Acadia National Park Nightlife

This is one of the hottest spots in Bar Harbor and the one everybody finds first. It's very lively, very casual, has an extensive menu of reasonably-priced eats and lots of brews on tap. They also have some live entertainment (some big names have played here).

We didn't eat here but bellied up to to the bar a couple of times for a beer and a chat with some friendly locals. Busy, busy place. I've read lots of reviews on the food and almost all of them were thumbs up. It's also sort of a sports bar: fun place to watch the game on a rainy afternoon. Good place to take the youngsters - at least before the bar gets rockin' later at night. Love Geddy's? They have a store with all sorts of Geddywear and trinkets so you can bring home something fabulously irreverent.

They have a great website with menu, prices, hours, entertainment schedule and even "Geddycams". One of them scopes out the street outside and is fun for checking the weather/crowd levels before you go. Oh, and it's pronounced with a "j" (Jeddy's).

Dress Code: As you are.

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With the combination of a northerly latitude and a high altitude, Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park is the first spot in the United States to be touched by the rising sun for about six months out of the year.

Many brave souls get up in the wee hours of the morning and make the trek up the mountain so they can have bragging rights of having been the first American to see the sun on that particular day. After spending each of our four days at Acadia in constant activity, we were too tired in the mornings to get up early enough for the sunrise. However, we did make it up Cadillac Mountain for the sunset one evening, and it was a very rewarding experience.

Both sunrise and sunset are popular times to be on Cadillac Mountain. We saw scores of other people there when we went to view the sunset. As you can tell from our photos, it was well worth the effort.

Dress Code: Dress Warmly. It get's cold here when the sun goes down.

Our first night in Acadia was spent at our campsite, relaxing in our chairs under the stars. We had not gotten our firewood yet, so we had no bonfire, but that was ok, it made the stars all the more vibrant without other distracting lights. Lou cooked us some burgars and clams on the grill and with a couple of drinks and good conversation, it was a perfect peaceful night.

Dress Code: PJ's optional, fleece or sweater, a must

After having dinner at the Trenton Lobster Pound, we decided to spend the remainder of the evening in Bar Harbor. We had delicious desserts at Cafe This Way, watched the band play on the green and then stolled through town. We did a little shopping, walked down to the water and decided to have a drink at Carmen Verandah's. I bought us a couple of the local beers, Bar harbor ale...maybe? And we had a seat on the balcony overlooking the green. As it happened,it was also karyoke night. A lovely young woman (I think) decided to get up and do a striking rendition of Guns and Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" complete with all the appropriate shanananananaknees. Quite an experience

O.k.., so maybe some people won't call it a "real" Nightlife Activity, but it was fun anyway (and there isn't so much else to do in the park in the night anyway).

If you have a car, do this: go and buy some sandwiches and chips and dips or whatever you like. Then, when it is late afternoon, drive up to Mount Cadillac (yes, it has a road, but it is more interesting to walk).

On the top, look for a good viewing point (if it's not so warm, one, where you can stay in the car).

Then watch the sunset and have dinner there. It is a wonderful view and ambiance, you will never forget!

The picture shows the view over the small islands in front of the coast.

Since there are no trees on the top of the mountain (hence the name), you have a real good panorama view.

Dress Code: As warm as necessary.

This is a great little place with live music and a lively crowd. They have board games if it's a quiet night but on both occasions, it certainly was not quiet. Not only a cafe, it is a brewpub and their beers were not bad at all with a surprisingly tasty Blueberry Ale and a very fine Coal Porter.

Dress Code: Very casual attire... I am talking overalls if you like.

This place was just up the road from out motel and I had not read anything about it so was not expecting much. But there were free tastings at the brewery so we dropped in for a free tour. The kid working the place didn't know much about beer but was sure enthusiastic and hey, free beer is free beer. He gave us a coupon for 10% off dinner so we decided to try and get there for their burgers, which sure smelled great. We did a bit more hiking than we had planned on so never made it in time. The dinner menu was a bit expensive so we just had a few beers. The Precipice Ale was our favorite and was just reward for doing the tricky trail it was named after, earlier that day.

This place was suggested by a bartender at one of the brewpubs in town and was a great little find. It is set in a nice old house that has been tastefully refurbished for fine as well as casual dining. The pub area proper looks cosy but for some odd reason, the heat was not on so it was a bit nippy inside. A fine selection of local ales was on tap with at least one cask-conditioned offering from Gritty McDuff's in Portland, Maine. Great stuff.

Dress Code: A sweater, it's chilly!