Welcome
The Natural History Center is a family-run business located in Bar Harbor, Maine, that strives to make the natural world accessible and enjoyable by offering a combination of experiential opportunities in the field, as well as nature based products in our store.
Join us as we search for birds both common and elusive, take a walk in the Park with our seasoned naturalists, or explore the mysteries of Maine’s tidepools. Learn about the natural and cultural heritage of Acadia National Park on a sightseeing tour following the historic Park Loop Road. For the more adventurous, search for Peregrine Falcons or Snowy Owls as you hike or snowshoe along the summit trails of Acadia’s mountains, look for Spruce Grouse while bicycling the Carriage Trails, or find Harbor Seals from the cockpit of a sea kayak.
Join a regularly scheduled tour, or work with us to create your own customized experience. We cater our tours to your needs, regardless of age or physical ability. All tours are personal and interactive with a maximum of 6 participants (with advance notice, we can accommodate larger groups).
Be sure to visit our retail store where you will find a variety of quality nature-inspired goods. Whether you are looking for an advanced field guide for the consummate bird watcher or searching for an item that will help a child on their road to discovery, you’ll find something in our store. We carry items from introductory to advanced, whimsical to serious, for young and the young-at-heart. Products include field guides, books, binoculars, games for the whole family, photographs of local wildlife both matted and framed, toys and activities designed to stimulate the budding naturalist, camera accessories, bird feeders, and some unexpected surprises.
Whether you are on one of our tours or visiting our retail store, you will find that our passion for the natural world is contagious and that we enjoy both sharing our local knowledge and learning from you. And remember, every day is Bird Day…
Was that a Snowy Owl on Sargent Mountain? Did anyone else see the Moose? Check our nature log to see what’s been seen, and add your own sightings to our message board. what did you see today?
Our educational tours give you hands-on fun, a view of the Maine coast most visitors don’t see, and a sense of accomplishment.current offerings
Follow lifelong birder, naturalist, and field biologist Rich MacDonald as he shares sightings and perspectives in his weekly column, The Nature of Things.recent rambles
