5 Best Sights in Northeast Harbor, Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island

Originally part of John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s seaside estate, this stunning hilltop garden is the creation of its namesake—Rockefeller's wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller—and famed landscape designer Beatrix Farrand. An ever-present Narnia vibe begins on the drive up through the woods, where blowers keep the large mossy granite rocks free of leaves and needles, to magical effect. Even before entering on the Spirit Path, lined with Korean funerary statues, the garden’s earthy pink high wall entrances: it resembles those in Beijing’s Forbidden City. The English-style main border garden has many colorful annuals; one side is more shaded, so bed heights vary, adding whimsy to the symmetrical space. In smaller garden spaces nearby, you can rest on a bench, step through a pagoda, look out on Little Long Pond, and contemplate more Eastern sculptures, from seated Buddhas to guardian animals. An easy forest trail leads to the large terrace—with commanding, expansive ocean views—that fronted The Eyrie, the Rockefellers’ massive summer “cottage,” until it was torn down in 1962.

With many varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas, the Japanese-style garden is spectacular from late May to mid-June as the pink, white, purple, and yellow-orange flowers not only bloom but reflect in a stream-fed pond. Whatever the season there’s plenty to admire at this Land & Garden Preserve locale, especially in fall when the many native plants brighten the landscape. You can contemplate on a bench along the winding paths as intended, perhaps by the white sand garden—raked to evoke moving water. Created with azaleas from famed landscape designer Beatrix Farrand’s Bar Harbor garden, Asticou was designed by Charles Savage, a self-educated garden designer who managed his family’s nearby Asticou Inn. Check the website for "Garden Walks & Talks" and, in mid-July every other year, an evening Japanese lantern stroll.

Housed in the town's former fire station, this museum promotes and celebrates the Mount Desert Island region's maritime heritage. Inside, a map of the Great Harbor at the mouth of Somes Sound anchors a display that helps visitors orient themselves to the area as well as the museum. Interesting changing exhibits about local history have a nautical theme and include photographs and objects like ship models from the museum’s collection as well as other area institutions.

The Land & Garden Preserve expanded greatly in 2015 when David Rockefeller, son of Acadia National Park founder John D. Rockefeller Jr., donated about 1,000 acres of largely forested land in Seal Harbor to the conversation group. The property includes 17 acres of meadows; 12 acres of marsh; a bog and streams; trails and carriage roads, some connecting with Acadia's trails (1.3-mile the Richard Trail, steep in sections, has stone staircases like the park's); and Little Long Pond, which you can hike around, paddle on, and swim in (at designated areas). Check the website for special events like field walks and carriage rides.

Two parking areas on Route 3 serve Little Long Pond Natural Lands. The one at the main gate (across from Bracy Cove by the pond) is small, so consider using the one less than a half-mile west (toward Northeast Harbor). Just under a mile, also with stone steps, Friends Trail leads from here to the cove and pond, as do carriage roads.

Hidden atop a hill above Route 3, this peaceful Land & Garden Preserve property invites with elegant formal perennial beds on land that was once the summer home of Boston landscape designer and engineer Joseph Henry Curtis. Mount Desert Island native Charles Savage, a self-taught landscape designer, was the garden's mastermind and named it for the property’s majestic white cedars, Thuja occidentalis. Welcoming the public since 1962, it's filled with colorful blooms throughout summer: there are delphiniums, daylilies, dahlias, heliotropes, snapdragons, and other vegetation. Walk the immaculately groomed grass paths or enjoy the view from a well-placed bench. You can also take a look at the sitting room in the circa-1914 Curtis home, which has a large collection of books compiled by Savage. Check the website for docent-led tours of the “lodge” as it’s known and special events like Garden Walks & Talks. There is a small parking area at the garden, or park below it on Route 3 and walk up on the Asticou Terraces trail.