Museum in the Streets

Historic Walking Tour

Get to Know Bar Harbor

Start with an informative walking tour

Bar Harbor has a rich history. Our residents are proud of the stories and culture we've built and want to show it off. That's why Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association established the Museum in the Streets. This program features 26 placards and photographs throughout town. You can start at any point to explore our town's history, all by foot. You can also find our 20 newer panels added in 2019 on either side of town.

Download the Visit Bar Harbor App on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to take this experience and more on the go with you during your visit!

Historic Downtown Walking Tour

Village Perimer Tour

The Village Perimeter portion of the walking tour touches on the past lives, estates, business interests and politics of many of the town's prominent summer residents. They had a profound effect on American industry, the formation of Acadia National Park, the town of Bar Harbor, The Jackson Laboratory, Kebo Valley Golf Course and other local treasures.

Much of what people see and do here today is available because of the foresight of the men and women who came before us, preserved the natural beauty, and created a community that prizes scientific intellect, artistic culture, a healthy environment, and public lands.

This, in turn, had a great influence on the local residents, including children, and their opportunity to learn from a variety of people from different walks of life. They grew up believing they could be anything they wanted to be.

How many island towns in the United States can boast about being home to a national park, two world-renowned research centers, and an environmental college, not to mention spectacular scenery and lighthouses?

The Village Perimeter portion of the Museum in the Streets® walking tour was added in 2019, seven years after the origi­nal 29 panels for the Village Center were installed in downtown Bar Harbor. This particular tour consists of 20 panels located mostly along Route 3. There are ten panels on the north end of town and 10 on the south end. Tragically, almost everything on the Perimeter Tour burned in the Great Fire of 1947. Downtown Bar Harbor was spared due to the efforts of many firefighters and more favorable winds.

The Village Perimeter Tour is substantially longer than the downtown tour, however, it can be broken down into two separate walks. The South End Tour has seven panels from Main Street heading out of town and turning east (left) along Old Ocean Drive Road. It is approximately two miles one way from panel S1 to S7. The other three panels, S8 to S10, are all on Cromwell Harbor Road and covers about one mile in length. The North End Tour, N1 through N10, follow Route 3 from West Street right out to the Acadia National Park Visitors Center in Hulls Cove. This walk is just over two miles one way.

North End Historic Walking Tour

South End Historic Walking Tour