Vacationing At Sound of the Sea Cottage in Bar Harbor, Maine

Where is Bar Harbor, and why is it so popular a destination?
Just five hours from Boston and nine from Manhattan, Bar Harbor is in Acadia National Park, which is the most easily accessible national park to Northeasterners.

What is Zephy Shore?
Zephyr Shore is our gorgeous and secluded family retreat located at the end of a private road.  We have two luxurious vacation homes available to rent, with Sound of the Sea available for a special four-day package during the Autumn.
Exploring Acadia National Park: Its natural beauty matches any other National Park in the country, while the range of activities you can enjoy is unmatched by any of the other popular vacationing spots in the Northeast.

The Ocean, the Granite Shoreline, and the Mountains… The Lakes, Forests, and Meadows… The Sunrise, Sunset and Star-filled night time sky. Our photos will be suggestive of Acadia’s natural beauty, but only by visiting can you truly appreciate its uniqueness.

Sound of the Sea Cottage allows you and your family to explore Acadia National Park while staying at one of the most spectacular locations in Bar Harbor!
Activities – Hiking
  • Mountain Climbing
Choose among twenty-four mountains and over a hundred trails, with the climbs ranging from short to long, and easy to difficult. Once we know the hiking preferences and physical capabilities of each member of your party, we’ll suggest the trails we think you’ll find most rewarding.

  • Ocean Trails
You can walk (easy hiking) for miles on the Ocean Path that borders the spectacular shoreline of Acadia, parking your car or bike within a few minutes of the Trail. And you can walk/climb down the pink granite ledges to enjoy the water’s edge. What’s unique about Acadia National Park is that you can climb a mountain, and once you're back at the bottom walk five minutes and you're on an the Ocean Path!
 
Or, at low tide, you and your dogs can walk across the sand bar to Bar Island (hence Bar Harbor’s name), with Frenchman’s Bay lapping the sand on either side of you.

  • Carriage Roads
Built and donated by John D. Rockefeller, the fifty-seven miles of roads designed for horse-drawn carriages (he wanted to protect Mount Desert Island from intrusion by the new “horseless carriages”) provide easy walking, biking or horse-back riding to visitors of all ages, with delightful views of lakes, forests, and mountains along the entire way.
 
  • Dog Walks
Dogs love walking through Town, because so many people will stop and pet them!
 
But best of all is Little Long Pond, a preserve with a beautiful lake, gorgeous easy trails, and spectacular views of meadows, forest, mountains and ocean. Dogs are allowed off-leash, and yours will love to meet, greet, romp and swim with many others who gather in the fields by the boathouse. The miles of trails also provide the best horseback riding on Mount Desert Island.

Other activities include:
  • Kayaking
  • Canoeing
  • Sailing
  • Stand-Up Paddle Boarding
  • Swimming
  • Fishing
  • Rock Climbing
  • Tennis
  • Golf
  • Ice Skating
  • Cross-Country Skiing
  • Snow Shoeing
  • Sledding
  • Snowmobiling
  • Horseback Riding
  • Photography
  • Flying
  • Star Gazing
  • Bird Watching
  • Yoga
  • Skate Park
  • Horse-Driving Lessons
  • Whale Watching
  • Nature Cruises
  • Antique Auto Museum

... And much more!