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July 4, 2019
We had hoped to attend the famous July 4th Blueberry Pancake Breakfast in Bar Harbor this morning but I didn’t buy tickets in time and they sold out. So we ate breakfast at the house and set our sights on the July 4th parade in Bar Harbor. We decided to try the free Island Explorer bus that L.L. Bean sponsors, so that we didn’t have to worry about finding a place to park on the busiest day of the year.
The bus arrived on time and we were able to wave them down at the end of our driveway. The trip to town took 35 minutes and dropped us off at the Village Green. We used the public restroom and then headed to Main Street to find a good place to watch the parade.
The inside of our Island Explorer bus
We found a great spot in front of Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium about 9:30, bought and ate some ice cream and waited.
Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium, Bar Harbor
The parade was worth the trip! It lasted an hour, had everything you would want in a parade and the children loved it. There are a ton of pictures below. The rest of the entry is after the photos.
Cottage Street, Bar Harbor at 9:30 AM
Main Street. Bar Harbor at 9:30
After the parade we walked back to Village Green so the children could eat the candy that they acquired from the parade.
Our bus was scheduled to leave at noon from the Village Green. The scene to get back on the buses was VERY chaotic, but we did get on a bus that left on time and dropped us at the nearest stop to our house 30 minutes later. It was a 20 minute walk for us from the bus stop to the house. As it was already in the mid-80s, we ate lunch and (for the first time) turned on the air conditioner. We decided to take some time to relax and cool down since the fireworks were scheduled to begin after the children are usually in bed.
We walked past this wonderful sight along Route 3 on our way back to the house.
It hit 90° today so having a few hours to take a break helped us recharge. We ended up eating lunch later than usual (about 1 PM) which set us up for a late dinner as well. Our plan was to try to see the fireworks in Southwest Harbor since getting in and out of Bar Harbor seemed like it would be difficult (and involve 20 minutes of walking down the highway in the dark).
We left our house about 6:30 and reached the Upper Deck Restaurant just before 7, got a killer parking space and were told that only people with reservations were being seated. Plan B was to try the restaurant in Manset but the parking was full and the restaurant there was packed with people. We went back up the road and saw that the side of road was already being lined with cars and chairs 2 hours before the fireworks.
We pulled into Southwest Harbor and decided to try the Cafe Dry Dock Inn (Eat-A-Pita had a long line). We were seated immediately(though they were busy). The food was okay (not equivalent to the price), but I finally found an Atlantic Brewing beer that I liked – the Summer Ale. The staff also were very helpful with suggestions on where to watch the fireworks. After dinner, we got our jackets from the car and headed down to the water. We walked down the road that leads to the pier and then to the end of a side street where we had a great view of the harbor.
It was about 8:50 and just before we arrived that fireworks began to go off simultaneously at the mouth of the harbor and directly across from us. A few minutes after 9:00 the official fireworks show began toward the mouth of the harbor but we were treated to the unofficial show across from us at the same time for about 10 more minutes. As the official show picked up, the unofficial shows stopped. It was a good fireworks presentation in a wonderful setting. We also met and befriended another couple from Virginia while we were walking down to the water and it was nice to share the experience with them.
When the official show ended with a flourish, the unofficial show across the water fired off all of their remaining fireworks. What a wonderful evening! The fireworks lasted about 40 minutes counting the pre-show. The police were out afterwards making the traffic flowed smoothly. What a great decision to go to the lesser seen fireworks show. We left Southwest Harbor about 9:45 and the kids were pooped, but everyone enjoyed the fireworks!
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