Fun Things for Couples to do in Bar Harbor Maine

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

Bar Harbor, Maine is a scenic vacationers retreat on the edge of Acadia National Park in what is known as the downeast region of Maine. Every year couples flock to Bar Harbor for a romantic getaway, wedding, or honeymoon, where they can stroll along the beach, hike nearby mountains and stay in quaint New England inns. The summer weather is mild, the autumns colorful, the winters snowy, and the scenery all year is breathtaking. If you and your special someone are planning to visit Bar Harbor for a vacation, youll find that there are many fun things for couples to do together.

Originally a ship-building and fishing village, Bar Harbor is now known for, among other things, its water sports and recreation. Couples will enjoy taking a cruise to Canada, a schooner trip up and down the coast, or a lobster boat ride where they can learn all the ins and outs of lobstering in Maine. Whale watching cruises and kayaking tours along the coast are also popular attractions. Not far inland, couples can ride the rapids on a white water rafting excursion.

If the couple in question would rather enjoy the water with their feet still firmly planted on dry land, the village harbor is still a working fishing harbor, complete with all types of fishing boats to see. Nearby Acadia National Park is full of ponds and streams for fishing or picnics on the banks. Acadia also has such attractions as small beaches, seal sightings, and a plethora of places to explore the ocean shore.

Hiking abounds in the Bar Harbor area, if a couple desires to lace up their hiking boots and see the scenery. Cadillac Mountain, in Acadia, is the tallest coastal mountain on the eastern seaboard. Couples can hike to the top and take in the views or rest at the visitor center on the summit. The Acadia park headquarters offer maps of all the hiking trails in the park.

Bicycling is another popular form of recreation in the Bar Harbor area. Originally a donation to the park by philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the carriage roads of Acadia were built beginning in 1913, so visitors could escape the new automobile craze by taking horse and carriage rides through the beautiful hills and valleys of Mount Desert Island. Today the carriage roads are popular for walkers and hikers, but especially for mountain bike enthusiasts. Forty-five miles of carriage roads will keep couples busy for hours as they enjoy riding, picnicking and seeing the amazing scenery.

When a couple is ready for a romantic evening, Bar Harbor is the perfect place. Several cozy seafood and pasta restaurants dot the area, and romantic hotels, inns, and bed and breakfast establishments abound. After an evening stroll around the village, window shopping beneath the street lamps, couples can retire to historic inns with fireplaces and New England dcor that whisks them back to simpler times.

Although summer is the most popular time of year for visitors to Bar Harbor, couples will find that it is a quaint and lovely village any time of year. Springtime is cool and everything is in bloom. Winter provides opportunities for snowmobiling and other winter sports, plus it is off-season and all the hotels and inns cut their prices considerably. The autumns in the Bar Harbor area are legendary and simply have to be seen to be believed.

Complete with opportunities for romance, recreation and fun, Bar Harbor is the perfect place for a couples vacation.