BAR HARBOR, Maine — As Labor Day weekend wraps up the traditional summer tourist season, some businesses across the state may be winding down soon — but that's not the case on Mount Desert Island.
Business owners say July and August are the busiest times of the year. Meanwhile, a slower pace of tourism season is still ahead.
"I think that we are looking forward to the September, October months because the pace is a little bit different," Alexis Walls, co-owner of Melt in Bar Harbor, said.
Owners saying the fall months bring a different type of tourism to town. It's a bit slower and more relaxed compared to the hustle and bustle of the summer months.
"As school sort of starts to get back, we'll have a little bit of a lull after this Labor Day weekend, and then I think when the leaves start to turn again we'll see an uptick and business will pick up again," Walls said.
Fall cruises are expected to bring an influx of tourists to town as they did pre-pandemic.
"There's only a few days over the next few months without a boat coming in from what I believe," Charlie Tucker, General Manager of Bar Harbor Beerworks, said.
Bar Harbor is expecting to welcome 91 ships after Labor Day through mid-November, according to a Cruise Maine spokesperson. That's just short of the 104 ships that docked in 2019.
It's a popular time of year that brings many leaf peepers, newlyweds and retired couples to visit, the owner of The Independent Cafe, Timothy Rich said.
Rich said cruise passengers give his business a boost, but that's not true for all businesses on the island.
"They'll come here and buy a lobster roll and a magnet, but they may not go next door and buy a kitchen appliance," Rich said.
As the leaves change, some business owners say they're looking forward to the change in tourists and different type of pace that's ahead.