New England's Gem: Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park

Activity note: Motel check-in available from 2:30 p.m. Walking up to 1 mile, 1.5 hours city streets and sidewalks.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 2:30 – 3:15 p.m. After you have your room assignment, join us in the motel’s café to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation: 3:15 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Group transportation will be via mini-bus. We will make selections for bagged lunches in advance. For many of our activities, you may want to bring along a camera to capture the stunning beauty of this area. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We’ll then set out with a local expert for a walking field trip into downtown Bar Harbor, focusing on the era when Bar Harbor was the country's most exclusive and illustrious resort. The historic district includes a number of buildings in Late Victorian styles.

Dinner: At a restaurant in downtown Bar Harbor, we’ll have a plated meal with beverage choices of coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Walking back to the motel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. (The minibus will take those who prefer not to walk.) Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Activity note: Getting on/off a mini-bus. Walking 2 miles throughout the day; paved and uneven terrain; steps at several sites, use walking sticks/canes as needed.

Breakfast: A grab and go breakfast will be available at the motel.

Morning: We'll head out to Oldfarm, the ruins of the home of George B. Dorr, considered the “father” of Acadia National Park. We'll learn the fascinating story of how the park was founded and how it came to be the only park in the entire national system in which the land was donated rather than purchased by the government. We'll also be able to see nearby Compass Harbor, a delightful shoreside area offering spectacular views. This small harbor is off the beaten path in Acadia and known primarily to locals. Next, we’ll ride the YWCA for a presentation on topics of interest to the program by a local expert from the Mount Desert Island Historical Society. We’ll also have an entertaining, humor-laced presentation on flora and fauna of the park with noted local author Ruth Grierson.

Lunch: At a scenic spot, we’ll have bagged lunches with the selections we made previously.

Afternoon: We’ll get back aboard our minibus as we prepare to encounter stunning scenery along Acadia’s Park Loop Road, including the famed Ocean Drive section. We’ll stop at Thunder Hole, where — under the right conditions — the sea sends flumes of spray skyward and produces a booming sound. We’ll also visit the glacially carved Jordan Pond nestled between mountains that features a gorgeous panorama looking towards the Bubbles, twin peaks rising out of the water on the north end of the pond. We’ll end the afternoon with a scenic drive up Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard of the United States. When the serpentine road was built in the 1930s, it was considered the best-engineered mountain road in the world. From the summit, we’ll marvel at the 360-degree views and look west towards Blue Hill as the day comes to an end.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: Evening at leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a mini-bus. Walking 2 miles throughout the day; paved and uneven terrain; steps at several sites, use walking sticks/canes as needed.

Breakfast: A grab and go breakfast will be available at the motel.

Morning: Using authentic gear and live lobsters, a local lobster expert will show us how Maine’s most famous sea creatures are caught and what the future of the industry looks like. We'll then head out to view an exquisite portion of "Mr. Rockefeller's carriage roads." We'll learn about the monumental effect the Rockefeller family has had — and continues to have — on Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park.

Lunch: At a scenic spot, we’ll have our bagged lunches.

Afternoon: We’ll ride through picturesque Somesville, the oldest settlement on Mount Desert Island. From there, we’ll take in the sights of the western side of Mount Desert Island — the “back side” or “quiet side” as many natives call it. At the Maine Granite Industry Museum, we'll participate in a fascinating session on granite cutting by a local granite quarrying expert. We’ll have a chance to lend our hands in prepping and cutting. The museum houses tools used by the quarrymen, blacksmiths, stone cutters, and stone carvers, as well as many historic photos and related documents. Moving on, we’ll visit Southwest Harbor and stop at Seawall, a natural rock formation that offers some of the loveliest ocean views on the island. We’ll then meander in and out of Acadia National Park and areas that many tourists never see. Returning to Somesville, we’ll visit sites that will reveal more about local history and culture including the so-called Monet Bridge, one of the most photographed spots in the state of Maine.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a mini-bus; on/off a research vessel. Walking up to 3 miles; paved and uneven terrain.

Breakfast: A grab and go breakfast will be available at the motel.

Morning: After an early breakfast, we'll be treated to a morning bonus: a field trip to Sieur de Monts Springs, one of Acadia's little-known secrets. There, accompanied by a well-versed naturalist, we'll traverse the mile-long nature walk, a wonderful way to begin our day. Then we'll head to Northeast Harbor for our boating adventure. We'll board the “Sea Princess” a sightseeing/nature cruise vessel in Northeast Harbor. We'll tour explore the Great Harbor of Mount Desert and make a stop on Little Cranberry Island, one of 14 offshore Maine islands that maintain a year-round population. Then we'll cruise into Somes Sound, the only fjord on the east coast of North America, where we'll view dramatic cliffs rising out of the sea.

Lunch: Lunch on your own.

Dinner: At a local restaurant, we'll enjoy an old-fashioned Down East shore feast, featuring the state’s most well-known crustacean — Homarus americanus — the North American cold-water lobster (alternatives available).

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure after our lunch and graduation tomorrow.

Activity note: Motel check-out 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: A grab and go breakfast will be available at the motel.

Morning: We'll wrap up our program’s educational activities with two presentations at the YWCA. A professor from Bar Harbor's College of the Atlantic will talk about winter habitat and how animals on Mount Desert Island adapt to harsh conditions. Then we'll learn about the "Great Fire" of 1947 that burned half the island before riding to Grant Park.

Lunch: At Grant Park, we’ll our bagged lunches followed by graduation.

Afternoon: In the park, we’ll take part in a brief “graduation” ceremony and savor our memories of a learning adventure on the magnificent Maine coast. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!