Question for the New Englanders

[erebus]

My wife and I live on Cape Cod, but every year (for about 25 years now) we rent a house in Bar Harbor for a week. Used to work for Acadia National Park too, way back in the "ancient times".
Keep in mind it's a long drive from Boston to Bar Harbor. (about 3.5 hrs)

From the Cape we usually zing up the coast to Portland for the night, and then bomb up the rest of the way to Bar Harbor from there. Taking 295 out of Portland and then getting on Rt 1 (Old Boston Post Road) in Brunswick.
Then we toodle up Rt 1 to Mt Desert Island.
Takes a little longer than just staying on the highway but not much (about a half hour more), and the scenery is amazing. Lots of little towns to stop in too. Bath, Wiscasset, Rockland, Camden, Belfast jump to mind.

Belfast has some great restaurants, a walking trail along the waterfront that goes right through one of the biggest boatyards in Maine (Front Street Shipyard). Their Travelift is impressive!
Bath has the Bath Iron Works where they build destroyers etc for the Navy, and just down the road is the Maine Maritime Museum. Really neat museum. Bath has been a boatbuilding harbor for a very very long time. They have a full scale mock up in wireframe of a six masted schooner built on the museum grounds back in the 1800's.

Portland restaurants we like: Flatbread Company (stone oven pizza on the waterftont), Duck Fat (good fries etc. usually long line), Honey Paw (kind of an asian noodle kind of place), J's Oyster (seafood, also on the waterfront) Becky's Diner (Diner Breakfast).
Portland has a nice walking path from the old waterfront part of town down along the harbor for a short bit. Nice after dinner walk. Good views of boats at mooring and the harbor islands.

Bar Harbor Restaurants we like: Lompoc Cafe (brewpub, one of our favorites. Outside seating and a bocce court), Havana (sit outside and have tapas and drinks, insides kinda fancy), Rosalies (pizza), Jordans (Breakfast), Galyns (Fine dining, good steaks and lobster).

While in Bar Harbor you have to go into Acadia National Park and at least drive the loop road. Lots of places to pull off and see amazing views and climb around on the rocks. You can also stop at The Jordan Pond house and have tea (or coffee) and popovers on the lawn (or lunch). Can get really busy though.
You can drive to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. I recommend daytime and again after dark for an up close view of the milky way (bring a flashlight).
If you want to do some hiking let me know and I can give you a greatest hits list of short hikes. Its pretty rugged country tho, so need to be prepared for hiking. Casual walks can be taken on the 50 plus miles of beautiful Carriage Roads. I can also give you a greatest hits of those too if you want to do some strolling. Might have to venture out of Bar Harbor for most though.

Outside Bar Harbor:
Asticou Terraces in Northeast Harbor. Beutiful old manicured gardens built on the cliff faces overlooking the Harbor.
Asticou Inn. Also Tea and Popovers (not as busy as Jordan Pond House) sit on the deck overlooking the harbor. Gorgeous...

I could keep going (and going and going and going), but you'd need to take the summer off to finish the list!

Have a great trip!

Oh, yeah:
Salem - meh
Kennebunkport, cute, but there are better towns to visit further up the coast.