Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island’s largest community, was New England’s premier summer resort in the 19th century. It was home to the largest hotel in North America and to Millionaires’ Row, a line of spectacular summer estates built for America’s richest and most powerful families — including the Rockefellers, the Fords, the Vanderbilts, the Carnegies, the Astors and the Morgans. Bar Harbor continues to draw visitors by the thousands. And the area’s brilliant fall foliage has stretched the traditional summer season well into October. Some of the mansions now operate as inns. Unlike a century ago, visitors can fly to the Bar Harbor area from Boston via U.S. Airways Express/Colgan Air. Bar Harbor is adjacent to Acadia National Park, home to 1,532-foot Mount Cadillac. Acadia’s stunning mountains, lakes and sea cliffs can be viewed from a number of vantage points including the park's loop road, which is open to cars; the historic carriage roads, which are closed to car traffic; and 125 miles of trails, exclusively for hiking. The Bar Harbor area possesses a great selection of family activities, including a family nature camp, an oceanarium, a zoo and a lumberjack show. The recently expanded Abbe Museum showcases the Wabenaki Indians, some of Maine’s earliest residents. Visitors can also indulge in rock climbing, sailing, paddling, brewery tours, boat excursions and golf. For shoppers, Bar Harbor features a number of top-drawer boutiques, many of which showcase the works of Maine artists and sculptors.