Getting There
Several airlines fly directly to Bangor or Portland (though some only seasonally). When you get there, rent a car; Blue Hill is a 30-minute drive from Bangor and a two-hour drive from Portland.
WHEN TO GO
Visit anytime between mid-June and mid-September, when temperatures range from the 50s to the 70s (it's chilly the rest of the year). Or peg your trip to the Blue Hill Fair, which takes place over Labor Day weekend.
WHERE TO STAY
Barncastle Hotel
This newly renovated old summer "cottage" turned five-room hotel has all the modern amenities, including flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet. Its spot on a main drag is uninspiring, but the luxurious interior, the restaurant's wood-fired pizza oven, and the convenient Blue Hill location more than compensate for this downside.
From $125 a night for a double; 125 South St., Blue Hill, (207) 374-2300.
Coastal Cottages
Families sometimes find it easier and more comfortable to just rent a house; this site specializes in the Blue Hill peninsula. From $1,000 a week for a one-bedroom house; (207) 374-3500.
Dragonflye Inn
This revamped Victorian is within walking distance of the cute-as-a-button library (much beloved by White), the general store, and Center Harbor (where you can admire museum-quality wooden boats). It's ideally located near Blue Hill, Brooksville, and Deer Isle for maximal day-tripping fun. From $100 a night for a double; 19 Naskeag Point Rd., Brooklin, (207) 359-8080.
Oakland House Seaside Resort
This funky hotel, which has been operated by the same family since 1889, is on a quiet back road between Brooksville and Deer Isle. The 50-acre property has both a waterfront inn and individual cottages (definitely recommended for those who prefer vintage-style accommodations). On-site activities include badminton, volleyball, croquet, tetherball, and kayaking.
From $595 a night for a cottage during opening season; 435 Herrick Rd., Herricks Landing, Brooksville, (207) 359-8521.
Where to Eat
The Bagaduce Lunch
This roadside takeaway joint is situated on a hill that slopes down to the famed "reversing falls" (a river that flows in both directions, depending on the tide). Kids can climb on the rocks and look for horseshoe crabs while the adults eat too many fried scallops, fried clams, lobster rolls, and commendably thin onion rings. (Be ready for the food coma that follows.) Not recommended for rainy days, as save for the Porta-John, there's no indoor seating.
19 Bridge Rd., Brooksville, (297) 326-4729.
The Blue Hill Co-op
It turns out a delicious, healthy-ish organic-egg sandwich with cheddar on buttery multigrain bread. Top it with hot sauce and you're good until lunch.
4 Ellsworth Rd., Blue Hill, (207) 374-2165.
Cleonice
Located near the Blue Hill peninsula in Ellsworth, this is the area's only "fancy" restaurant that's worth sampling (kids are allowed). Most of the ingredients are local, and it really knows what to do with them; a hangar steak will arrive bloodily rare if you want it that way.
112 Main St., Ellsworth, (207) 664-7554.
Eaton's Lobster Pool
The ideal Maine-coastal-quaint location makes this worth a visit, even if the food is average (of the boiled-lobster-dinner variety). A stone fireplace heats the all—windows dining room on cold summer nights.
Little Deer Isle, (207) 348-2383.
El Frijoles
Get it? This cute, family-run restaurant offers the first example I know of Maine-Mex cooking—lobster tacos, for example. Seating is outdoors and bugs are fierce, but spray is supplied; the lucky family gets to eat inside the mesh tent.
41 Caterpillar Hill Rd., Sargentville, (207) 359-2486.
WHAT TO DO
Blue Hill Fair
In 2008 the fair runs from August 28 to September 1. Check the online schedule for activities. Admission $5 to $8 for adults, free for children 12 and under (rides cost extra, but the stage shows are included).
Rte. 172, Blue Hill, (207) 374-3701.
Blue Hill Hikes
At the center of Blue Hill village rises its eponymous hill; the easy trail hike to the top, about a mile one way, has fantastic views of the peninsula and Mount Desert Island.
Mail Boat to Isle au Haut
You can take the boat on a jaunt (about 45 minutes) from Stonington to the beautifully wild, 12-square-mile Isle au Haut. On the island, stretch your legs around the town landing before hopping back on the boat, or commit to a full day of hiking at Duck Harbor (part of Acadia National Park). Back in Stonington, make sure to check out the Granite Museum and grab some homemade ice cream at the Island Cow.
Mail boat, $34 round-trip for adults, $17 for children 12 and under; Sea Breeze Ave., Stonington, (207) 367-5193.
Four Season Farm
Run by organic gurus Elliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch, this farm is about 45 minutes from Blue Hill on the stunning Cape Rosier. Most Maine farmers' markets don't get rolling until mid-July, but because it has greenhouses, Four Season has strawberries and tomatoes months before the rest of the state. You've never tasted or seen produce this gorgeous. Combine the trip to Four Season with a visit to the Good Life Center, where you can tour organic gardens, and to the Holbrook Island Sanctuary nature reserve for a beach picnic and a hike.
Four Season Farm, 609 Weir Cove Rd., Harborside.
