Acadia

Wabanaki people lived on its sacred land for thousands of years. French explorers named the area “Acadie” in the early 1600s, followed by English settlers. By the late 1800s, Bar Harbor became a Gilded Age getaway for the elites. In 1919,  Acadia National Park was established, protecting its peaks + coastline. 

Life on Mount Desert Island moves with the tides. Generations have lobster fished, picked wild blueberries, and summered by the shore. Locals and visitors keep traditions alive with lobster bakes, craft fairs, town parades, and sunrise hikes up Cadillac Mountain.

Maine’s coastal cuisine is a celebration of simplicity and salt air. Think fresh lobster rolls, clam chowder, blueberry pie, and butter-soaked corn on the cob. Many restaurants emphasize seasonal and local—from dock-to-dish seafood to garden greens. 

From sea shanties to indie folk, Acadia’s soundscape is a blend of maritime memory and artistic spirit. Hear live acoustic sets in local pubs, choral music in coastal churches, and classical quartets drifting across outdoor stages in the summer air. 

Art here is inspired by fog, forests, and sun rising over the Atlantic horizon. Acadia is muse for plein air painters, photographers, and woodworkers. The natural light and ever-changing sea continue to draw creatives who seek simplicity and soul. 

Mountains rise from the sea, spruce forests hug rugged coastlines, and tide pools reach up to granite peaks. Acadia has 150+ miles of trails and breathtaking vistas. From misty mornings on Jordan Pond to starlit skies over Sand Beach, nature is the main event. 

Adventure here feels elemental—wind, water, and granite. You can sail, hike, bike, kayak, or take on cliffside trails with iron rungs. In winter, Acadia transforms for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. You may even catch whales breaching just offshore.

Wabanaki people believe Mount Desert Island is part of their creation story. That reverence lives on in the quiet awe Acadia inspires. Many visitors describe the park as a sanctuary—where the crashing waves quiet the mind and the starlit sky invites stillness. 

English is spoken with a coastal New England lilt—gentle, direct, and peppered with localisms like “wicked good” or “down East.” Many locals are multi-generational Mainers, and the stories they tell carry history in every phrase.