2025 Events & Classes
“The views alone are reason enough to visit, but touring here provides answers to almost any question you have about the town and the island”
– U.S. News & World Report
Bar Harbor – More than Acadia. Come be a part of the stories that shaped us.
Join us for our 2025 events!
UPCOMING EVENTS
For tickets, please click on event or see individual event descriptions.
June
July
August
September
October
Presentation
Tuesday, October 7th at 5 pm
The Great Fire of 1947 by Mac Smith
Author Mac Smith will present the research and findings that lead to his latest book, The Great Fire of 1947. Mac will present slides and information that explore this important event which shaped Acadia National Park, MDI, and Bar Harbor’s future. The author will also be available to sign books.
Presentation
Tuesday, October 10th at 5 pm
The Miniature Painter Revealed
Author Kathleen Langone will discuss her book The Miniature Painter Revealed at the Bar Harbor Historical Society on Friday, October 10th, at 5 p.m. Langone will discuss Amalia Kussner and her career as a Gilded Age miniature portrait painter, including her royal clientele. Her exceptional skill and notoriety made her one of the most sought-after portrait painters of the era.
Monthly Event
Evening at the Museum
Friday, October 17th
4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
5 pm Member Only free tour
Join us for evening hours at La Rochelle!
The museum will be open from two extra hours with a suggested donation of $15 per person. At 5 pm, a special members-only tour will be lead by Executive Director, Erin Cough. This event is a wonderful start to a evening out, a way to treat yourself after work, or a chance to see Bar Harbor’s Summer Cottage at sunset.
Carolyn Gage
Lace Curtian Irish
Saturday, October 25
5:30 PM
Adults Only (18+)
Join us for evening hours at La Rochelle!
Carolyn Gage’s One-Act Play “Lace Curtain Irish” will be performed on the piazza. This play might be scary for our young historians.
Panel Discussion
In partnership with MDI Historical Society . . .
Tuesday, Sept. 23rd at 4:30 pm
Island Life: Summer and Seasonal Pastimes
Local interviewer Jill Goldthwait will lead a conversation on summer communities and seasonal pastimes with long-time Bar Harbor summer resident Brooks Fenno and MDI Historical Society Executive Director Raney Bench. They will speak about the long history of summer visitors and their traditions on MDI at the Bar Harbor Historical Society.
Carolyn Gage
Reef Point
Tuesday, August 12th, 5:30 PM
A One Act-Play by Carolyn Gage
Set in 1955, Bar Harbor, against a backdrop of Beatrix Farrand’s Reef Point estate, two ladies’ maids face challenges after a lifetime in service and new realizations, surrendering lifelong dreams and recalibrating priorities. It is a play about a lost garden, and a found one.
Free. Tickets required to reserve seating.
Artists Exhibition & Reception
Hudson to Harbor
Saturday, August 2nd from 5 to 7 pm
We are pleased to present the 3rd annual Hudson to Harbor Artist Exhibition and Fundraiser. We continue to partner with the Land & Garden Preserve and offer artists opportunities for special access to the gardens under the L&GP care. Hudson to Harbor celebrates Maine; the land, gardens, light, sky, wind, water, and people of Maine.
The beauty of the craggy, boulder strewn, coastline rich land of the Wabanaki tribes drew artists here. Circa the late 1800s, the Hudson River School painters “found” Maine in all its splendor, opening up a travel route for Rusticators, and naturalists. The dynamic contemporary presence of artists in Maine and here on MDI continues that legacy.
Deena Ball
Beyond the Literal – Painting the Spirit of the Land
Artist Retreat
Saturday, August 2 through Monday, August 4
Whether it is the light dancing across the trunks of trees, the colors of a sun kissed dahlia or just the wind moving the clouds across the sky these are the inspirations of a landscape painter. Deena Ball will teach you to paint the essence of the landscape and express your personal vision.
Course Includes:
- Admission to the gardens, 15 hours of personalized instruction
- Tickets to the exclusive Hudson to Harbor Opening Reception at Bar Harbor Historical Society
- Admission to and a Tour of La Rochelle- a Gilded Age Cottage and home of the Bar Harbor Historical Society
- Sunday picnic and conversation on the history of the various gardens with personnel from the Land & Garden Preserve at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden
Rob Finn
Plein-Air Watercolor Painting
Monday, July 21 through Wednesday, July 23
This course offers participants of all skill levels a unique opportunity for Plein-Air watercolor painting from nature at exclusive sites on MDI.
Sign up for a day or the series, this class offers an opportunity to render flora, architecture, and even figures. Instructor Rob Finn will tailor subjects and styles students would like to investigate. Each day, Rob will lead a morning session of a demonstration from 9 am – Noon, (time for lunch) followed by a participant’s painting session with advice and instruction through 4 pm.
During the week, we’ll explore the Land & Garden Preserve’s Thuya Gardens on Monday, the Asticou Azalea Garden on Tuesday, and Little Long Pond on Wednesday to find areas with exciting landscapes.
Katherine Emery
Postcards from Eden
Saturday, June 28th or Tuesday, July 8th
Postcards are love letters! Postcards are memories!
Using smartphone photography, a few tips and fun filters, as well as images from historical postcards, take a guided field trip with us to make your own!
Bring your smartphone along! All other materials and on-site parking are included with the class fee. All abilities welcome!
Holly Jenkins Evans
Fashion to Die For
Tuesday, September 9, 4:30 PM
A lecture by Holly Jenkins Evans
Poison, Madness, and Fire: A dark yet delightful lecture on the history of textiles given by Bar Harbor Historical Society’s textile maven, Holly Jenkins-Evans. Learn wicked details about personal trappings and fashions that are simply… to die for.
Free. Tickets are recommended to reserve seating.