Things To Do in Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park

You'll find plenty to explore outside Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. (Click on these links to see our complete guides to the park and its bedroom community.) Quiet fishing villages, deep woodlands, and unexpected ocean views are among the jewels you can turn up once you get beyond Bar Harbor town limits.

On the tip of the eastern lobe of Mount Desert Island is the staid, prosperous little village of Northeast Harbor, long a favorite retreat of well-heeled folks up and down the Eastern seaboard. You can see their shingled palaces poking out of the forest and along the shore, but the village itself (which consists of one short main street and a marina) is also worth investigating.

One of the best, least-publicized places for enjoying views of the harbor is from the understatedly spectacular Asticou Terraces. Finding the parking lot can be tricky: Head a half-mile east (toward Seal Harbor) on Route 3 from the junction with Route 198, and look for the small gravel lot on the water side of the road with a sign reading ASTICOU TERRACES. Park here, cross the road on foot, and set off up a magnificent path made of local rock that ascends the sheer hillside, with expanding views of the harbor and the town.

Continue on the trail at the top of the hillside, and you’ll soon arrive at Curtis’s cabin (open to the public daily in summer), behind which lies the formal Thuya Garden, which is as manicured as the terraces are natural. This wonderfully maintained garden, designed by noted landscape architect Charles K. Savage (he summered here) in what was once an apple orchard, attracts flower enthusiasts, students of landscape architecture, and local folks looking for a quiet place to rest. The lawns lead to a pavilion and reflecting pool; the gates were hand-carved of cedar. It’s well worth the trip.

Finally, don’t miss the wonderful Asticou Azalea Garden 100 yards down Route 3 (toward Somesville). Run by the same organization as Thuya Garden and the Asticou Terraces, it’s a groomed, Japanese-style wonder of water and plant life—one of my favorite places on the island to wander without getting a cardio workout. There’s no admission charge to any of these three lovely stops, but $5 entrance donations are requested. You’ll find limited free parking in a lot at both the Terraces and the Azalea Garden.

When leaving Northeast Harbor, plan to drive out via Sargent Drive. This one-way route runs through Acadia National Park along the shore of Somes Sound, affording superb views of this glacially carved inlet. On the far side of Somes Sound, there's good hiking and the towns of Southwest Harbor and Bass Harbor. These are both home to fishermen and boat-builders, and though the character of these towns is changing, they're still far more humble than Northeast and Seal harbors.

In Southwest Harbor look for the intriguing Wendell Gilley Museum of Bird Carving ♥♥ (tel. 207/244-7555), on Route 102 just north of town. Housed in a building constructed specifically to display the woodcarvings, the museum contains the masterwork of Wendell Gilley, a plumber who took up carving birds as a hobby in 1930. His creations, ranging from regal bald eagles to delicate chickadees, are startlingly lifelike and beautiful. The museum offers woodcarving classes for those inspired by the displays, and a gift shop sells fine woodcarvings. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm late May to October, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm the rest of the year, with a little closure around the December holidays. Admission is $10 for adults, free to kids 12 and under—but free all day on Wendell Gilley’s birthday (Aug 21).