Day 3

Knowing how busy Sand Beach was on Monday, we planned to get up a little early and get out the door to get to Cadillac Mountain before it got too busy! Our original plan was to hike Cadillac Mountain rather than drive up it. However, after all the hiking we did the day before, we were DRAGGING…so we decided to be lazy and drive up.

Cáfe This Way

Another popular spot in downtown Bar Harbor for breakfast and lunch! Its location is very unique because its tucked away off the street. We only had to wait about 10 minutes to get a table (which wasn’t bad). They only had outdoor seating because of COVID but they had umbrellas set up so you weren’t baking in the heat.

I ordered gluten/dairy free granola with wild Maine blueberries, almond milk and a side of home fries. Matt ordered “The Usual” which was 2 eggs, home fries, and toast. Overall, the food was really good and not expensive either!

Cadillac Mountain

We thought it was more practical to drive up Cadillac Mountain because we would have to get up super early to hike it in order to beat the midday rush of people…and if I’m being completely honest…we were POOPED from everything we did yesterday. We left Cafe this Way for Cadillac Mountain about 11:00am. The drive was AMAZING! It offered a lot of places to pull of with awesome views.

The view from the stop was AMAZING! (Side note: we saw what looked like a cruise ship on the bay – but of course we are in the middle of a pandemic so it did not make sense that there was a cruise. One guy up at the summit found had seen the boat before…it was MARK CUBANS yacht!!)

Back to Bar Harbor

We had some time to kill before our scenic flight in Bar Harbor, so we walked around a little more. The businesses and restaurants of Bar Harbor (like any small town with a large influx of tourists) relies a lot on tourists during the summer to survive. Despite Acadia still being crazy busy, downtown Bar Harbor was not too crowded.

Side Street Cafe

This was definitely a super cool/unique place to eat! For a starter, I had clam chowder appetizer which was super yummy and mac and cheese for my main course. (There are SO many good lunch options – for some reason I was just craving mac and cheese). Matt got a steak and cheese which was also good!

Scenic Flights of Acadia

I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with something for the trip! I thought about whale watching but I hate boats so that was out of the question. Originally I thought it would be too expensive for us to go but the prices were not as bad as I expected! There are several options for flight lengths that have different prices. Originally I booked us for the “Bar Harbor” flight which is about 15 minute. It cost $113 for the two of us.

I am TERRIBLE at surprises so I spoiled the surprise at lunch before. We decided to do “Schoodic Point” which was the next expensive one. It was around an additional $80 for the two of us. It was pretty expensive but it was so worth it!

The flight was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity despite its price! The plane took us past Bar Harbor, Sand Beach, Egg Rock Lighthouse, and then to Winter Harbor. Below are some pictures from in the air!

A NOTE: I get motion sickness pretty easily and I completely forgot to take motion sickness medicine so if you even think you’re going to get a little motion sickness TAKE SOMETHING!! Especially if you do a longer flight time!!

The Stadium

This is a small restaurant in Bar Harbor that is known for having delicious lobster rolls. Matt and I both got lobster rolls which were AMAZING! It was a tiny restaurant with little to no indoor seating but I would highly recommend for a quick grab and go meal!

Sand Beach

Matt and I tried to avoid Sand Beach during the day because it was so packed on our first day in Acadia. We thought it might be a good idea to visit during a sunset! When we got there, there were maybe 5-10 people on the beach total. In my opinion, this was the best time to visit Sand Beach and then drive along Park Loop Road again.