|
The main ways of getting onto the Blue Hill Peninsula are Rtes 175 and 15 from Orland, Rte 176, and Rte 172 from Ellsworth. Rte 175 will take you along Blue Hill Bay to the Castine Peninsula. Rte 15 leads to North Penobscot and to Blue Hill. Forget about fast food or all-night gas stations down here -- neither exists. There are public restrooms in the Blue Hill municipal building
TAKE ROUTE 172 (the Surry Road) to go from Ellsworth to Blue Hill. You’ll pass the Black House, Four Seasons Small Engine Repair, Mitch’s Antiques, Common Market Antiques and Books, The Jordan Natural Christmas Tree Farm, Sweet Pea Garden & Greenhouses, S. Baker Interior Designs, Institute for Humane Education, the Surry Inn, a U.S. Post Office, the Blue Moon Images Gallery, Surry Gardens, Advanced Diagnosis, Borealis Press, Sweet Pea Gardens, the Bay Market, the Village Boutique,
To the left is the turnoff to Rte 176, the Morgan Bay Road. Look for the Morgan Bay Zendo, Surry Music Therapy Center, Surry Machine and Mower Shop, Morgan Bay Farm, the Ice Cream Lady, Turtle Mountain Mythic Art, East Blue Hill town line, Gravelwood Farm Stand Blue Hill Marine Services, Blue Hill Village town line, the Fine Art Photography Gallery, and Hypno-Health.
 Alan Wittenberg (M.A., Certified Music Therapist, American Music Therapy Association) in in charge of the SURRY MUSIC THERAPY CENTER on Cross Road in Surry. Individuals with physical, emotional, and cognitive difficulties find that music therapy opens new channels of communication and contact, bringing joy, beauty, and serenity to many individuals.
Back on the Surry Road, you'll come upon WESMAC, Surry Kennels, Classic Cars, Surry Small Engine Service, Dejoy, Steve's Computer Repair, Michael Hewes & Company, Blue Hill Accounting, The Ark Thrift Shop, the Blue Hill Fairgrounds, Hydro Photon, Inc., and a Farmer's Market.
Surry is home of the Surry Opera Company, famous for its cultural exchanges with the former Soviet Union.
Michael Hewes & Company is a full-service building contractor specializing in complex residential projects and historic restorations.
Across from the fairgrounds is a right turn that takes you to a trail leading up Blue Hill. The mile-long hike to the bald, craggy summit (topped with an unmanned fire tower) takes about 45 minutes.
Back on the Surry Road look for Down to Earth Pottery, perennials, Yanni's, Simplicity, the Blue Hill Yarn Shop, Peddler's Wagon Greenhouses, and Rackliffe Pottery.
 At the BLUE HILL YARN SHOP, Edna Grindle specializes in high-quality wool yarn and natural blends including alpaca, all at prices a bit lower than those found elsewhere. She also offers customers free instruction. Open year round, Edna generally is available 10 to 4 on weekdays and 10 to 2 on Saturdays, although "when any of my grandchildren have a game, I leave."
At RACKLIFFE POTTERY, you're welcome to watch the potters at work. They make a wide variety of lovely and functional objects from native clay. Their lead-free glazes, fired to 2,124 degrees, make possible pottery that is durable, oven-proof, and dishwasher safe. Call 207-374-2297.
A road to the right goes to Penobscot Solar.
On Main Street in Blue Hill look for Downeast Meets West,Bagaduce Music Lending Library, Blue Hill Food Co-op, Blue Hill Tea & Tobacco, McVay's Exxon, Handworks Gallery, North Country Textiles, Jud Hartmann Gallery, Fairwinds Florist, Blue Moose Restaurant, and North Light Books and the Blue Hill Hearth Bakery and Pizzeria, the Fish Net Restaurant, Beachcomber Bill’s Jewelry, the Meadows, the Blue Hill Wine Shop, the Judd Hartman n Gallery, Saltmeadow Properties, Compass Point Real Estate, the Table Restaurant, New Cargoes, the Weekly Packet, Sara Sara's,
The Bagaduce Music Lending Library houses an extraordinary collection of over half-a-million music-related items. Open 10-5 Tues., Wed., and Fri. and by appointment. Call 374-5454.
You can get fresh produce at bargain prices even if you aren't a member of the Blue Hill Food Co-op. Check it out. You're sure to find something you like. It's on the right as you're entering downtown Blue Hill.
At Blue Hill Tea & Tobacco, you can check out Blue Hill pipes, a unique line of pipes made especially for co-owner David Witter. Also on hand are many premium cigars and more than 400 varieties of wine, some of which are readily affordable.
Gas up at McVay's Exxon. The good guys there also can tell you why you're not banging on quite all the cylinders.
At Handworks Gallery, there is a good collection of fine contemporary crafts by Maine artists.
Just down the street, North Country Textiles offers low prices on discontinued items.
Jud Hartmann is engaged in depicting in bronze the woodland Indian tribes of the Northeast. His work, shown at the Jud Hartmann Gallery & Sculpture Studio on Main St., is primitive and powerful, evoking primal emotional responses in many people. Exhibited also are paintings by several strikingly original artists.
The Blue Hill Hearth Bakery and Pizzeria, formerly Pain De Famille Bakery, has moved in with North Light Books on Main Street,Blue Hill. Cathy is back and baking up a storm. A Mini Borders of sorts,customers can read a great book while they enjoy some of Cathy’s excellent sandwiches , wraps and soup. Great sweet treats abound several selections of coffee and there will be Gourmet Pizza served every day. Delivery within 5 miles will also be available.
Say it with flowers at Fairwinds Florist Main Street Blue Hill. An excellent place to shop for beautiful and fragrant things for you. your home, camp, or motor home. You’ll also find a large selection of fine chocolates, well worth stopping in for on their own.
It's pretty hard to drive around the Blue Hill Peninsula without wanting to own a piece of it. Well, Jim and Bonnie Paulas at Saltmeadow Properties can help you out with that. They're hometown professionals who know the area intimately and take pride in matching buyers and sellers. Call them at 374-5010.
Sara Billings owner of Sara Sara’s on Main street in Blue Hill offers a unique colorful and well stocked selection of women’s clothing for all occasions. Guys also.This is a real nice place to shop for that gift you been meaning to gsive your sweetie. 207-374-2227
The neighborhood book store is alive and well in Blue Hill. North Light Books is as good as they come. Especially appealing is the extensive children’s section.
Just beyond Sara Sara's, on the Parker Point Road, you'll fine Liros and Leighton galleries and Vicki Mitchell's Watsu & WaterDance Therapy.
Judith Leighton says she chooses art that celebrates life, so that people who visit her gallery on the Parker Point Road wind up feeling good. Maine Times, noting that Leighton's art tends to be "colorful, fun, folkish, full of animals, flowers and pleasing forms," called her Parker Point Road gallery Maine's best. Each summer, Leighton schedules a series of month-long shows featuring six artists at a time. Her backyard is a garden of art punctuated with carved, cast, molded and welded sculpture.
Liros Gallery keeps a wide variety of material on hand, but specializes in Russian Icons.
Blue Hill has a nice public park on the water. There is a public beach and good playground equipment. Fishing is popular off the town pier behind the fire house.
ROUTE 15 from Blue Hill to Orland goes by Blue Hill Books, Coastal Carpentry, another carpentry, Blue Hill Farm Country Inn, Pines, Blue Hill Country Garden, Ken Rose Farm B&B, Babson & Co., Horsepower Farm, belted guernsey cattle, the Balsum Cove Campground, G.M. Allen and Sons, Inc, and its big power-producing windmill and Blueberry Patch Shop, coming out on Route One at a Big Apple Food Store.
North of Blue Hill village, you'll find Ken-Rose Farm, circa. 1850. More than a charming bed and breakfast, it also is an old-fashioned, small, one-family working farm. Here you'll find milking cows, pigs, ducks and lots of friendly cats and dogs. It's a wonderfully comfortable home with a wood stove in the kitchen to make cold days cozy. Guests enjoy a full breakfast with homemade breads, muffins and butter. Call Kendall or Flossie Howard at 207/374-2468, or write to them P.O. Box 1035, Blue Hill, ME 04614.
ROUTE 177 out of Blue Hill takes you by the Captain Merrill Inn and Restaurant, the Merrill and Hinckley General Store, and Rowantrees Pottery, George Stevens Academy, Blue Hill Inn, The Old Cemetery, A Flair for Hair, Curves, Bloomin' Orchid Co., New Stock. before hooking up with Rte 15.
On Rte 15, look for Blue Hill Country Garden, Ken-Rose Farm, Babson & Company, and Horsepower farm.
Look for the turn to Balsam Cove Campground, Penobscot Solar Design, and the Wanderin' Moose Campground.
In the 1960s, Jeff Kaley spent two years with the Peace Corps in Napal. He made some lifelong friendships in this neck of the world and returns here often. He got interested in products of the region and began buying what ultimately became stock for his shop, Asian World Imports. The result is one of Maine’s more interesting shops. Situated on Rte 15, a quarter mile from downtown Blue Hill, it’s the place to find clothing, jewelry, boxes, and accessories from Southeast Asia.
Back in downtown Blue Hill, left off of Main Street will put you on Water Street heading to the Holt House, Paradise Tattoo, William McHenry Architect, the Pantry Restaurant, Bella Colours, and Andean Downeast, The Little Shop, Birdwatcher's Store and Cafe, Emerson's Antiques, Red Gap Books, the Blue Hill Memorial Hospital and a public boat launch.
The Holt House on Water Street, administered by the local historical society, is a restored Federal house with period furnishings and exceptional stenciling. It is open 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Friday during July and August. Admission is $1.
Corey Paradise of Paradise Tattoo has a knack for creating the best looking tattoos in the area. Corey offers original award winning designs or he can work from your own ideas and artwork to create just the effect desired. All in a professional environment using completely sterile, single use needles. Call 207-902-0263.
 Local folks as well as tourists consider the PANTRY RESTAURANT on Water Street to be a great place to get breakfast or lunch. One of the few breakfast places in the area. Debbie Dyer, the restaurant’s owner, has been serving folks for over two decades. In the photo, she is talking to some of her regulars, members of the Old Coots Club. Look for the Yellow Pantry Restaurant Awning. Call 207-374-2229.
Andean DownEast 27 Water Street is a great place to buy warm and soft Alpaca and Lama wool sweaters , jackets and hats. A great gift shop with some of the most attractive turquoise jewelry you’ll find DownEast. A nice art gallery of local artist offers unique paintings for sale in a bright side room. 207-374-2313
Linday Lyons says The Little Shop is a shop with big ideas.
The BIRD WATCHER'S STORE AND CAFE, a business catering to bird enthusiasts and backyard nature watchers, offers quality supplies and gifts as well as information, discussions and factual seminars with professionals and fellow enthusiasts. It's also a Cafe providing sumptuous food, fresh ingredients, and daily specials.
Proceed straight through downtown Blue Hill on Rtes 15/176 you’re heading to South Blue Hill or Brooklin. You’ll pass the Arborvine Restaurant.
A turn to the right will take you by String Theory before the road joines Route 15.
Turn left and you'll pass the The First Bank, Tradewinds Marketplace, a Rite Aide Pharmacy, Tree of Life Food Pantry, East Light, an Irving, South Street Market, Blue Hilll Peninsula Dental, Mainescape Garden Shop, The Bay School, NAPA Auto Parts, a Shade Different, Blue Hill Dentistry, Maine Coast Vetinary Hospital, Barncastle Inn and Restaurant, Hairplanes.
Mainescape is a relaxing sort of place with many nicely kept beds of carefully labeled perennials. If you like, you can walk down to the waterlily pond and sit a spell on the comfortable lawn chairs. The sales help is courteous and knowledgeable. Prices are reasonable.
Barncastle is neither a barn nor a castle. Its name notwithstanding, this remarkable place is an inn and fine restaurant. Built in the 1880s, it was the first of Blue Hill's grand summer cottages. It's in the National Registrar of Historic Places.
You’ll come to Rte 175, the road to South Blue Hill and Brooklin.
Keeping on going South on Rte 172, you’ll enter Sedgwick. Lok for the North Sedgwick Baptist Church.
You’ll pass the road to Helen Rendell Fine Art,.
Back on Rte 172, look for Shades of Gray , Basil Bowden Carpentry, Seaside Storage, Cabinetry, The Granite Shop, Signs, and Sedgwick Antiques. .
Route 172 ends, and a left turn leads to Brooklin. Watch for D.N. Hylan Boatbuilders, Rockbound Chapel, Blue Ledge Carpentry, Little People Day Care, Benjamin River Marine, a building outfit, Everything Electrical, a boat lettering business, Eggemoggin Oceanfront Lodge, Reach Restaurant, the Oddfellows Hall.
The road to the right leads to the Brooklin Boat Yard.
Back on Rte 172, look for Gallery, Handmade Papers, Brooklin Marine, Center Harbor Sails, Curry Studio, Streeter Studio, Synder Studio, Gagner Photography, the Brooklin Inn, the Brooklin General Store, the Morning Moon Café, The Cave, Salt Air Primitives, Therapeutic Swedish Massage, Handknit Originals, Blossom Studio, the Wooden Boat School, Maine Gem Jewelry, art and knives Gallery, First Baptist Church, Brooklin Town House, Lee Clark Allen Gallery, Brooklin School, Prin A. Allen & Sons, Web of the Quill.
Brooklin dubs itself the "Boatbuilding Capital of the World." Locals say this small Maine town has more boatbuilders per capita than anywhere else on the planet. Brooklin is home to the Wooden Boat Magazine and the Wooden Boat School. E.B. White lived here, and Walter Concrite used to sail in occassionally to visit former U.N. Ambassador James Russell Wiggins.
 Rest assured, THE CAVE is neither dark nor dank nor filled with a billion bats. It takes its name from the world of cheesemaking in which cheesemakers call their storehouses "caves." Cave proprietor Laura Cramer is famous hereabouts for her cheeses. (Jokingly, she calls herself the femme fatale of cheese; she is young and vibrant and takes great joy in what she does.) Come summer, she'll stock upwards of a hundred varieties, many of which are Maine-made, all of which she'll slice to order. Also on hand is much chocolate and wine along with other gourmet condiments and specialty foods. When you visit The Cave, bring a hearty appetite. You'll be glad you did.
Look for the turnof to Atlantic Boat Compan and Lookout Restaurant & Inn.
The Lookout Restaurant & Inn has been owned and operated by the descendants of the Flye family for over a century. Today, it is a unique country inn and gourmet restaurant. On hand is a super selection of wines from around the world. This place is not inexpensive
Back on Rte 172, you'll see Creeping Thyme Gift Shop, North Brooklin Boats, Starr Nursery. the Sleigh Bell Shop, the Henhouse, Blue Hill Baptist Church, Arbor Options, the Blue Hill Reversing Falls.
Route 175 north from Brooklin reaches Blue Hill Reversing Falls, a narrow passage with impressive tidal surges. This is a rare reversing falls, and it attracts adventurous whitewater canoeists and kayakers.
 In South Blue Hill, you can visit Haight Farm where hydroponically-grown produce is the order of the day. Call 374-2840.
Keep going straight on 176 and 15 if you want to go to Brooksville, Sedgwick, Deer Isle/Stonington, Penobscot and Castine (for a more direct route to Castine take 177 to South Penobscot).
Look for David Reiley Violins, Pure Pilates, Acupuncture, Psychotherapy, the Jonathan Fisher Memorial, Marlitii's Grill, Peninsula Metamorphic Arts & Learning, Mark Bell Pottery, Quilted Artistry, Blue Hill Painting, The Christmas Greens Shop.
On 176, you'll come to the Jonathan Fisher Memorial, a Federal house built in 1814 by Fisher, includes paintings, furniture and a collection of his unusual inventions. Renaissance man Fisher, a Blue Hill resident, was a scholar, minister, artist, and inventor. Tours are conducted between 2 and 5 p.m. July 1 to mid-Sept.
At road’s end, Rte 15 goes left to Deer Isle and Rte 176 goes right to Penobscot and Castine. Take the right and you'll go by by antiques and handmade furniture.
A left at Gray's Corner Will point you toward the Brooksvilles (North Brooksville , West Brooksville, South Brooksville and just plain Brooksville) , This is the way to Cape Rosier and the Holbrook Sanctuary.
If you take the left towards Deer Isle, you'll go by Pen Bay Boat Co., Richard Taylor Ceramics, Gallery Untitled, Auto Body, Victor L. Smith.
Rte 175 will take you to the Oakland House, Island Soap Gifts, Old Cove Antiques, the Sow's Ear Winery.
The property in Sargentville on which the Oakland House sits has been in Jim Littlefield's family since the 1700s. Today, visitors are urged to choose from among a wide variety of accommodations, including 15 cottages of various design. Rates vary; some are eminently affordable. Also on the property is Shore Oaks, a palatial bed and breakfast. There are trails to hike and a private beach on three-mile-long, freshwater Lake Winnewaug. Call (207) 359-8521. The Oakland House is the only Downeast resort featured in "The Best Bargain Family Vacations in the U.S.A."
In Brooksville, you'll find the Sow's Ear Winery on Route 176 right by the Herrick Road. Here, you're invited to sample the cider and fruit wines. The dry, English-style cider is made from the juice of organically grown, unsprayed apples. It is allowed to ferment naturally in oak barrels, a process that sometimes takes two years to complete. Fruit wines are made from summer rhubarb and choke cherries. Wines here are coarsely filtered, allowing continued development in the bottle and the creation of sediment as a result of ageing. Gail Disney creates rag rugs in her weaving studio here.
Bucks Harbor Market in South Brooksville is a real old-fashioned general store where you'll find plenty of supplies as well as icredible baked goods, including fresh-baked focasia bread often times still warm from the oven.
The Landing Restaurant at Bucks Harbor provides free overnight guest moorings. During the summer, people here monitor channel 16 for reservations.
Cape Rosier is a sparsely-populated peninsula devoted largely to Holbrook Island Sanctuary, a 1,345-acre state wildlife preserve with hiking trails, and picnic areas. The 115-acre island is accessible by private boat. Helen and Scott Nearings' homestead has been turned into a farm education center. Eliot Coleman, who has developed innovative cold-season growing methods, has his garden here.
Back on Rte 15, look for Sedgwick Storage, the Gallery at Caterpillar Hill, a scenic overlook, the Caterpillar Hill Professional Building, Elf Center, and Pine Ridge Golf Center, Tashafer's, Grindal & Son Construction, Quality Resale Clothing, Hair Extrodinaire, Eggemoggin Country Store, Bill's Boat Storage, Old Cove Antiques, El El Frijoles, and the Christian Science Society.
 The EGGEMOGGIN COUNTRY STORE serves as the center of community life hereabouts. On hand are pretty much all of life's necessities—fresh produce, meat, and other staples; a wonderful little bakery; the latest videos, fuel, magazines and newspapers, and 24 and more varieties of soft serve ice cream. Here also is an Agency Liquor Store. You can buy gifts, and drop off dry cleaning, and recycle cans and bottles. A large bulletin board will keep you up to speed regarding community happenings.
At road's end, Rte 175 goes left, Rte 15 goes right.
A left will take you by the Eggemoggin Textile Studio. Turn right and lLook for Summerbeam, Eggemoggin Custom Carpentry and Sailing Lessons.
Keep going, and you'll pass thru Brooklin and eventually reach Naskeag Point where a sandy beach, nearly hidden by spruces, affords a nice view of Brooklin's small but active yachting harbor.
Taking the right onto Rte 15 will take you to Eggemoggin Custom Cabinetry and the Deer Isle Bridge.
Legend has it that plans for the Deer Isle Bridge were drawn by a high school kid working on a term paper. Three such bridges were actually built, two of which fell down. If this story is true, the Deer Isle Bridge is the sole survivor. Does this story leave you feeling lucky or doomed?
Cross the bridge and a lenthty causeway and look for the turnoff to Dreamweaver and the Eggemoggin Inn.
Back on Rte 176, a left will put you on Rte 175 the road to Deer Isle/Stonington. There is an incredibly spectacular view from atop Caterpillar Hill. Look for the Gallery at Caterpillar Hill.
;In Sedgwick is the Daniel Merrill House, built in 1795, is kept as a museum by the local historical society. The building is the centerpiece of a National Historical District. The house was built for Rev. Merrill, Sedgwick's first minister. The simple two-and-a-half story house with symmetrically placed unadorned windows and a classic early Georgian front entrance contains many interesting artifacts of local history as well as a historical library. Open 2 to 4 Sundays, July and August.
Nearby is the Reach Road Gallery, and Mermaid Woolens.
At the Chamber of Commerce Information Center, Eggemoggin Road to your right takes you onto Little Deer Isle. Down this road you'll find the Dreamweaver and the Eggemoggin Inn.
Back on Rte 15, past the Downeast Fishing Gear, Krustyk Krab, Red House Bed and Bath, Murphy's Therapeutic Massage, the Harbor Farm Store, across a lenghy causeway, causeway beach,
Look for the Reach Road which will take you to Pearson Design Studio and the Greene Ziner Gallery,
Back on Rte 15, watch for the Island Nursing Home, Madelyn's Drive In, the Galley Market, Reach Performing Arts Center, Dave & Dave's Auto Repair, Artisan Woodworks, the Susan L. Hutton Gallery, Frederica Marshall Gallery, and Turtle Gallery.
A road to the right goes to Dow Studio, the Healthy Island Project and the Deer Isle Artists' Gallery.
Heading into Deer Isle Village, take a right into a small downtown area. On your left will be the Maine Photography Gallery, Sibula Jewelry and Gallery, Sophie's Cup, the Periwinkle, Red Dot Studio, Harbor Ice Cream, and the Pilgrim Inn and Whale's Rib Restaurant.
At 56 Pressey Village Road look for Bunzy Sherman, The Potter.
Back on Rte 15, you'll see the Island Heritage Trust, Old Schoolhouse Antiques, Burgess B&B, Church of the Nazarene, Studio, Barter Lumber Company, Red Door Pottery, Maine Coast Outfitters, the Wildflower Gallery, Deer Isle Museum and Archives, and the Deer Isle Golf Club.
Look for the turnoff turnoff to the Goose Cove Road, and and the Crocket Cove Woods Preserve.
The Crocket Cove Woods Preserve, situated a few minutes northwest of Stonington, is a 100-acre preserve containing a fog forest: a rich, quiet, mossy forest of mature spruce, fir, and pine that thrives in the damp, foggy environment prevalent along Deer Isle's south coast. There is a short self-guided nature path. From Stonington, head northwest on the road toward the town of Sunset. Shortly after passing through the village of Burnt Cove, turn left on Whitman Road. Follow along the cove until the pavemet ends and a dirt road departs to the right. Drive 150 yards to a small parking area with a registsration box. Admission is free.
Entering Stonington, we pass a fitness center, a boat works, the Island Medical Center.
A road to the right leads to Clam Factory Gifts.
On Rte 15, look for the Burnt Cove Shopping Center, Annie's Touch of Paradise Restaurant, Suzie Q's Sweets and Curiousities, and the Stonington Opera House and the Opera House Arts.
Burnt Cove Market Shopping Center in Stonnington is another welcome oasis for the traveler and local consumer . Gasoline Diesel, A large newly renovated full service grocery store, hardware store and a little of everything else store makes life in this far out reaching fishing community a bit more pleasant for both visitors and locals.
Taking a left onto Stonington's Main Street, you'll see the Maritime Cafe, Unexpected Treasures, Harbor Cafe, Boyce's Motel, Inn on the Harbor, and the Union Trust Bank, Fisherman's Friend Restaurant, Coastside Bio Resources, Island Ad-Vantages Newspaper, Seasos, C. Watson Gallery, Stonington Ice Cream Company, the Stonington Public Library, the Deer Isle Granite Museum, Island Approaches, Isalof Fine Arts, the Drydock, the Oddfellows Hall, the Opera House, NAPA Auto Parts, D Mortsenson Gallery, Coastal Hair Designs, a U.S Post Office, a branch office of Downeast Properties, Shepard's Select Properties, and the Deer Isle Granite Museum.
 THE HARBOR CAFE takes special pride in its lobster rolls. At $10.99 they provide more lobster for less money than anywhere else. The lobsters are super-fresh as well; they have come off the boats of local lobstermen. On Friday nights, the Cafe hosts a big Seafood Fry; the servings are super-generous, and seconds are on the house. Mondays feature two-for-one Boarded Specials. There are special menus for children and diabetics. The Harbor Cafe is open Year Round.
Island Approaches has a wonderful mix of Maine souvenirs and gifts for all ages, specializing in embroidered and printed products. Tees and sweatshirts for infants, toddlers, youth and adults. Outerwear, rain gear, hats, sunglasses, water bottles, backpacks, duffels, and tote bags for your outdoor activities. Blankets and loungewear to keep you cozy. Lots of other fun items as well.
Harbor Café on Main Street in Stonington, a long time favorite with visitors and locals alike has an excellent menu. It includes fresh caught seafood, sandwiches, soups and salads, vegetarian selections and daily specials and much more. Beer, Wine and Cocktails are served all in a family atmosphere
They say there’s nothing better for aging joints than sea cucumber. Coastside Bio Resources in Stonington markets sea cucumber products for both man and beast. The unique patented healtfood supplements this company has developed are all directed at supporting healthy mobility—whether in a human, dog, cat, horse, potbellied pig or elephant. Sales have been made to medical and chiropractic clinics, veterinary practices, kennels, and zoos. Every product come with an unconditional guarantee—if it doesn’t seem to help, bring it back for a full refund.
Shepard’s Select Properties on Maine Street in Stonington and Blue Hill has been in the Real estate business for a good long time. Father and Son Don and Richard Lord can direct buyers to the areas’s finest coastal properties presently on the market.
The tiny Deer Isle Granite Museum on Main Street documents Stonington's quarrying tradition. The museum's centerpiece is an 8- by 15-foot working model of quarrying operations on Crotch Island and the town of Stonington at the turn of the last century.
On the Dow Road, Jackie Pelletier runs Deepest Africa Imports in her home. Her shop seems unlikely until you met Jackie and learn she grew up in South Africa and is an authority on many African cultures. Her shop is an interesting diversion.
 According to Yankee Magazine’s Summer Guide, the lobster stew at FISHERMAN’S FRIEND RESTAURANT is Maine’s best. The homemade pies also came highly recommended. They've also added Harbor View Store, a full-service convenience store stocking all the provisions sailors might want.
Staying on Rte 15 will complete the loop back to Deer Isle Village. You'll pass Hoy Gallery, the Ocean View House Antiques, The Seasons of Stonington, Square Deal Garage, Nora's Nest, Penny's B&B, R.L. Greenlaw and Son, Geoffrey Warner Studio, Anne-Claude Cotty Gallery & Workshops, Dean's Automotive & Small Engine.
Look for Lorraine Lans Fine Art Studio on Seabreeze Avenue.
On the Main Road, look for J.C. Coombs Autos and Alice's Unique Folk Art.
Watch for the turnoff to Olde Quarry Ocean Adventures.
Back on the Deer Isle Road, lBlue Heron Gallery, Peter Beerits Sculpture, the Go Figure Gallery, and the Christine York Studio.
ook for Ron's, Lily's Cafe, Richard Roftow Artist, Gary Douglass and Sons Builders, Mikey G's Restaurant, Tom's Greenhouse, Sea to Tree, Juskaws Jewelry, Wilkinson Sculptures, Dockside Quilts, Seamark, Bruce Bulger, Deer Isle Designs, a framing shop, Parish House Antiques,
You'll see the turnoff onto the Sunshine Road Finest Kind Dining, Round the Isle Mini Golf, and Nervous Nellies Jams & Jellies.
If you get out to Nervous Nellie's Jams & Jellies, check out Peter Beerits playful wood sculptures. The man has a great sense of humor, and obviously enjoys doing them.
We pass an antiques shop as we pass back into Deer Isle Village. Look for the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Eaton's Pier, Maine Camp Outfitters, the Turtle Gallery, Dockside Quilt Gallery..
Near-by, Carroll Kane builds his famous Adirondack chairs. These have arms wide enough to serve as tables. His shop is open most days.
At Eaton's Pier in Sunshine, you can get a lobster dinner for $7.95. Nothing fancy here, that's for sure, but the lobster's fresh from the bay. There's no better place to get a sense of the real Maine.
The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts conducts a series of one- two- and three-week workshops in such crafts as glassblowing, weaving, quilting, potterymaking, and screen printing. Visitors are welcome to 1 p.m. tours Wednesdays through August. Call 207-348-2306.
Deer Isle is enjoying a modest revival of its famous granite industry. In the days before reinforced concrete, Deer Isle's distinctive pink granite was used in many major New York and Philadelphia structures, including the Triborough Bridge. It also was used in the Kennedy Memorial in Arlington Cemetery.
Maine Camp Outfitters in the Post Office Building at 300 Sunset Road, Sunset, does custom embroidery and screenprinting and offers a large selection of promotional items as well as Maine gifts. You'll find camping supplies, fleece clothing, and sweatshirts in all sizes, including children's. Call 1-800-560-6090.
Many Deer Isle residents who aren't fishermen are artisans. These make the island interesting to explore since their shops and galleries are situated down many unlikely looking roads.
Ronald Hayes Pearson's jewelry is known nationwide. Doug Wilson does interesting metal sculpture. If you like fine photography, check out Terrell S. Lester's Studio-Gallery.
At Elena Kubler's Turtle Gallery in downtown Deer Isle, the summer schedule consists of a series of two- and three-week theme shows featuring high-quality works of various media. This gallery has been cited nationally as one of the places to find the best in Maine arts and crafts.
All of the coverings at Dockside Quilt Gallery are made by members of the same family.
Bill Fothergill and Lucy Flint are both painters and sculptors. Bill says this is in the European tradition; over there, artists commonly are skilled in diverse disciplines. Bill is infatuated with the female form while Lucy is a surrealist. You can see their work at their Blastow's cove studio.
On the Reach Road in Deer Isle, William Mor, well-known for his functional stoneware, is also stocking tribal and village rugs, bags, kilims, and pillows from Afghanistan and Turkey.
At their Green Head Forge, Jack and Harriet Hemenway make sculpture and jewelry in silver, gold, and iron.
Westward from Stonington, a scenic backroad follows the shore, affording spectacular views of the Camden Hills, Vinalhaven, North Haven and many other islands dotting East Penobscot Bay.
Isle Au Haut, reached by mailboat from Stonington, holds the off-shore portion of Acadia National Park. Exploration is by foot or bike (there are no rental bikes.) Accommodations include five lean-tos at Duck Harbor Campground. Contact Acadia Park Headquarters or write P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor 04609 (207-288-3338). Also on the island is a small village and The Keeper's House, Maine's only lighthouse inn.
Watch for B & M's Wooden Toy Shop. Here Burlyn Eaton builds a wide variety of wooden toys and furniture, guaranteeing everything he builds for a full year.
Back on Rte 176 in Penobscot, you'll see the Northern Bay Market. Whether you prefer lobster, crabs, or clams, you'll find them fresh here, and at the best prices around. You can get freshbaked bread and pastries here as well. Toss in some cold beer and soda, and you have everything you need for that picnic.
 Look for BLOSSOM FARM on the Back Ridge Road. Here Dave and Theresa Weigel and a big, black German Shepard named Mojo enjoy the spectacular views while drinking Go-Chi, a delicious-tasting health tonic that made David feel so good he up and rode his bicycle to Maine from Orlando, Florida. The antique Blossom Barn is known for the poem painted by an itinerant poet in the 1970s. To learn more about Go-Chi and to help support restoration of Dave's farm (and, by extension, the planet) visit www.berrybest2u.com.
.
Imagine having envelopes stuffed with cash delivered to your door. BILL PAQUIN thinks he has found a way to make this happen!!!
The BAYVIEW TAKE-OUT & MARKET on Bayview Road in Penobscot has Downeast Maine's best haddockburgers. Other notable eats include many varieties of sandwiches, burgers, fried fish, clams, scallops, etc. The best take-out place hereabouts. 207-326-4882.
Keep going and you'll reach Rte 199, which leads to the Castine Peninsula. Castine was established as a trading post by the Plymouth Pilgrims (they subscribed to the sail now, pay later ethic; they were obliged to earn money to pay for the Mayflower) and is the only community in the county to have flown under four national flags--U.S., England, France, and Holland. In 1635, Miles Standish was dispatched to Castine to take the town from the French. He failed, and the French kept control. There is a very active local historical society, which has placed markers all over town celebrating various noteworthy occurrences.
As you come into Castine, you'll pass the Carriage Shed Antiques, Castine Golf Club before you come to Maine Maritime Academy. A left will take you downtown. There you'll find Endicott Real Estate, Saltmeadow Properties, DeRaat Realty, Castine Historical Handworks, Castine Realty, Gallery Antiques, Bah's Bakehouse, Compass Rose, Castine Variety, Eaton’s Boat Yard, Dennett’s Wharf, Mainely Solutions, and the Pentagoet Inn. There are historical markers all over town. On the wharf is the Breeze and the Reef Pub.
The good folks of Castine have fought a tireless battle to save its elms from the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease. They've had considerable success, and visitors can see many of these fabulous trees.
On Perkins Street, look for the Wilson Museum and the adjacent Perkins House. The museum was built in 1921 to house the anthropological collection of local resident John Howard Wilson. Included are artifacts from cultures all over the world. Downstairs there is a replica of an 1805 American kitchen. Next door is an operating blacksmith forge.
The John Perkins House, Castine's oldest, housed British officers during both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Guided tours of the house in the summer include demonstrations of open-hearth cooking, with guest invited to taste the results
Leaving Castine, you can take Rte166A to Penobscot town line and by big boatyard, then Rte 175 to Orland. Look for G.M. Allen & Son and the Wild Blueberry Patch Shop. In downtown Orland, watch the Orland Bed and Breakfast, before you get back to Rte One.
Sisters Salsa, which you can find at most Shaw's and Hannaford’s markets, is made locally from fresh vegetables and juices.
The Reverend Daniel Merrill House (1795), home of the Sedgwick-Brooklin Historical Society, was built for Rev. Merrill, Sedgwick's first minister. The simple, two-and-a-half-story house with symmetrically placed unadorned windows and a classic early Georgian front entrance contains many interesting artifacts of local history as will as a historical library. It is open July and August, Sunday 2-4. Free.
Further down the road, you'll find an increfor Old Things Antiques and Collectibles, the Orland Market (fine wine, daily takeout specials, unique gifts) the Orland House Bed & Breakfast, the Bicentennial Park, and the Orland Historical Society. Watch also for the Sign of the Amiable Pig
Questions or comments? Send them along to Captain D.
HOME
|
|
