Day # 1, Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Welcome to Vacationland! Arrive mid-afternoon for Lunch on your own. Then sit back and relax for your drive along the coast “downeast” to Bar Harbor. You’ll see quiet little protected harbors filled with working lobster boats along the way. Ospreys and bald eagles’ nest high in the spruces along the rugged shores, deer browse the open fields, moose forage the wetlands and harbor seals make their annual pilgrimage to quiet coves. The pretty pink and purple lupine flowers will be in bloom in late June along the way. Check in to the beautiful Blue Nose Inn, overlooking scenic Frenchman’s Bay for a three-night stay. The hotel features free nightly piano entertainment in their luxurious lobby bar. Tonight, enjoy dinner included in a spectacular panorama from an 8-sided, glass walled dining room overlooking Frenchman’s Bay. (Dinner)
Day # 2, Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Enjoy a full breakfast buffet included at the hotel this morning. Bar Harbor has been celebrated for its breathtaking beauty ever since the island was discovered in 1604 by Samuel de Champlain, who named it “Isle de Monts Desert” (Mt. Desert Island) for its bare, desert-like mountaintops. This morning, you’ll take a sightseeing / nature cruise of Frenchman’s Bay. Cruise along the calm waters of the harbor and see a variety of marine life on this narrated excursion. You’ll head to a small island to look at harbor seals basking on the rocks and enjoy the majestic scenery of the Maine coast. Following our cruise, we depart for free time for lunch on your own in Bar Harbor and some time to explore the shops, boutiques and galleries in downtown Bar Harbor. This afternoon, we meet our local guide for a tour of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. First, you’ll enjoy a one-hour horse-drawn carriage ride along the park carriage roads built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. You’ll travel through some of Acadia’s off-the-beaten-track scenic areas. Here in the first national park founded east of the Mississippi, you’ll see 9 mountains over 1000 feet high, stone bridges, lakes, ponds, trails and carriage roads. You will travel the entire Park Loop road with stops at Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole on Ocean Drive and Sieur De Mont Springs Wild Gardens of Acadia, plus learn about the rich and famous visitors who built summer cottages in Bar Harbor.
Tonight, enjoy a traditional Maine lobster bake dinner with all the fixin’s. Your meal will be steamed in a large cooker where you can watch and ask questions about lobster fishing and lobster cooking. You’ll want to bring your appetite and camera when the cover is lifted to reveal a colorful blend of lobsters, clams, potato and corn-on-the-cob amidst a cloud of steam. Alternate menus are steak, haddock, or veggie skewers. (Breakfast & Dinner)
Day # 3, Thursday, June 17, 2021
Today we cross the Border to Campobello Island. Cross the International bridge (passport book or passport card required) to Roosevelt’s beloved Campobello Island, located in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Turn watches ahead 1 hour (Atlantic Standard Time)
After enjoying a full breakfast included at the hotel, meet our local guide and travel to Columbia Falls, Maine. Here we make a rest stop at Wreaths Across America Museum which profiles the wreath laying ceremonies that take place each December at Arlington National Cemetery. Continue our travel along the coast to Lubec, the first US town to see the sun rise as the easternmost point in the country.
Note: if any passenger does not have a valid passport or passport card for entry into Canada, they may elect to stay back at hotel for the day. There is a free shuttle from the hotel to the village. OR they may travel with the group as far as Lubec, Maine, where there is a waterfront village with shops and cafes for lunch on own. The group is on the island approximately 2 ½-3 hours. Those persons not going on the island will NOT have an included box lunch today.
A box lunch is included on arrival at the park for all passengers on Campobello Island portion of the tour.
Enjoy lunch with Eleanor, and later explore Roosevelt Campobello International Park at your leisure. You’ll see a15-minute film telling the story of Roosevelt’s “beloved island” and exhibits with historic family and island photos. Then go back in history by touring the 34-room “cottage” occupied 1905-1921 by the Franklin D. Roosevelt family. There are docents throughout the cottage to answer questions. Near the cottage, winding paths meander by charming flower gardens and lead to scenic vistas overlooking the beautiful bays.
Return to Lubec, turn watch back one hour. Travel to Machias, the wild blueberry capital of Maine.
On our way back to Bar Harbor, stop for coffee and blueberry pie in Machias. Have you ever made Betty Crocker blueberry muffins? That little can of blue sweetness included comes from here! Your local guide will tell you many more stories about the history, early settlers and today’s unique local characters here in the northeast corner of Maine.
Say good-bye to local guide upon returning to the Blue Nose Inn to refresh from a day of touring and enjoy the beautiful scenic views from your resort and all the amenities it offers. Dinner is included this evening at your resort. (Breakfast, Boxed Lunch, Pie & Coffee & Dinner)
Day # 4, Friday, June 18, 2021
After an included deluxe continental breakfast at the hotel, you’ll travel back through mid-coast Maine toward home. Have your camera ready for a photo stop atop Mt. Battie within the beautiful Camden Hills State Park, where you’ll see sweeping views of Penobscot Bay and the surrounding islands. Stopping for lunch on own then bidding farewell to coastal Maine! (Deluxe Continental Breakfast)
