Live Eagle Cam

The Eagle Web cam is presented by BioDiversity Research Institute and made possible through the generous support of FPL Energy Maine Hydro, National Wildlife Federation, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bar Harbor Insider Believe It Or Not: Soft Drinks

Don't try to order a Coke on Mount Desert Island - Only Pepsi products are available at the local dining establishments. Some places stock bottles and cans but no Coke products from the fountain.

Bar Harbor Brewing Company

Mount Dessert Island is lucky to have two brewers on the island. The Bar Harbor Brewing Company offers its small batch beers in large glass bottles. You can also take a tour of this small brewing operation. The brewer loves to go on fishing trips while the beer is fermenting!


Bar Harbor Brewing Company
Bar Harbor's First & Most Unique Microbrewery

..."Seeming to reaffirm, however, that 1996 would bring new discoveries, we were blessed to find the tiny Bar Harbor Brewing Company in Bar Harbor, Maine. Winning perhaps the most prestigious and competitive category of dry stouts and earning a rare platinum medal in the process, Cadillac Mtn. Stout proved to be the surprise of the competition. A self-described "cottage brewery", Bar Harbor is one of North America's smallest breweries, producing only 260 barrels of bottle-conditioned beer per year.

Run exclusively by husband and wife team Tod and Suzi Foster, with occasional help from a friend, they do everything themselves, from brewing to labeling to delivery. In the tradition of classic Bavarian brewers, they control their product until it is dropped at their customer's door. This assures the ultimate level of quality control as well as direct consumer feedback, a fact that they believe is key to their success. An inspiration to other small brewers, their beers can be found on the Maine shore and are a must for those visiting nearby Acadia National Park."

Charles Laverick
All About Beer Magazine
www.allaboutbeer.com
Buyer's Guide No. 6
March 1996

Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale

Sample some of the local microbrews like this fellow we call "Red". Personally I like Bar Harbor Real Ale - fresh on tap of course. But tourist usually go for the Blueberry Ale. Bar Harbor brews from Atlantic Brewing Company are available at most of the local eateries.

But why not go to the source and see how its made (plus get some free samples - yum!). Tours of the brewery are available in season at the Atlantic Brewing Company. They also have a gift shop and a BBQ restaurant on the premises.


Atlantic Brewing Company
15 Knox Road
Bar Harbor (Town Hill Section), ME 04609

Tan Turtle Tavern - Northeast Harbor

This Bar Harbor Insider was excited to learn about a new casual, family oriented restaurant coming to the island. We have plenty of high end places chasing the tourist dollar and trying to make their rent money in a few short weeks, but as a regular guy with a family to feed, we need more places to eat out without empting the wallet. The Tan Turtle Tavern advertised itself as having good food at good prices and a extensive kids menu and it did!

We visited the TTT a few days after it openned and were pleasantly surpised that dinner went along without much of a hitch. The only problems we encountered was a bit of a chill out on the porch area, some slow service and our free dessert (we clipped the grand opening coupon) which was the lava cake didn't exactly have "molten" chocolate lava - it was cold inside.

But we expected some opening night jitters and beside we are rooting for the place! Our main courses - Maple BBQ Baby Back Ribs ($16.95), Crispy Scallops Basket ($13.95) and the Chicken Fingers ($5.99) from the kids menus were fine and tasty. The ribs were very good and reasonably priced especially compared to other places on the island who want over $20 for ribs. $17 bought a whole rack which was plenty for two people. The only complaint from our tester was that she wanted more maple flavor (she is a maple nut). This meal included some nice mashed potatoes and a side of veggies.

I had the crispy scallops which were fried to perfection and had, as advertised, a nice crispy coating. Also in the basket were some great hushpuppies, a side of potato salad and some nice crispy "Turtle Chips" which are homemade potato chips. I've had these type of chips before at another place on the island and found them over cooked. The turtle did them right. The only thing missing was some tarter sauce.

The junior dinner in our party had some great hand-cut chicken breast with some chips and potato salad (I guess they were out of cole slaw on this evening).

The Tan Turtle Tavern is located in the old "151" building on main street in Northeast Harbor. Its a cosy little place in a cosy little town filled with people like Martha Stewart and David Rockerfeller in the summer but on the early March evening we visited it, the place was filled with locals, many brought their kids along. The place was packed and reservations after six pm were a must to get a table on this opening weekend night.

We will certainly be returning again for few reasons. The food was good. The prices were good. The atmoshere was good. They gave us a frequent dinners card good for one free dinner with the purchase of six. And they offer a mind boggling number of dinner options so you can never get bored with the place! No kidding the menu had the most number of choices I have ever seen. Everything from fish to burgers to sandwiches to steaks to BBQ to Mexican to Salads. Luckily they let you take home the menus so you can study them for your next visit. Those poor waitresses!

Acadia National Park - Varied and Dramatic

Acadia boasts varied and dramatic scenery including a coastline of chiseled granite, the ocean dotted with islands, 17 mountain peaks (together constituting the highest headlands along the eastern seaboard), close to a dozen glacial lakes and ponds, and Somes Sound, the only fjord (a glacially carved, u-shaped valley bordered by steep cliffs) on the East Coast of the United States.

In shape, Mount Desert Island resembles a lobster claw. Many of Acadia's best-known attractions are on the eastern side of the "claw," which is separated from the western side by Somes Sound. The park's western half features five mountains, numerous salt marshes and nature trails, and some of the best bird-watching in New England. The remainder of Acadia National Park consists of the dazzling Schoodic Peninsula and several offshore islands, including Baker Island and remote Isle au Haut.

Acadia For Kids

Activities for Kids

* Begin your family's day at Acadia with a stop at Hulls Cove Visitor Center. Children will enjoy the large diorama model of the park and the 15-minute orientation program which is a good introduction to the park's history. The program is shown every half hour.
* Pick up a copy of the free park map and a schedule of ranger-led activities. Children's books on birds, animals, plants and lighthouses are for sale here, as well.
* Kids of all ages can become Junior Rangers. First, they must complete the activities in the Junior Ranger booklet which is available for $1.50 at the visitor center. Then, they join one or two ranger-led programs or walks to receive a Junior Ranger pin.
* Visit the Nature Center, which features displays on park wildlife, guidebooks and brochures. Children can record animals they have seen in the center's logbook. The center is open daily through late September.
* Take kids on Acadia's carriage roads in an open, horse-drawn carriage. Wildwood Stables offers six tours every day. Please see Carriage Roads for more information.
* Go to the water and help kids look for eagles, ospreys, harbor seals and porpoises on ranger-led boat tours. Please see Boat Cruises for more information.
* Drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain where children can see many offshore islands.
* Abbe Museum, just a short walk from the Nature Center and down a woodland path, houses Native American artifacts. Here, children can learn more about Acadia's earliest inhabitants. The museum's collection includes prehistoric pottery, bone and stone tools, porcupine-quill jewelry, trade beads, baskets, a birch-bark canoe and a large wigwam. Informal tours are offered daily. The fees are $2 per adult and $1 per child, six through 15 years of age.
* Stop for homemade ice cream at Jordan Pond House.
* Children will enjoy the crashing waves and coarse-grained sand at Sand Beach. Some may want to swim in the cold ocean waters. For those who prefer warmer waters, there is a swimming area at Echo Lake. Both areas have on-duty lifeguards from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
* Take kids on a short hike. Gorham Mountain is only 525 feet high and offers ocean views. During July and August, you can pick blueberries on some of Acadia's mountains.
* Visit Schoodic Peninsula when it is almost high tide and on stormy days to marvel at the surf's sound and fury. Tide information is posted at the visitor center.