Monday, September 24, 2007

Penobscot Narrows Bridge & Fort Knox

On your way to or from Bar Harbor, take the scenic route along the coast and check out the newest wonder in Maine!



Penobscot Narrows Bridge
Entrance: Fort Knox State Park
711 Fort Knox Rd, Prospect, ME 04981
$5 Adults - $3 Children 5 - 11 - $2.50 Free Children 4/under
Observatory fees include admission to Fort Knox
Observation Tower Open-May 21-Nov 1 Hrs: 8:30am - 5:00pm

Directions: The Penobscot Narrows Bridge is about 220 miles north of Boston, or about 4 1/2 hours. Take Interstate 95 north to Augusta, Maine; take exit 113, Route 3 east, to Belfast, where Route 3 joins Route 1. Follow Routes 1 and 3 north to Prospect.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Bar Harbor Foliage '07

The best time to see the foliage this year will be from the first to second week of October. Don't fret about seeing the "peak" of the foliage season which is always a guess. Just get yourself on the Bar Harbor side of MDI in the area that burned in 1947. These areas have the least amount of spruce trees. The busiest stretch of asphalt visited locally during the fall season is the Acadia's Park Loop Road.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Ty Pennington Gets Stopped For OUI - Now that's an Extreme Makeover

Word around town is that after the wrap party on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition here in Maine, Ty tied one on and got stopped in Ellsworth for an OUI!

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On September 9, the Ray-Smith family of Milbridge, ME, received the exciting news that Ty Pennington and the crew of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will renovate and hopefully appease the ghosts in their haunted home, a family heirloom, in just seven days.

Brittany Ray and Ron Smith first met in nursery school. After attending separate colleges, they came back together and were married in 1994. Both valuing education and wanting to give back to their community, they retreated back to their hometown of Milbridge, a town founded by Brittany’s great-great grandparents, to become teachers and active community leaders.

With accumulating school loans and other bills, the family had no choice but to move into the family home that has been passed down for generations. The home which is over 100 years old and built by Brittany’s great-great grandparents is spooked with a slew of problems: an outdated septic system, no insulation, a cracking foundation, an outdated furnace is outdated which overheats, a leaky roof, freezing pipes, and ancient electrical wiring that is a fire hazard and one of the more dangerous and serious issues. If the extremely unsafe condition of their home weren’t enough, the Ray-Smith house is also haunted, likely by the ancestors of Brittany Ray. With an affinity for sharp objects, they have come home to find a pair of scissors standing upright on the counter, or shirt pins balanced in a circle in a candle. On one occasion, they were awakened in the middle of the night to discover the furnace turned up as high as it could go, driving the temperature in their home to 100 degrees.

In addition to the struggles they face with their home, they also contend with high medical bills as their son, Thomas, suffers from Autism and doctors fear their other son, JoJo, may be Autistic as well. Both Ron and his daughter, Bayley, suffer from Hypolipidemia, a condition causing extremely high cholesterol, which resulted in fatal heart attacks in Ron’s mother and brother.

The dangers lurking in this house are scary, and the family has come to realize the entities in the house are merely trying to help them understand how unsafe their home is and that it is time to do something about it. In this episode, Ty and the designers of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will renovate this family jewel to create a safe environment for this family, their ghosts, and the newest member of their family, an adopted daughter from China.

While Ty and the designers, local builder Broughman Builders and hundreds of volunteers and workers are rebuilding their home, the Ray-Smith family will go on vacation to Walt Disney World.

Monday, September 17, 2007

ACADIA BIKE

207-288-9605 800-526-8615
Acadia Bike features the largest bicycle rental fleet in New England, so you're sure to get the bike you want. Enjoy Acadia's natural wonders as you pedal the car-free carriage roads or Park Loop Road. Our bikes - new each year, most with front suspension - are meticulously maintained and custom-fitted to ensure you'll have a great ride. All sizes, plus tandems, trailers & kids' bikes. Low rates, with discount for advance reservations. Located in downtown Bar Harbor, across from the post office. Open daily at 8am.
48 Cottage Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609

ABBE MUSEUM - MAINE INDIAN HERITAGE

207-288-3519
The most fascinating journey in Bar Harbor begins at the Abbe Museum! Discover the story of the first people of Maine through exhibitions and programs that span 10,000 years of history, art and archaeology. Learn about the Native people of Maine today and enjoy their songs and stories, arts and crafts. Visit the Museum Shop for high quality gifts crafted by Maine Native people. Downtown museum: open May-November. Historic Abbe at Sieur de Monts Spring: open May-October. Admission charged.
P.O. Box 286, Bar Harbor, ME 04609

OCEANARIUM & LOBSTER HATCHERY

207-288-5005
Enjoy an up-close experience with marine life. At the oceanarium on Rt. 3 take a guided tour of a salt marsh and the Maine Lobster Museum. At the working lobster hatchery we take you on a fascinating tour to see mother lobsters & baby lobsters & the hatchery process. Combination tickets available. Group discounts and tours.
Rt. 3, Bar Harbor, ME 04609

KEBO VALLEY GOLF CLUB

Tee Times 288-3000; Clubhouse 288-5000; Superintendent 288-2200
Surrounded by the mountains of Acadia National Park, Kebo Valley has been enticing golfers from all over the world for more than 100 years to the challenges of the finest 18 holes of championship golf in Maine. Just minutes from downtown Bar Harbor. Kebo Valley consistently ranks among America's best public golf courses. Expert PGA staff. Private and group lessons. Fully modern clubhouse. Banquets. Lunch served daily 11am-4pm. Open daily spring, summer & fall.
100 Eagle Lake Road, Bar Harbor, ME 04609

ATLANTIC CLIMBING SCHOOL

Rock climbing courses in Acadia National Park for all ages, abilities and fitness levels. Half day and full day courses available for individuals and families. All equipment is provided. Low guide-to-client ratios for better value and safety - maximum 3:1; you won't be part of a larger group. Owned by Jeff Butterfield, author of Acadia, A Climber's Guide; a comprehensive guidebook to climbing in Acadia.
PO Box 514, 67 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 207-288-2521

The Nelson Cottage Bass Harbor Maine

Looking for a more quiet rental on Mount Desert Island? Try the Nelson Cottage.

LuLu Lobster Boat Rides


Unless you know a local fisherman this is the only clean and commercial lobster boat tour around...

The only Lobster Boat tour in Bar Harbor hosted on a traditional Downeast-style lobster boat. After several successful seasons delighting passengers in the Hancock area of Frenchman/Flanders Bays, Lulu now sails out of Bar Harbor. The Harborside Hotel & Marina is Lulu’s base of operations. Lulu carries a maximum of fifteen people on a two hour tour offering the most exclusive, personal and unique cruise in Bar Harbor.

More Info

Bar Harbor Cruise Ship Schedule

Each year some of the world's most beautiful & famous cruise ships drop anchor in Bar Harbor. While passengers and crew visit our village & park, you can snap pictures of ships almost literally filling the harbor. (Visitors are not permitted on board ships while they are docked in the harbor.)

See the schedule