MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- A popular way for people to experience Acadia National Park is by horse drawn carriages with the help of Carriages of Acadia.
Carriages of Acadia takes around 20,000 visitors year along the 52 miles of roads that were donated and built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. from 1913 to 1940. You could meet a biker or runner, but you'll never see a car on one of those tours which is exactly how Rockefeller meant for them to be used. Owner of Carriages of Acadia, Mike Carpenter, enjoys sharing the parks history with the people sitting behind him during a tour.
"Sure they want to see the views, they want to see the bridges if they're on that tour, but they also want to know the history and how did this all come together and who built this and who gave this," said Carpenter. "We try to give them the whole package."
As the passengers are carried up the hills of Acadia they get a Kodak moment with every hoof step. Liz Whelpley and her husband Lee from Orlando, Florida visited Acadia for the first time this year for its 100th birthday.
"Oh it's an awesome experience," said Whelpley. "It's really a good way to see the park."
Carriages of Acadia has booked around 155 bus loads of cruise ship passengers for the months of September and October. To book a carriage tour, click here.