Acadia National Park has been a bucket list item of mine for years. It is located on the coast of Maine and allowed me to visit this beautiful state for the first time. My family used to drive from Atlanta all the way to Boston when I was a kid, hitting every state on the eastern seaboard but never Maine. I planned my visit in the fall because I knew it would be extra special with the leaves changing. However, I truly fell in love with Maine with all it has to offer and I can’t wait to visit again.
Transportation to Maine:
The largest city in Maine is the city of Portland. So this is the closest airport to fly into. With it being peak season, we decided to fly into Boston which is only about a 2 hour drive from Portland. This allowed us to save a couple $100 dollars off our flight and rental car.
It is around a 3 hour drive to get from Portland to Bar Harbor. Due to the high amount of tourism in this area during the fall, I recommend making all hotel, camping, restaurant, car reservations as early as possible, as many things tend to book up.
Day #1:
We took a late flight from Atlanta to Boston. After we arrived, we grabbed our rental car from National Car Rental and headed north to Portland. We stopped for a quick dinner outside the city and arrived at Best Western Merry Manor Inn for the night. This hotel was the perfect overnight stop before heading out to the Acadia area the next day.
Day #2:
The Barnacle:
When we arrived in Bar Harbor, it was too early to check into our motel, so we decided to pop into this spot called The Barnacles, which is located right in the heart of Bar Harbor. The Barnacles is an intimate cocktail bar with delicious seafood. There are around 20 seats and they only have two people working at the restaurant – a bartender who takes the orders and makes the drinks, and a cook in the back who makes the food. We loved the intimate atmosphere and are glad we got there right when it opened. We both started off with a cocktail and their creamy clam chowder for an appetizer. I then ordered the mussels and my husband the lobster roll for our main dishes.
After our delicious lunch, we made our way into Acadia National Park and we completed our first hike of the trip!
Jordan Pond Loop Trail:
Distance: 3.1 mile loop
Elevation Gain: 42 feet
Time to Completion: 1 hour 30 min
Trail Rating: Easy
Recommendation:
This was the perfect post lunch hike. It is located close to Bar Harbor and offers stunning views of the leaves changing and the mountains in the local area. Jordan Pond Loop Trail is very family friendly and has lots of facilities as well.
Other Important Information:
Accessing Acadia National Park costs $30 for a weekly visit. Jordan Pond Loop Trail has a fairly large parking lot, but when it’s full they don’t allow other cars to get in. You might have to loop around on the road and try to come back when there are spots open in the lot.
Lodging at Acadia Ocean View Motel:
After our hike we went to check into our motel, which was about a 10 minute drive from downtown Bar Harbor. I’ll be honest, this motel was nothing special, but it was a place to sleep and it was affordable compared to other accommodations in the area. If we had done more planning, I think camping inside the park would have been a great option in the cool October weather. This also would have also allowed us to drastically reduce our costs.
Dinner at Testa’s Bar and Grille:
After we relaxed a little bit at our motel, we headed back downtown for dinner. If you’re looking for free parking in Bar Harbor, the YMCA baseball field has a lot next to it. For dinner, I ordered the tomato basil soup as an appetizer and for my entree the fish and chips. Testa’s wasn’t anything spectacular food wise, but it satisfied our hunger for that night.
Day #3:
The Beehive Loop:
Distance: 1.5 mile loop
Elevation Gain: 508 feet
Time to Completion: 1 hour 30 min
Trail Rating: Hard
Recommendation:
This hike was one of the scariest, but most memorable hikes we’ve ever done. Even though it is short, you are climbing up the front rock face of a mountain with rungs and ladders. However, if you are afraid of heights, this might not be the trail for you. When you make it to the top you have gorgeous 180 degree views of the gulf of Maine. The Beehive Loop also is a great trail to see the fabulous fall foliage.
Other Important Information:
The parking lot is located right across the street from the start of the trailhead. It fills up pretty fast, but we arrived around 10:30 am and we were still able to grab a spot. The trail is very popular, so there will be times in which you will have to wait for someone traveling in the opposite direction to navigate the climbing portions of the trail.
Sand Beach:
Before we headed out from the park, we decided to explore the Sand Beach, which was next to the parking lot for The Beehive Loop trail. There are lots of other great trails nearby like The Ocean Path Trail and The Great Head Trail. Since we visited in October, there weren’t many people hanging out on the beach, since it was quite chilly. In the summertime, I could see this being a popular spot.
Lunch at The Chart Room:
On our way to our motel the night before, we saw this spot with a line out the door, so we decided to stop in for lunch today. The Chart Room is located on a stunning cove and offers indoor and outdoor seating. I started off my meal with a glass of prosecco and the lobster stew. It was creamy and delicious. For my main dish, I ordered the fried haddock sandwich. These were my favorite fries I’ve ever eaten! They were crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside – so delicious! The Chart Room is a great lunch spot with many things from their traditional dinner menu, but at a much more affordable price.
Bar Harbor Cellars:
This quaint little spot was located just up the road on the island. You can taste 5 wines on a flight for $12. They offer whites, reds and specialty wines as well. Bar Harbor Cellars is most known for their Maine Midnight Blueberry Dessert Wine. It was very sweet and dark, but it had such a unique flavor. It is worth trying!
Dinner at The Barnacles:
After the winery we relaxed at our motel in the afternoon and then headed back downtown for our last evening in Bar Harbor. We loved The Barnacles so much the first time that we decided to head back. Since it was dinner time there was a line to get in, but it was worth the wait and just as tasty.
Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium:
After dinner, we walked down the main street popping our heads in and out of the shops and decided to end the night with some ice cream. Ben & Bill’s is by far the most popular spot. They are most well known for their butter crunch ice cream flavor and it was delicious.
Day #4:
On our last full day in Maine, we were headed back towards Portland, but decided to take the scenic route on the coastline.
Fort Knox Historic Site:
As we were driving south through Prospect, Maine, we saw this fort in the distance and decided to check it out. Fort Knox has a ton of historical information about the area and what it was used for in the many wars the United States was involved in. The evolution of Fort Knox is insane and it offers stunning views of the surrounding area. We paid for entrance to the fort and the grounds area, but you can also buy tickets to go up the elevator in the bridge. My history loving husband loved this stop!
Camden:
Another hour south of the fort was this super cute town we stopped in to grab lunch and explore. Some of our favorite stores included The Leather Bench, The Tannery Lane Footbridge, and Antiques at 10 Mecanic. We then grabbed lunch at The Waterfront. It is a very popular spot, so I recommend putting your name down and then exploring the shops like we did. We of course started off the meal with claw chowder and I ordered the salmon burger for my entree.
The Francis:
After our amazing stop in Camden, we headed two hours south to our final stop of Portland. We then checked into our hotel at The Francis. The Francis is gorgeous and the perfect stay for a quick trip to Portland. Located in the Parkside neighborhood, it offers free parking, amazing rooms and a great lobby area to hang out in after a long day.
Wayside Tavern for Dinner:
Right next to the hotel was this easy and delicious spot we dined at for dinner. We started off our meal with their broiled oysters and some delicious dip and bread. For my main dish I ordered the tonnarelli which was their take on a cacio e pepe. We ended the meal with a decadent tiramisu.
Day #5:
The Holy Donut:
For breakfast, we decided to walk over to the Holy Donut to get donuts to go and then eat them back at our hotel. Their donuts are super unique because they are made with fresh maine potatoes! I loved the chocolate glazed one the best.
Downtown Portland:
We decided to explore a little bit of downtown Portland after breakfast. Since it was only 10 in the morning, not many of the shops were open to peek inside. The Boothby Square area was really cute and I bet in the evenings there is a lot happening. Before you head downtown, know that you will most likely pay for parking downtown.
Portland Head Light:
The last thing we did in Portland was head to the infamous Portland LightHouse. It is about 20 minutes from downtown and is free to park in the lower lot. We decided to park in the higher up lot as we didn’t have a ton of time, but now there is a charge for that lot. There is lots of great signage around the grounds about the lighthouse and its historical significance. The famous scenic viewpoint is just to the right of the lighthouse if you are facing it. You can go down a little trail with some rocks to get a beautiful shot. If you have more time there are lots of great walking trails at the state park to enjoy the views as well.
The Beach Plum:
The very last item on our list was to enjoy a traditional lobster roll. On our way back towards Boston to take our flight home, we stopped at The Beach Plum. I ordered the lobster clam chowder as well as the 4oz lobster roll with a side of onion rings. I loved that their lobster meat was very tender and it was stuffed into the roll. The delicious food was worth the stop for me.
Maine is an amazing place to visit in the fall with the beautiful foliage and temperate weather. As you noticed, we ate out for every meal and really indulged in the seafood throughout our trip. The cost of this trip definitely reflects that in the budget. If you cooked more or ate out at more affordable places, you could definitely get the budget down a significant amount.
Budget:
Item Cost
Flights 653.50
Acadia View Motel 222.55
Airport Parking 57.99
McDonalds 17.63
Chick-Fil-A 8.00
Subway 11.10
Gift Store 35.16
The Barnacle 100.68
Testas Bar and Grilll 108.36
Chart Room 75.50
Ben Bill's Choclate 7.55
Acadia National Park 30.00
The Barnacle 129.60
Bar Harbor Cellars 61.02
Shell Snacks 12.12
The Francis 264.62
Maritime Rockport 40.07
Fort Knox 13.00
Waterfront Restaurant 111.96
The Beach Plum 75.84
Berkshire Farms 15.40
Wayside Tavern 136.48
The Holy Donut 19.77
National Car Rental 225.43
Sunoco gas 16.36
Portland Parking 11.00
Total: 2,460.66
