Bar Harbor - parking/driving into bar harbor
 

I am planning a family reunion near Acadia National Park trying to please many different folks -

One family has 3 teenage boys who don't like hiking and I am trying to decrease the chance they are bored.

I am wondering if it is worthwhile to stay in the town of bar harbor so that everything is within walking distance or if staying in Hulls Cove would be close enough?

Is driving into the bar harbor from outside the town easy or is parking/driving in town get a big congested with the crowds?

Parking can be pretty challenging at dinner time...say 6-9pm, rest of the day is not too bad.

~Liz

"Everything within walking distance" is antique shops, vintage clothing, restaurants, a bakery, hotels, motels, B&B.....not sure what exactly is there for teenage boys to amuse themselves with. You'd probably be better off finding a cabin with kayaks and badminton.

How about a whale watch? I believe you can still catch a whale watch boat from the ferry terminal. Bike riding? If you don't bring your own, you can rent them right in downtown BH, and the boys can ride the carriage trails through the park, without worry about auto traffic. Horse back riding? I think you can do that from Jordan Pond stables.

Since you are a group, you might look into house/cabin rentals. If you're going in the summer, think about booking now. Lots to choose from:
acadiamagic.com

We were in Bar Harbor once in August with our teenage daughter and her younger sister. The teenager had a blast. We rented a row boat, went on nature walks, ate lobster which was pulled right out of the water, our B&B owner made fresh hot blueberry muffins from blueberries he picked from his garden.

If you're not from the New England area it is a fascinating place to see so many different things. I think your boys will like it.

Thanks for the reply everyone

There's a lot more to do in Acadia than hiking. Do they like to ride bikes? The carriage roads in the park are great fun. How about kayaking. We spent a day sea kayaking (on a tour) and another day kayaking on Long Lake. Both were fun, but the sea kayaking was particularly memorable.