Bar Harbor, Maine, USA

Once called Man-es-ayd'ik, or “clam-gathering place,” by the Wabanaki people, Bar Harbor is relaxed and fun but still retains an air of elegance from its history as an enclave for elites including the Morgans, Vanderbilts and Astors. It was the Rockefellers who convinced big landowners to donate the land to create Acadia National Park – over 50 square miles of mountains, lakes, hiking, biking, scenic vistas and dramatic coastline. The restaurants and boutiques of Main Street and the neighboring villages on Mount Desert Island offer the simple to the spectacular. Museums are generally small and focused, presenting the history of the island's Gilded Age, its Native American heritage and the Gulf of Maine's unique ecosystems. Galleries feature contemporary artists, Maine artists and historic works. A must-do is the Shore Path. Extending two miles from the town pier, it offers the best sights, sounds and smells of the shore of Frenchman Bay.