so he always has excellent tips. He also recommended we stop at Jordan’s Snack Bar to eat lunch since it was on the way in Ellsworth, so we plugged that into the GPS.
When we arrived it was a typical Maine type of seasonal place to eat. You could order fried seafood, burgers, and ice cream from the counter and eat on outdoor picnic tables. I love that kind of place and miss it as it’s not common near where we live. The food didn’t disappoint, either. We had generous portions and excellent food. The seafood was excellent as you would expect only a few miles from the coast. Full disclosure – I later found out some relatives of mine on my dad’s side are the owners though I would still recommend it if that wasn’t the case!
After lunch is was a quick 30 minute drive to our hotel in downtown Bar Harbor. We could tell the boys were getting excited to see what this place was all about!
Hotel Checkin
We were there before 1:00 and official checkin time was around 3:00, but our room was ready and they let us check in early. They asked if we had been there before and they were surprised when I said we got married there over 20 years ago.
As part of the checkin process we had to sign a form testifying that we needed to quarantine for 14 days after entering Maine. We had been at the lake for longer than that and the boys had been in their camp quarantine for more than 5 weeks so we were all set. It was a bit frustrating that people from other New England state except Massachusetts and Rhode Island were exempt from the same quarantine rules. Even people from New York and New Jersey were exempt, but the state had it’s reason behind their rules and Massachusetts was a higher risk state. Luckily our stay at the lake satisfied the quarantine requirements so we could vacation like a native!
The room they assigned us wasn’t in the main building that has the better view of the harbor. It was in a building looking more towards the opening of the harbor. We’ve been to the hotel several times and this is our preferred view since the sunrise wakes you up and energizes you for a day of activity on the island!
Enjoying the Hotel
It had been 10 years since our previous visit and the property had changed quite a bit. The gazebo where we had our wedding pictures was still there in front of the main entrance. The balcony overlooking the bay was still there. There was a brand new pool and building for hosting the morning breakfast and spa facilities. The pools was beautiful with an infinity edge looking out over the ocean. The boys couldn’t wait to try it out!!
The boys decided to play a card game they played at camp while sitting on the balcony overlooking the rocky coastline. It was great seeing them playing together peacefully!
Once we unpacked in the room and they finished their card game, the boys got dressed to try out to pool. The pool had a beautiful view of the bay between the buildings and the infinity edge towards the ocean was great for taking selfies. It was quite popular with people who wanted that perfect picture.
The pool area was flanked by the spa area and gym that was sadly closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The breakfast area was also overlooking the pool but that was open and we’d be getting free breakfast in the morning.
After an hour or so the boys were maxing out on their sun quota and relucantly returned to the room to play another game of cards before heading in to town for an early dinner.
Downtown
I love the location of the Bar Harbor Inn. It’s situationed off to the side of all the action in town, but a short 2 minute walk to all the highlights of the small touristy downtown area. It’s a short driveway and parking lot away. And given how challenging it can be to park in town it’s a no-brainer to walk vs. drive whenever possible.
Since we wanted to go biking the next day, we found our way to a bike rental shop to see what the process was going to be. The shop was just a block away and as it was close to closing time it wasn’t very busy. We inquired about the rental process and they recommended we reserve the bikes to make sure they didn’t run out by the time we arrived in the morning. We reserved the three bikes we’d need in just a few minutes at a very reasonable price.
The boys were hungry so we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants called Geddy’s. It’s a restaurant/bar with lots of character and lots of menu options including local seafood specialties. Since it was relatively early we didn’t have to wait for a table. In a normal summer we’d have to get reservations or wait, even trying to eat around 4:00.
We all found something great to eat and our youngest got a kids meal with a frisbee for a plate. He even got to keep the frisbee which he was excited about even though we had brought our own on the trip.
After dinner we made out way up the street to Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium. It’s a staple in downtown for their ice cream and sweets. They have a LOT of unique flavors, even lobster ice cream and various adult alcoholic flavors. The line, even at this hour was out the door of the small shop, but we waited for 20 minutes to get our treat. It was definitely worthwhile!
After enjoying the ice cream we explored some of the stores along Main Street including the local favorites Cool-as-a-Moose and Sherman’s Book Store. All the stores had capacity limits and most had short lines to get in. The sidewalks are somewhat narrow and it made the town feel a lot more crowded than it really was, though it was still much less crowded than a normal summer.
In the center of downtown there is a small park that often has music playing in the summer, but not this year. The boys wanted to toss the frisbee we got at dinner while my wife explored more shops.
Climbing on the Rocks
We walked back towards the hotel along what’s known as the Shore Path. It’s a path along the water and it goes past several remaining old mansions from the age of the robber barons. In the late 1800’s the wealthiest people in the country would build massive summer cottages here. This included the Rockefeller’s, Vanderbilts, JP Morgan, and nearly every other family you can think of from that time. Many of these mansions were dozens of rooms in size as the competition to build a bigger “cottage” intensified. Many of the few that remain are now bed and breakfasts.
The shoreline is classic Maine rocky coastline. During low tide you can climb down over the rocks. Our youngest was excited to do that and the sunset made for a beautiful backdrop of light.
In a chance meeting, while climbing on the rocks I recognized a cousin of mine who had been staying up at the lake a few days earlier. I had recommended he take his fiance to Bar Harbor since he had never been. Apparently he took my advice!
Back in the room we got ready for bed. We had a relatively active day despite the travel and were going to have a lot of fun biking tomorrow so it was off to bed!
Tomatico Travels 
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