The Acadia Chamber of Commerce opened its new Southwest Harbor visitor center Thursday, celebrating a more visible location and its role connecting visitors with the island’s working communities.
Sep 04, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Bar Harbor Bicycle Shop.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR— The rain fell, the microphone came out and was tucked away, and two town managers stopped laughing and smiling long enough to hold a ribbon for the Acadia Chamber of Commerce’s opening ceremony.
“This is awesome,” Chamber Vice President Jeff Prentice said Thursday afternoon as a crowd gathered in the drizzle outside the Acadia Chamber of Commerce’s new visitor center at 322 Main Street.
”Welcome to the new Acadia Chamber Visitor Center,” Jeff Prentice said at the standing-room only event.
“Can I get a drum roll? Can I get a drum roll?”
The crowd obliged.
Prentice and Chamber President Holly Masterson cut the ribbon on the new space, with brand news scissors, marking the chamber’s move into a more visible location on the Quietside and across the street from its former office at the Harbor House.
“This has been something we have really been working on for way too long. This is just a game changer for all our businesses. The visibility and the exposure that we can offer to all our businesses—people stumble by here and they land inside this space. There’s a lot of opportunities and we’re super excited,” Masterson said. “Let’s eat!”
Everyone went back inside for a feast of appetizers from other Chamber businesses and where hugs outnumbered handshakes in the celebration of the move. There was joy at the office. And there was goofiness and celebration.
“On the Quietside of Mount Desert Island, the Acadia Chamber of Commerce represents the working harbors and small villages of Southwest Harbor and Tremont. We’re year-round residents, business owners, boatbuilders, and guides who care deeply about this place and the people who visit it,” the Chamber explains on its website.
Its role, it explains is to connect.
It’s not just about connecting businesses to customers. It’s about connecting businesses to each other and the people who make up those businesses to visitors and locals.
”Our role is to connect you with the real island—its trails, tides, and towns. We support local inns, rentals, restaurants, and shops, and we champion the working waterfronts, boatyards, and fishing families that give our communities their character,” it explains. “When you stop into our visitor center or explore our website, you’re getting local knowledge shaped by generations who have lived and worked by the sea.”
You could see that at the event where if someone didn’t know someone else somehow, they were promptly introduced. There were no us-vs-them squabbles, just camaraderie, some amazing whoopie pies and snacks and sliders and joy—so much joy at a job well done for this organization and its volunteer board.
”We believe in welcoming visitors in a way that keeps our communities strong: thoughtful tourism, small businesses that know your name, and events that bring neighbors and guests together. Whether you’re here for a hike, a fresh lobster roll, a quiet harbor sunset, or exploring a future life on the island, we’re here to help you feel at home on the Quietside,” the website states.
That home? It begins at the bright, shining visitor center with its double doors that open out into Southwest Harbor proper and its open house where everyone was invited. The best of homes are about family and connection and welcoming. The Acadia Chamber made it feel that way, Thursday, at its ribbon cutting. They’ll keep on working to do that all year long.
HELPING HANDS AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Multiple people and businesses helped to create Thursday’s open house. They included: Seafood Ketch Restaurant, Cafe2 and Eat-A-Pita, Bub’s Burritos, DeLaney’s Whoopie Wagon, Kristin Hutchins, Beal’s Lobster Pier, Paula Dowsland from the Hinckley Ship Store, Ali McDermott from Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, and Faye Masterson.
Just this fall, the Acadia Chamber has multiple events. Those include: Oktoberfest, the Wine Tasting, the Finish Line Festival, and the Harborween Trick-or-Treat map.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Get in Touch
In-person
322 Main Street, Southwest Harbor, Maine 04679
By phone
207-244-9264
By email
By U.S. Mail
PO Box 1143
Southwest Harbor, ME 04679
Looking for printed materials about Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, or the Quietside? Visit its online store.
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