Sunset Cottages Acadia

There’s no end to the things you can do on Mount Desert Island. Ride your mountain bike on the scenic carriage roads. Paddle your sea kayak along the rocky coastline. Climb up the treacherous Precipice Trail. Sail on a four-masted schooner or take a tour on a lobster boat. Stroll through the scenic streets of Bar Harbor.

 

Of course, there’s also the pleasure of doing what’s called nothing but is actually quite something — sitting back and enjoying a slower pace of life, relaxing by the water, and soaking in the views and the serenity.

 

Acadia National Park (East Side) & Bar Harbor

  • Hike The Bubbles (an easy hike with good views) near Jordan Pond House
  • Afterwards, drink fresh lemonade and eat popovers with strawberry jam and butter at Jordon Pond House
  • Bike the 45 miles of well-groomed carriage roads that wind through the heart of Acadia National Park, enjoying 16 different granite stone bridges along the way (no motorized vehicles allowed)
  • Paddle your sea kayak on an all-day trip from Seal Harbor to the Cranberry Islands and back
  • Visit Bar Harbor and window-shop at art galleries, or stroll along the shore path enjoying views of the harbor
  • Drive the famous Loop Road in Acadia National Park, with stops at Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Cliffs, and more
  • Go whale watching or deep sea fishing
  • Stroll along the carriage road at the Rockefeller Boathouse (near Seal Harbor); there’s a pretty lake, open meadows, and pine forest
  • Drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain, highest point on the east coast of the U.S., for magnificent views of the surrounding island landscape; some like to head up before dawn for the first glimpse of sunrise in the United States

“Quiet Side” of the Island

  • Have a picnic lunch at Sea Wall with fresh crabmeat sandwiches
  • Visit the famed Bass Harbor Lighthouse, only minutes away from your cottage
  • Pick and immediately eat the blueberries that grow wild on the island (late July/August)
  • Rediscover the Milky Way — do some serious star gazing far from city lights
  • Sit in the Adirondack chair in the meadow at dusk and watch for harbor seal, foxes, and deer
  • Listen to the gentle lapping of the waves, the wild call of the loons, and the sound of lobster boats trolling the waters on a foggy morning
  • Eat fresh lobster with chips on a picnic table on a pier
  • Take a short hike up Flying Mountain for scenic views of Somes Sound — a deep sound that almost splits the island in two
  • Shop the small shops in Southwest Harbor while eating ice cream
  • Hop from one artist’s studio and art gallery to the next — there’s lots of them in the area
  • Paddle a canoe on Great Long Pond and visit the wooded islands in the middle
  • Enjoy excellent bird watching opportunities both on the property and at nearby places like Sea Wall in Manset, site of some of the best birding on Mount Desert Island
  • Play golf at the seaside Causeway Club in Southwest Harbor
  • Enjoy the fall foliage on a scenic drive
  • Take a boat ride to the nearby islands of Great Cranberry and Little Cranberry — or take a lighthouse and nature cruise to see seals, eagles, cormorants, and osprey while watching the captain haul up a lobster trap