Start from 43 curated places around Acadia, ME, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Havana
The most polished dining room in Bar Harbor, Havana pairs Latin-inflected coastal Maine cuisine with an unusually serious wine list for a town this size. The seafood paella and ribeye are the anchors, but the kitchen rotates specials around whatever came off the boats. White tablecloths, candlelight, and genuinely attentive service make this the go-to for a special-occasion dinner.
Cafe This Way
A breakfast and dinner spot tucked one block off Main Street with a cozy bookshelf-lined interior that feels genuinely lived-in. The lobster Benedict draws regulars, but the smoked trout dishes and blueberry pancakes with wild Maine blueberries are equally worth ordering. Dinner shifts into a globally influenced New American mode with craft cocktails.
Trails & outdoors
The Beehive Loop Trail
The most electrifying short hike on Mount Desert Island — a 1.5-mile loop that ascends the Beehive's 500-foot granite face using iron rungs and ladders bolted into the rock, with exposure that'll make even experienced hikers pause. The views from the top over Sand Beach and the Atlantic are enormous relative to the effort. Return via the Bowl Trail, a gentle descent through forest.
Precipice Loop
Acadia's most demanding trail ascends the sheer northeast face of Champlain Mountain via iron rungs, ladders, and narrow ledges with vertical exposure rarely found in the eastern US. The 1.6-mile loop gains 1,000 feet and requires comfort with heights and scrambling — but the summit views over Frenchman Bay and the Porcupine Islands are among the finest in the park.
Things to do
Criterion Theatre
One of only two Art Deco movie theaters in Maine, the Criterion has operated continuously in downtown Bar Harbor since 1932. The nonprofit theater runs classic films alongside live music, theater, and multimedia shows in a venue with original wood detailing, a balcony, and genuine architectural character. Going to a movie here feels different from going to a multiplex.
Acadia Repertory Theatre
A professional theater company housed in a 148-seat Masonic Hall in Somesville — the oldest village on Mount Desert Island — that has performed comedies, dramas, mysteries, and children's theater every summer since 1973. The intimate setting and the quality of the productions make this far more worthwhile than its unassuming location suggests.
Landmarks & sights
Cadillac Mountain
The highest point on the U.S. Atlantic coast and Acadia's signature destination — from fall through early spring, the summit is among the first places in the country to catch the sunrise. The Park Loop Road drives to within a short walk of the top, but the real experience is standing on the bare pink granite with 360-degree views of the island, Frenchman Bay, and the Porcupine Islands below.
Jordan Pond
The clearest glacial pond in the park, Jordan Pond sits beneath the twin Bubble mountains in one of Acadia's most photographed settings. The 3.3-mile loop trail around the water alternates between boardwalk sections over boggy terrain and rocky shoreline paths, and the mirror-like reflections on calm mornings are worth an early start. The Jordan Pond House restaurant on the north shore does afternoon tea on the lawn.