If you are looking for a dog friendly town for a trip with your four-legged family member, touristy-but-adorable Bar Harbor, ME will definitely fit the bill. Not only are the streets cute to wander and the waterfront views spectacular, but many of the shops allow your pets inside to shop with you, and there are so many restaurants with dog friendly patios. We ventured there after a long hike in nearby Acadia National Park and had a lovely afternoon.
Before we left Acadia, we had some business to take care of- Duke Silver became a certified Bark Ranger! You can obtain the application in many spots around the park, and once a park ranger signs it your pup can get a special tag. It’s a very cute program and we thought it was a cool way to for Duke to have a souvenir of one of the most dog-friendly National Parks in the country.
Soon it was time for lunch, as we were hungry after the long hike we had taken that morning. Our first stop in Bar Harbor was at Bar Harbor Beer Works for a delicious lunch on the dog-friendly patio. There were four other pups there that we saw, but Duke was so tired he didn’t pay them any mind- he was happy to just curl up under the table (and steal a bite or two!).
From our spot eating lunch we actually had a view of Bark Harbor, one of the many dog-friendly shops on the main street. Duke got a new lobster bandana there, which he wore proudly! We took a stroll down to the waterfront after eating and stopped for a photo op at Stewman’s, another dog friendly restaurant. We had actually eaten there with friends during a trip many years ago. Duke was a little too short for a perfect photo op as the lobster.
Agamont park was a great place to just rest and relax in the grass. We enjoyed the views of the water and the boats before walking down the street for some shopping, Many stores, including the large and iconic Cool as a Moose souvenir shop and the Acadia Outdoors store, are dog friendly and we were able to bring Duke along as we browsed. Some shops even had water bowls and treats for him!
On our way out of the area the following day, we stopped for another dog-friendly lunch, this time at a place called Claws in Rockland, ME. This place had a service counter and line of waterfront tables with lobster and other sea-life accents. We set up at a little table at the end of the row where my husband enjoyed an “amazing” lobster roll. I didn’t care for the fries, and Duke didn’t care for the rocks he had to sit on, but it was still a great farewell lunch as we headed south out of Maine after a wonderful visit.
the files of a traveling daydreamer 