SUMMER 2005 Visitor Information

CAMPUS LOCATION: College of the Atlantic, in Bar Harbor, is located on beautiful Mount Desert Island, Maine. This island is comprised of 270 square miles, of which 150 are home to the splendor of Acadia National Park. The college's 29 waterfront acres overlook the ocean and are adjacent to the Park. The village of Bar Harbor is within walking distance of the campus and offers a wide variety of shops, restaurants and night spots, as well as art shows, crafters, evening concerts and numerous other summer activities.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Housing will be in the college's dorms in primarily double rooms. Dorms are equipped with kitchens and living areas. All bathrooms are coed and shared by up to 6 people. Housekeepers clean the bathrooms and common areas daily, but participants are responsible for their own room during the program. All rooms have individual locks and front entrances to the houses are also locked. Rooms are equipped with twin beds, pillows and blankets. A linen package consisting of 2 twin sheets, 1 pillow case, 2 bath towels and 1 face cloths are also included. There is an overhead light in each room but if you wish to read in the evening we suggest you bring along a reading lamp. Remember, these are college dorm rooms and have only the basic furnishings. Another item you may want to bring along is a small mirror as the bathroom mirrors will be shared by others and not all rooms have them.

FOOD SERVICE: The meal plan includes breakfast, lunch and dinner weekdays (Monday-Friday). Meals begin with lunch on Sunday and end with dinner Friday evening. Campus meals are served cafeteria-style and diners are responsible for busing their own place setting. All persons staying in campus housing are required to participate in the meal plan. People with special dietary needs should notify the event organizer in advance so they can tell the kitchen.

CLOTHING/EQUIPMENT: Summer life at COA is very informal. Our coastal location provides plenty of ever-changing weather, including sunshine and days when we are wrapped in fog. During July and August, high temperatures usually range between 70 and 80 degrees F. This is often accompanied by a sea breeze.

Recommended Clothing: VERY CASUAL

• Jeans
• Shorts
• warm sweater
• Jacket, Sweatshirt
• Rain gear
• Hiking boots (if you have them)
• sneakers or comfortable outdoor shoes
• clothes hangers
• bathing suit
• flashlight
• binoculars
• camera
• Any medication

OPTIONAL SPORTS EQUIPMENT: Tennis courts are available for rent at the athletic field in Bar Harbor, and at area motels or at the Tennis Club in Ellsworth (about 2 hour back on Rt. 3). For those of you who play golf, you will find several courses in the area. We encourage you to bring your bicycles, kayaks, and canoes, but if space or transportation is a problem, all may be rented in Bar Harbor. A bike storage building is available for your convenience but bring your own bike lock. Kayaks may be launched from the college pier.

CAMPUS FACILITIES include:

Thorndike Library: Collection includes over 35,000 books, 540 periodical subscriptions and newspaper subscriptions, foreign language tapes and recorded music.

Ethel Blum Art Gallery: Provides excellent space for display of artwork by students, faculty, and visiting artists.

Museum of Natural History: Showcases student work that explores Maine's natural heritage and offers students the opportunity to create highly innovative exhibits. The museum also offers outreach programs to school and community groups and runs a Summer Field Studies day program for children.

Pier: COA's 120 foot pier is used for marine and coastal studies as well as other courses with links to the sea. It also provides access to the water during the summer for guests.

Pebble Beach: A popular spot, families use COA's pebble beach for relaxing, wading, swimming, launching personal kayaks, etc.

Blair Dining Hall: Meals are served in the Blair dining hall overlooking the ocean and nestled between the Newlin Gardens and the terraces and rose parterre designed by Beatrix Farrand, one of the great landscape designers of the 20th century.

The Turrets: Designed as a summer cottage in 1893 by Bruce Price for John Emery of New York, The Turrets is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Turrets, with its gallery mirrored morning room, and Great Hall is home to classrooms and administrative offices including the Summer Program Office.

ISLAND BUS SERVICE: The Island Explorer, a free shuttle bus takes visitors virtually everywhere on Mount Desert Island. The Island Explorer features seven bus routes linking Acadia National Park and neighboring village centers. Clean propane-powered buses offer visitors and residents free transportation to hiking trials, carriage roads, island beaches and villages. Buses run continuously through the day and evening. For the convenience of our summer clientele, we have a bus stop on campus. Several former visitors found they did not have to use their cars at all during their stay. The Island Explorer is equipped with bike racks for those who wish to take a bike to one of the bike trails. For guests flying into the Bar Harbor Airport, the bus makes several trips daily between the airport and Bar Harbor which includes the stop at COA.

DIRECTIONS TO COA BY AUTOMOBILE: Interstate 95 to Interstate 395 in Bangor, Route 1A from Bangor to Ellsworth, and Route 3, about 19 miles, from the Ellsworth shopping district. COA, located on the ocean-side of Route 3, is one-quarter mile beyond the Bay Ferry terminal.

DIRECTIONS TO COA BY PLANE: Regularly scheduled flights are available to Bar Harbor Airport (in Trenton) about 12 miles from campus and Bangor International Airport (in Bangor) about 55 miles from campus. There are several domestic carriers for Bangor International Airport and I recommend you contact your local travel agent. You can also check their website: www.flybangor.com. The Bar Harbor Airport is served by Colgan Airlines which is a branch of US Airways phone number 800-428-4322. Taxi service from Bangor International Airport is approximately $60 and from Trenton $20. Rental cars are available at both airports. There is no bus service between Bangor Airport and Bar Harbor. Following are names and phone numbers of local taxis that provide airport service: At Your Service Taxi Cab Co, 207-288-9222, AAA Taxi and Limousine Service 207-288-8294 and O'Pooch Taxi Cab 207-288-3898. Former students have also flown into the Portland Jetport (Portland, Maine, 150 miles), Logan Airport (Boston, MA, 250 miles), or Manchester, NH (250 miles), rented a car and driven to campus.

PETS: Pets are not permitted on the COA campus or in COA housing.

SMOKING: Smoking is prohibited by law in all campus buildings including dorms, classrooms, meeting rooms, labs, etc. Smoking on campus is permitted in outside designated areas only.

TELEPHONE/MAIL: Friends and relatives who need to contact you may leave a message with the COA receptionist (207-288-5015) during our business hours (8:30 - 4:00 pm) Monday through Friday. After hours, the emergency number is 207-288-9001 and this number is for emergencies only! Campus houses (not bedrooms) are equipped with phones and you may be contacted directly in the dorms after hours and on weekends. Friends and relatives writing to you should address mail to you c/o Summer Graduate Program, College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609-1105.

LAUNDRY FACILITIES: There are coin washers and dryers in two locations on campus. There are also two Laundromats in the village of Bar Harbor. Hint: If you anticipate doing laundry, bring a roll of quarters with you as COA does not have change machines or any place on campus to get change.