Tours & Museums
Abbe Museum
A most fascinating journey begins at the Abbe Museum! Sharing the history and culture of Maine’s Native people, collectively known as the Wabanaki (Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Micmac, and Maliseet), the museum operates from two locations in Bar Harbor. With the mission to inspire new learning about the Wabanaki Nations with every visit, the Abbe is an internationally known gem situated in the heart of town.
At their downtown Bar Harbor location at 26 Mount Desert Street (across from the Village Green), visitors find dynamic exhibitions and activities interspersed with spaces for quiet reflection. At the Abbe’s historic trailside museum at Sieur de Monts Spring, off Route 3, guests can experience early 20th century archaeological discoveries informed by 21st century science.
Begin YOUR journey to the Abbe today. Open 7 days per week from Memorial Day through October. Hours 10am-5pm (reduced winter hours are Thursday-Saturday 10-4; closed January). Admission includes both locations. 207-288-3519
www.abbemuseum.org
Acadia National Park Tours
The best way to see one of the world’s most beautiful areas! Sit back, relax, and allow their experienced guides to show and tell. This excursion is a “must-do”, especially for people with a limited amount of time in Bar Harbor. Many people say it’s the best tour they have ever taken! The tour features stops throughout Acadia National Park, including the summit of Cadillac Mountain and Thunder Hole. You will be taken to all the places you HAVE to see, all the while being entertained and educated about this intriguing area. Acadia National Park Tours is family owned, and has been satisfying tour goers since 1955.
Tours depart daily at 10:00am and 2:00pm. Additional tour times available on Cruise Ship days. Tours are 2.5 hours in duration. Tickets available only at Testa’s Restaurant, 53 Main Street in downtown Bar Harbor. $30.00 per adult. $17.50 for children 12 and under. Reservations and information, 207-288-0300
www.acadiatours.com
Baker Island Park Tour
Chosen by the park superintendent Sheridan Steele as his “favorite ranger guided boat tour.” Join an Acadia National Park Ranger on an exploration of this beautiful and forested 130 acre uninhabited island. Enjoy a fascinating tour that is rich in beautiful scenery, history and wildlife. While onshore, visit the oldest lighthouse in the area, the Gilley family farmstead dating back over two hundred years and the amazing dance floor rock formation. On the return they follow the shoreline of spectacular Ocean drive and take in many of Acadia’s most famous and scenic highlights. Throughout the tour they search for porpoises, seals, birds, eagles and wildlife. Photographer’s dream tour! Call Bar Harbor Whale watch at 207-288-2386.
www.barharborwhales.com
Bar Harbor Whale Watch
Whale watching is one of the most exciting activities you can experience! Most of the whales they see are named, known, and return each year to Maine to feed on small fish and plankton. Throughout the trip, their onboard naturalist will find and describe whales and wildlife including: seals, porpoises, dolphins, sharks and a large variety of seabirds.
Enjoy getting to the whales aboard their large, stable, jet-powered catamarans. For your comfort and enjoyment their well-stocked galleys offer a variety of hot and cold foods and a full line of snacks. Film and clothing are sold onboard and you may rent binoculars from the galley.
Bar Harbor Whale Watch is located at Harborplace, One West Street – next to the downtown pier. And don’t forget their terrific Lighthouse Tours, Lobster Fishing and Seal Watching Tours, or Nature Sight-Seeing cruises. Please call 1-800-942-5374 or 207-288-2386 for more information or to purchase tickets.
www.barharborwhales.com
Oli’s Trolley
Want to see more of Bar Harbor and the surrounding countryside than Samuel de Champlain did when he arrived here in 1604? Board the uniquely colorful Oli’s Trolley, located at One West Street (Harborplace Building), for guided 1-hour (or a more complete 2-1/2 hour) tours, scenic loops that take in historical and commercial Bar Harbor, plus the breath-taking beauty of Acadia National Park.
Along the way, your driver will point out the best restaurants and shops in town, and describe local history on the way to the finest view along America’s Atlantic coast, all of Mount Desert Island as seen from its highest point, the 1,532-foot summit of Cadillac Mountain. The longer tour includes more of the national park, including Acadia’s Wild Gardens and the rocky coast of Maine along the Ocean Drive. Three rest room stops are included.
Both tours give you the chance to get out for the spectacular experience of a mountain stroll at the summit of Cadillac Mountain. 207-288-9899
www.olistrolley.com