No, don't stay some place in the middle and do day trips. Especially if this trip is in July or August. Highways one and three are heavily trafficked between these two villages. Stay in Rockland, or better in Camden, for one night and the rest in Bar Harbor or anywhere on Mount Desert Island so as to be in easy reach of all that Acadia National Park has to offer.

we will be driving in from Mount Washington NH arriving in the area Sunday Aug 11, leaving Saturday morning for the 17 hour drive back to Michigan. We have never been to the east coast, so we really don't know what to see or do, a family member had been out there, they said they like the stretch from Rockland to Bar Harbor. so that is why we decided to visit this stretch of coastline. any suggestions on what to see would be appreciated.

Stay in Rockport or Camden and the remaining time on Mt. Desert Island, where Acadia and Bar Harbor are located. We're in Bar Harbor now and are going back in August. We like Mira Monte Inn in Bar Harbor and Acadia Hotel~Downtown. We're staying at Sunnyside Motel and Cottages for our August trip.

We'll do 2 hour, one way, day trips but have gone further, up to 2.5 hours.

"ideas on things to see"

Click the "Things to Do" tab above this forum , you can then click on the Camden page and the Bar Harbor page. In between the two touristy areas there is Belfast, Searsport, Bucksport, Blue Hill if you want to visit those pages or research those towns as well. Also have a look at the Acadia page and the mid-coast page on visitmaine.com

Alan, I drive from Ohio to Bar Harbor & back every year. I take my time going out there, but for the trip coming home I drive it in a day. I know Google says 17 hours to Grand Rapids, but it will take longer than that and it’s very tiring, even if you are tag teaming w/ another driver. I would definitely find one place to stay on MDI for Acadia and then decide later if you feel like making to a separate day trip down the coast. With only 5 days you may find it’s a lot of driving for the side trips along US 1, as the route doesn’t follow the coastline directly. Acadia and MDI give you great views of the coast as it is. Of course, I’m assuming you’re trying to make the drive back in one day. If you’re taking several days to get back, added driving to see additional towns isn’t a concern.

I'd have a look at splitting between Acadia and somewhere a bit further south than Rockland, perhaps Boothbay Harbor, in order to experience more of the coast.  Then on transit day up to Acadia you could see Rockland and Camden.  Or reverse that if you're returning home via New York State rather than via Montreal, etc.

Agree it will take longer than 17 hours to get home either way. If you don't really have time to spare you might just see Rockland/Camden areas on your initial drive to Acadia from NH (without spending the night).

Get a Maine guidebook from the library or write away for info from places sounding like Visit Maine.com. If you aren't planning to go to Portland and places south then I would recommend the following:

Rockland - Rockland offers the outstanding Farnsworth Museum as well as the Maine Center for Contemporary Art and many galleries. You can drive down to Port Clyde and see the lighthouses along the way. Sadly there was a major fire last winter that destroyed the Port Clyde General Store. Also one of the lighthouses cannot be visited because the path is being rebuilt because of winter storm damage. In Rockland, I recommend Archers as a nice place for dinner, right on the water. Claws, a lobster shack for lunch or another dinner. Very casual.

Rockport - the Breakwater which is a stretch of granite in the harbor with the lighthouse. It can be slippery as well as windy

Camden- the waterfall right in town as well as the outstanding view from Mt Battie State Park of Penobscot Bay and you can take a windjammer or boat ride from here as well

Bath - Maine Maritime Museum. Can't recal off the top of my head is Bath is nort h or south of this area

Enjoy