Mira Monte Inn

Bar Harbor 2018 Midnight Madness

 

Suites Button

Come stay with us this winter in the Mira Monte Suites and Ashe Cottage Buildings during Midnight Madness!

 

We’ve already told you about the Pajama Days as a fun day of activities and sale prices, but did you know we have one final day of sales and events to close the year out? Midnight Madness in 2018 in Bar Harbor is on Friday, Dec 7. It starts at 8pm and runs until midnight, with many shops offering free snacks, wine, and warm drinks. There’s some caroling that usually goes on at the Village Green as well with free cocoa and cookies. Santa comes in to light the tree at about 5pm, and then he reads Twas the Night Before Christmas before heading off to the YMCA for some family crafts fun, so kids are definitely welcome for this event.

So that’s 5pm for Santa and Twas the Night Before Christmas on the Village Green. After that head to the Y for Christmas crafts, and come back into town at 8pm for the sales, drinks, and fun around town!

To book with us for that event, go to www.miramonte.com. Please remember that our winter rates do not include breakfast or daily housekeeping.

Bar Harbor Pajama Sale and Bed Races

Bar Harbor Bed Races

Bar Harbor Bed Races and Pajama Sale – photo courtesy of the Ellsworth American

What do locals do after the tourist season is over? Some say we sleep, and we do, but for one day we like to have a little bit of fun. This year that fund will be had on Nov 10, 2108 from 6am to noon. The earlier you come, the better the discount, and add even more to the discount if you’re wearing your pajamas. Yes, it’s Bar Harbor’s Pajama Sales Day, and we do it every year when the streets are quieter. How quiet? Well, let’s just say it’s quiet enough to shut down the eastern part of Cottage street all the way down to Main St. so we can have the bed races. What’s that you say? Several teams of five, four pushing the bed and one riding on top, race down Cottage St. to Main St. and back. The fastest time wins. It’s about an hour of fun just for the people-watching let alone cheering on your favorite team.

Is Mira Monte open this time of year? Yes we are, kind of. The Main Inn shuts down late Oct, but we do keep Ashe Cottage and the Suites Building open year-round. During the winter we don’t serve breakfast and we don’t do daily housekeeping, but you’d be surprised at how many people come up for the fall, winter, and early spring just to get away.

Too book your room, check out our reservations calendar here: www.miramonte.com.

Lobsters on the Sound

Another fun event that we enjoy attending is Lobsters on the Sound over at Hinkley in Southwest Harbor. It’s a casual lobster bake that starts with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from 5:30-7:30 along with a silent auction. Then the fun really begins at 7:30 when the lobster bake (and other yummy crustaceans) begin right before the live auction and dancing. It’s a fun time that supports the Harbor House, which is Southwest Harbor’s community center.

Lobsters on the Sound

Lobsters on the Sound (image courtesy of the Harbor House)

The event is August 7. For more info, click on the Harbor House’s website at: harborhousemdi.org/lobsters-on-the-sound/

And for availability here at the Mira Monte Inn, here’s a link to our reservations calendar: www.miratemonte.com

Southwest Harbor Flamingo Festival

One of the craziest festivals we have on the island is the Southwest Harbor Flamingo Festival, sponsored by the Harbor House. Flamingos on MDI? Come on! Well, no, we don’t have any native flamingos waltzing around, but there is a lot of pink!

This is one of the best family-friendly events all summer long, and events include a lobster dinner, pancake breakfast, fun run, and of course the parade! So bring your best pink clothes, maybe your favorite flamingo lawn ornament (we know you have one), and head over the Southwest Harbor for one fantastic time.

The event runs July 13-18, so it lasts several days. It also helps to benefit the Harbor House, which is Southwest Harbor’s community center and offers a lot of services and events to the community year-round.

Southwest Harbor Flamingo Festival

Flamingo Festival (image courtesy of the Harbor House)

To book your room, head over to our website at: www.miramonte.com

And for more info on the festival, check out the Harbor House’s page at: harborhousemdi.org/flamingo-festival/

Somesville Strawberry Festival

One of our favorite summer traditions is the Somesville Strawberry Festival. Now in it’s 43rd year, the festival offers fresh strawberries to buy, but that’s not what most people go for: They go for the homemade strawberry shortcake (believe me, it’s good!). This is one of the most popular events of the summer season, and not just for tourist but for locals, too.

The festival benefits the MDI Historical Society, which is based out of Somesville and studies, as you might have guessed, the history of the island. But not only that, the Society is active in preserving artifacts and certain historical aspects through the History Trust. It’s a good cause because the island has gone through several cultural revolutions from being dominated by Native Americans to shipbuilders (both French and British) to it’s gilded era to today’s mix of local, park, and tourism offerings.

The festival is July 10 from 1pm to 3pm at the Somesville Firehouse.

For more info on the festival, go here: mdihistory.org/event/strawberry-festival/

To check availability here at the Mira Monte that weekend, click here: www.miramonte.com

Somerville Strawberry Festival

We love strawberries! (credit: MDI Historical Society)

 

Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Races

Lobster boat races are a part of the tradition of lobstering along the coast of Maine, and have been since the introduction of powered boats in the early 1900s. There are professional lobster racing boat builders, and then there are the amateur, real-life working lobstermen and women who take the day off to have some fun and show what their boats can do. Several communities have their race day, and there’s even a points series for the winners. But it’s mostly all fun. Some do it for the trophy, but the vast majority of them do it for the bragging rights. Of course, no lobster boat race day is without a blueberry pancake breakfast.

Mount Desert Island’s lobster boat races take place in Bass Harbor, about a 20-min drive from Bar Harbor, and this year the fun is on Sunday, June 24th. Breakfast starts at 7am and goes until 10am, with lunch from 11:30 until the races end, usually around 1pm. Food is served on the Bernard Town Dock. Having been to many over the years, we can attest that it’s a wicked good time.

To book your stay, check out our availability at: www.miramonte.com.

For more info on the races, go to the Bass Harbor Library at: bassharborlibrary.com/boat-race-breakfast-bbq/

Bass Harbor Lobster Boat Races

And they’re off (credit: Acadia Chamber)

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