1. Island Cruises
City: Bass Harbor, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 244-5785
Address: Shore Rd.
Description: The Strauss family runs the Bass Harbor outfit, Island Cruises, motoring from the hamlet of Bass Harbor to Frenchboro Island for a walk and lunch and simply out nature watching through Blue Hill Bay. Their boat, the R. L. Gott, a 41-foot vessel named for a family friend, putts out past Bass Harbor Light and across the way to Frenchboro, pausing long enough on this small island of about 50 year-rounders for lunch at the local eatery and a guided tour of the village. Reservations are necessary for the three-and-a-half-hour trip. Passage is $27.
2. Bass Harbor Head Light
City: Bass Harbor, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: Lighthouse Rd.
Description: Bass Harbor resides on the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island, the end of the island opposite Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park and thus much less visited. Still, many people make their way over to this small village each summer, and Bass Harbor Head Light is one of the reasons why. Though privately owned, the lighthouse is among the most accessible lights in Maine, and it certainly adorns its share of calendars. Erected in 1858 to mark the eastern flank of Blue Hill Bay, the white brick tower is set on a small cliff and hidden from mainland viewers by a stand of spruce. The adjacent keeper’s house has traditionally been home to the commander of the Coast Guard station in Southwest Harbor and thus is closed to the public. But there are paths through the forest here and walkways that take you down to the shore where viewing of the light is most impressive. And just up the road are two of Acadia’s best secrets, the Ship Harbor and Wonderland trails, shore paths that take you to beautiful prospects.