Did you fall love with Acadia’s stunning scenery? (It’s easy to do!) Maybe Acadia is the place where you fell in love with your partner or with hiking or with popovers. Maybe Acadia is where your friends come for respite and adventure, or maybe you raised your kids exploring the tide pools and trails year after year.

However you love Acadia, we want to hear about it. Post your story on our Love for Acadia Facebook post or send your story and photos via email to editor@friendsofacadia.org. In honor of the season we’re gathering the best stories and sharing them here! We hope you’ll think of Acadia and your adoration for this place on Giving Tuesday – November 29!

(Feature photo contributed by Lesley/lesleyparkphoto in 2020)

Photo courtesy Jen Borda

“My mother did not love to travel, but my father always has and I inherited his wanderlust. Before they were married, they took a road trip from their home outside of Philadelphia, PA through New England (and my current home state of NH), and on up to Bar Harbor, Maine. My mom spoke fondly of that vacation throughout her life—and it was on that trip that she and my dad decided they would get married. In early 2015, when I was looking for a nearby drivable destination for a vacation with my own family, I decided on Bar Harbor/Acadia as I’d always wanted to go based on my parents’ story. My little family also loves the outdoors, so the combination of a national park with an iconic seaside town was too good to pass up.

“Unexpectedly, my mom passed away in July 2015, just six weeks after a devastating cancer diagnosis. I was unsure whether to keep our vacation plans for that August, but ultimately decided the time away might do me, my husband, and my then 5-year-old daughter good. I was right—we found serenity in Acadia and MDI’s beauty, and we were able to forget our grief for a bit while shopping, eating great food, hiking, biking, and kayaking. We also brought our then 8-month-old dog, and we were thrilled with how dog-friendly Bar Harbor was – not just friendly, but welcoming.

“This year will mark our ninth consecutive summer visit to Bar Harbor/Acadia (we now go in June when my daughter gets out of school). Over the last 8 years we have hiked most of the mountains, rode most of the bike paths, collected tons of sea glass on that little beach, eaten quite a few popovers and every flavor of MDI Ice Cream, and have begun to scout out where we’d like to build our dream home in a few more years (after my daughter graduates high school). Our dog is now greying around the snout, but still perks up as soon as we got the Narrows on our ride up. We love to travel and have talked about whether we should skip Acadia to add another destination to our summer travel list, but we just can’t imagine a year without our amazing Park. Acadia and Bar Harbor will always hold a special place in our hearts and it has remained a place of comfort, restoration, relaxation, serenity, and escape into nature for us over the last decade, including during the pandemic. I look forward to creating many more memories there with my family, and my daughter’s family someday as well.”

– Jen Borda

“So many places and moment to choose from…here’s one: bitterly cold wind, waves splashing, ice everywhere. No other humans in sight, but thousands of eiders happy on the water. Schoodic Peninsula, circa 1998.”

– John Lawless

Photo courtesy Lindsay Morales

“I love Acadia, so much so that I come here most weekends (with my yearly pass of course). I’ve been hiking with my four-year-old son since he was born, and Acadia is where we go when we need to get outside and adventure during all seasons – whether that’s exploring the Wonderland Trail, hiking the Bubbles (my son’s favorite trails), taking a casual stroll around Jordan Pond, or finding the incredible amount of wildlife across MDI together. His favorite part this past year? Finding a Praying Mantis on the summit of Connors Nubble! It’s come to be our favorite spot to spend time together!”
– Lindsay Morales

Photo courtesy Greg Moran

“Acadia is our favorite place to visit, this year we shared it with 4 other friends, kayaking, biking the carriage trails and hiking: beautiful view of Frenchman Bay on top of Champlain Mountain.”

– Greg Morgan

Photos courtesy Thalia Grundstrom

“Acadia is where I get to do the best bonding with my best friend. Exploring all the corners of the park in all the seasons has given us miles and miles of happy memories.”
– Thalia Grundstrom and Bark Ranger, Stoli

Photo courtesy David Wolff

“We married in Bar Harbor in Spring. Acadia is our favorite place.”
– David Wolff

“My husband of almost 17 years and I visited Acadia National Park on a cruise stop in 2019 after specifically choosing the cruise itinerary after learning of its stop in Bar Harbor.

My husband always remembered fondly his trip there as a child and had wanted to take me there for a long time.

So immediately after getting off the ship, we rented bikes and rode up to the park and biked almost 16 miles together. It was absolutely amazing! The views were stunning, the air clean, refreshing and energizing. We loved it so much that our family vacation brought us back there this past August 2022 with our three kids and my very pregnant belly 🙂 It was so fun to share the park with our family!

It’s our dream to retire in the area one day and for Acadia to be in our back yard❤️”
– Alicia Stuewe

Photo courtesy Carol McCalister Becker

“My love affair with ANP began in 1996 and was a yearly (at least once a year, sometimes twice) destination. My husband and I had been married 2 years and we continued to trek the woods together, the mountains, the beaches, the villages, on and off island, until he passed in 2017. I’ve made 2 solo trips (pre-pandemic) since and can’t wait to get back up there again. Why? There is no place like it that we’ve ever found.. And we’ve looked! Photos? I have thousands. I feel him walking with me along our favorite trails and do happy hour at our favorite spots. Acadia will always be my home away from home and will always be “our” special place.”
– Carol McCalister Becker

Photo courtesy Sherry Morrison

“Climbing Otter Cliffs with friends!!!”
– Sherry Morrison