BLUE HILL, MAINE & ENVIRONS

Most of our time in Maine is spent in the area I call "Midcoast," roughly 1.5 hours north of Portland on the coast. The base of operations is on Damariscotta Lake, and the peninsula where we spend most of our time is known as the Pemaquid Peninsula. But if you travel up along the coast past Camden, past Belfast, and then down the east coast of Penobscot Bay, there's another beautiful peninsula with some beautiful old towns --- Castine, Blue Hill and Stonington (over the bridge on Deer Isle). We are just learning about this area ourselves, but wanted to share a few cool points of interest for travelers and tourists based on a first foray there, summer of '22 Blue Hill is a sweet town and well worth a visit. There is a wonderful library, and a music festival at the local park some Fridays during the summer. The clothing shops and art galleries are worth a look, but perhaps a bit pricey. We stayed at the grande dame of the town, The Blue Hill Inn, https://bluehillinn.com, and it is well situated, (essentially, you can walk to everything); it also boasts quaint atmosphere and delicious homemade breakfast. My only complaint was the bed, which was fairly cozy for two and very noisy. One could not move in the bed without making a lot of noise. Maybe we'll ask for a different room next time. Kneisel Hall https://www.kneisel.org is a wonderful chamber music school and festival that produces a terrific summer program of music on weekends. Tickets are very affordable and the venue is sweet and intimate. Highly recommended. Nearby food options are numerous, including a Thai Restaurant, a fine dining establishment with an excellent rep https://www.arborvine.com (unfortunately closed during our visit), and the very reliable and varied Blazes, a high-quality restaurant that specializes in brick oven pizza, and has four or five sister restaurants in Maine. The Blazes in Blue Hill has two lovely outdoor spaces for dining when weather allows. Several points of interest farther afield. For great hiking, we suggest Harriman Point in Brooklin, Maine https://www.mcht.org/preserve/harriman-point/. This is a Maine Coast Heritage Trust property, and offers walks on the beach ("the Blue Hill Peninsula's largest continuous stretch of coastline open to the public"), and inside pine forest. The views are spectacular, and you can swim on the pebbly beach. Just be aware of mosquitoes; they were out in force in August with nary a breeze to discourage them.

Besides hiking, we offer two other "finds." You simply MUST make a stop to visit Eric and Karl at Pugnuts Ice Cream in Surry. http://pugnuts.com/index.html . These guys are not just slinging your Giffords or Round Top (no disrespect intended). This is WORLD CLASS ice cream and the best gelato we've had this side of the Atlantic. They sold 50 TONS of ice-cream in 2022, so they are closing early (Oct. 2) for some well-deserved R-and-R. Trust me, you want to make the trip next year. All fresh, homemade ingredients. The blueberry gelato and peaches 'n cream gelato were both spectacular. See you there! One more stop we highly recommend is Brooklin Candy Co. in Brooklin, https://www.brooklincandy.com. It's worth the trip just to meet our new friend Blossom, but this fun, rambling and quirky little store has a fantastic selection of old-timey candy (including a sentimental fave -- Choward's Violets), handmade goods, gifts, imported items for all budgets, and little treats that you didn't realize you needed. A wonderful, welcoming experience. Always happy to answer questions and make suggestions. Enjoy Maine and be kind!