- Yearly belt sander races at Atlantic Brewing.
- The Bar Harbor Barter And Swap Facebook group where you can buy everything from a winter coat to a pink Vespa.
- Soft shell lobster access (they are yummier).
- Dozens of hikes you can do in under two hours.
- Lots of community volunteer groups where you can do good.
- Local libraries with awesome events and convenient hours.
- Excellent bakeries.
- Carriage roads as a four-season experience.
- Winter chili cookoffs.
- Community lunches at Neighborhood House.
- Accessible caves near (or partially in, depending on the tide) the ocean.
- Within one hour of an international airport and…
- Within 20 minutes of a regional airport with regular flights to Boston and New York.
- Lots of smart people around to be friends with (College of the Atlantic, Jackson Lab, MDI Bio Lab, and other large employers attract intelligent people).
- Great school system (some people live here JUST so their kids can go to school here).
- Indoor and outdoor climbing for kids and grownups.
- You can get discounts for wearing pajamas in public during the annual Pajama Sale (usually one Saturday in November, heads up).
- There’s really good ice cream, no matter what your taste.
- It’s dog friendly, not just with trails but in many stores, restaurants, and hotels/bed and breakfasts.
- You can roll out of bed and watch the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain…and if it’s winter, you can even sleep in a bit.
- Lots of cool running races from 5ks, half-marathons that take you through parts of Acadia National Park, a relay around the whole island, and the MDI Marathon.
- You can get a local discount at many locations.
- You have two movie theaters to choose from right here on the island.
- Sit near the harbors and watch boats come and go (bring a picnic too).
- It’s easy to entertain family/friends that want to come to visit you (and trust us, they will).
- There are so many places to swim in the summer, plus some indoor pools in the winter.
- There is a thing called “The Flamingo Festival” in Southwest Harbor in August.
- Bar Harbor’s 4th of July celebration is rated one of the top 4th of July in the country!
- You don’t have to make any special trips to experience the fall foliage.
- Lots of the coffee shops have apartments upstairs, so you can sort of re-invent Friends if you have roommates.
- You’re always about 10 minutes away from a really spectacular view of something.
- There’s a fun mix of people who have been here “forever” and just moved here last year.
- Lots of childcare options, from in-home daycares, Kid’s Corner, and daycare at the Mount Desert YMCA.
- Wood-stacking parties in the fall.
- The Acadia Night Sky Festival in September.
- Many parts of Acadia National Park are open year-round.
- The Village Green in Bar Harbor is a great place to people watch, listen to live music, eat ice cream, etc.
- You’ll discover the many different ways there are to eat lobster: tacos, mac & cheese, ice cream…)
- In addition to eating lobster, you can also race them at the Bar Harbor 4th of July celebration.
- There are local CSAs and farm shares to participate in during the summer.
- Low rate of crime–you don’t have to think twice about walking down the street by yourself.
- People may wave at you, even if they don’t know you.
- We don’t get life-threatening storms (just roof-threatening snowstorms and the occasional high winds).
- The beaches are a great place to go hunting for sea glass.
- Trick or Treating on Ledgelawn Ave in Bar Harbor is “a graveyard smash” (and super safe-they shut down the road!)
- You can rub elbows with the famous (at least in the summer), like Martha Stewart and Dick Wolf), who also have houses here.
- We have really cool wildlife (and you generally don’t have to fear for your life if you encounter any).
- From July to September if you can create a “tourist ego” and do all the fun stuff you “forget” to do if you’ve been living here a while.
- We race beds through the streets of Bar Harbor once a year.
- If you freelance or need office space, you have plenty of options for renting a space.
- Lots of options for fitness classes all over the island, from Harbor House, the YMCA, Destination Health, and more!
- You can hear live music pretty much whenever you want in the summer months and lots more in the winter than you’d expect.
- You will have at least one friend who has a boat.
- A community theater recently performed “Shrek the Musical” and it was awesome.
- Eat pizza and watch a movie at the SAME TIME (in a theater). They also have beer/wine.
- Ice-fishing.
- First Friday art gallery nights in Bar Harbor and Thursday art gallery nights in Northeast Harbor (seasonally).
- Acadia National Park has been voted the Best National Park for Kids (USAToday, 2016).
- Sailing school for people of all ages.
- Cool abandoned trails, including an overgrown funicular area (used to go up Cadillac Mountain) and a plane crash site (yes there is debris still there).
- Diver Ed and his League of Underwater Superheros finding amazing sea creatures and doing cool underwater projects.
- 100+ non-profits mean you can find a cause you can support, financially, through volunteering, or both.
- Seawall and Hunters Beaches as very cool pebble beaches.
- Little Long Pond is one of the most beautiful ‘dog parks’ anywhere.
- Multiple great breakfast options, whether you want diner food or lobster benedict.
- Popovers, the amazingness of the food, and the fact they are available at multiple locations.
- You can treat yourself to a variety of spas, massage therapists, and other pampering services.
- We were ranked one of the top 16 places to live in Outdoor Magazine in 2015.
- Great playgrounds, including one in Town Hill and one in downtown Bar Harbor.
- Continuous learning options like Adult Ed, Acadia Senior College, and College of the Atlantic (you can audit one class per semester gratis if you are a resident).
- College of the Atlantic has inexpensive vegan and non-vegan lunch options and is open to the public. Plus they have great programs there like lectures and programs run by students the public is open to participating in.
- Bar Harbor Barter and Swap, the prolific local Facebook group, have an in-person sale where people can buy tables and sell things. Admission to the event goes to a different local cause every year.
- Ice skating in the winter on local ponds (most have at least one shovel on-site and the community collectively keeps them shoveled off and accessible).
- Carriage trails are groomed for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing by volunteers (follow the Friends of Acadia on Facebook for trail grooming statuses).
- Several local craft markets throughout the year with lots of different offerings and price points so you can support local artists.
- You can see seals and other marine life right from shore.
- Side Street’s rockin’ New Year’s Eve party that’s fun without breaking the bank.
- Lots of fun youth activities through the MDI YMCA, Camp Beechcliff, Artwaves, and more.
- Just like you’ll have a friend with a boat, you’ll have a friend who wants to have a bonfire late in the summer.
- Not only is it a great place to raise a child, but there are great resources throughout pregnancy like labor and newborn care classes, prenatal yoga, and support groups.
- You will have at least one friend with a truck (if you don’t have one yourself), and one of those friends will also have a plow on said truck.
- Practice your kickflips on the new skatepark in Bar Harbor (right next to the ballfield).
- Lots of happy hour options throughout the year.
- Cool networking events, like a business after hours on a whale-watching boat.
- We have our own version of an Oktoberfest every year, as well as a Beer Festival in January.
- There are lots of salons around, where you can get facials, mani/pedis, haircuts, and even eyelash extensions.
- If you love to bike, there are plenty of repair shops and other resources for you.
- Plenty of Plein air opportunities, whether you’re dabbling or a professional.
- You’ll have a combo of fresh water, ocean, AND mountains surrounding you.
- Experience all 4 seasons (good and bad, and sometimes in the course of one day).
- It’s a safe place to live and raise kids.
- Transportation help with Island Connections, Bar Harbor Shuttle, Island Explorer, and more!
- You can become a master of the hook game at Dog & Pony and impress people.
- You’re always 1-2 degrees of friendship away from any one person.
- If being an early bird isn’t your thing, you can get discounted shopping done the later you stay out during Bar Harbor’s Midnight Madness Sale in December.
- There are plenty of on-island mechanics who can help repair/maintain your vehicle(s) (and we have some island towing options, too).
- Our local newspaper (published weekly) is community-owned.
- Bar Harbor was voted one of Newsmax’s 50 best small towns in America in 2016.
- There is absolutely no shortage of amazing food here.
- People are just nice. At least, we like to think so!