Paradise Found: Mount Desert Island, Maine

Long-distance doppelganger: British Columbia, Canada
Drive from Boston: 4.5 hours

Capture the spirit of British Columbia—with all its natural beauty and wildlife—a little closer to home on Mount Desert Island. The famed Acadia National Park offers miles of trails for hiking, biking, and carriage-riding amid the white-tailed deer that roam the grounds (you might even spot a rare black bear or moose). Set up camp in the park, or simply retire to a comfy bed at one of the oceanfront hotels that dot the island.

Photograph by Eager Eye Photography

Where to Stay

Spring for the honeymoon package at the Bar Harbor Inn and Spa for breakfast in bed, dinner at the waterfront Reading Room restaurant, a $20 gift-shop credit, and a scenic two-hour cruise on the Margaret Todd. The 130-year-old Asticou Inn (pictured) offers bungalow-style cottages with kitchenettes, living rooms, king-size beds, and harbor views. If it’s peace and quiet you’re after, book a room at the quaint Claremont Hotel, where you can try your hand at croquet on the two grass courts overlooking Somes Sound.

What to Do

Explore Acadia with stops at Thunder Hole, where powerful waves pound an inlet in the rocky shore, and at the untouched Sand Beach. Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company sails the Gulf of Maine daily in search of humpback, right, and minke whales.

Photograph by Judith Brown

Where to Eat

The blueberry-sauce-smothered popovers at Acadia’s Jordan Pond House (pictured) come with a side of sweeping views. In Bar Harbor, Havana’s paella covers all the Downeast seafood bases: lobster, mussels, littleneck clams, shrimp, and scallops.

Romantic Diversion

Be the first in the Northeast to see the sun rise atop Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the North Atlantic seaboard. Drive the three and a half miles up Park Loop Road, or, if you’re feeling sprightly, hike it instead.

Save the Date

The monthlong Bar Harbor Music Festival, in July, showcases jazz, orchestral music, and everything in between at venues such as the Blackwoods Campground Ampitheatre.

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