Around town

Here's our very biased list of our favorite things to do in the area. If you discover something new, please let us know and we'll add it to the list.

Groceries / Food

Tradewinds
Tradewinds is the Fairway of Blue Hill. They have a bit of everything. A local and organic section, local seafood in season (sometimes scallops, sometimes mussels etc etc), tons of beer, and all the paper plates, seltzer, cereal, etc etc that you could want. It's a very good local grocery store.
15 South Street

The Blue Hill Co-op
The Co-op is kind of a small Whole Foods. A different selection of local meats/eggs/milks and more local produce. Also just different options in terms of condiments, canned goods, all the other normal grocery items. THEY MAKE GREAT SMOOTHIES AND MUFFINS! They also have prepared foods and sandwiches.
https://bluehill.coop/

Blue Hill Wine Shop
A great wine shop. The people that own and work at the shop are lovely, interesting people and it's a great wine shop. Right now they are doing curbside pickup. Generally in the summer they also carry Tinderhearth Bread, nice cheeses, and some specialty grocery items (pasta, olive oil etc etc). They are doing online ordering and pickup Tue - Fri.
https://www.bluehillwineshop.com/

Outdoor activities

The Activity Shop
Due to insurance restrictions, we are not able to provide water craft, but you can easily reserve kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and bicycles from the Activity Shop ahead of time. They will drop them off at the house and pick them up at the end of your stay.
http://www.theactivityshop.com/

Blue Hill Mountain
Just north of town is a wonderful hike up and down Blue Hill. It takes about an hour and has beautiful views of town, the coast, and Acadia in the distance. We like to take the Hayes Trail (which goes straight up the south face and requires some scrambling over loose rocks) up and the Osgood Trail back (which is a quieter, gentler hike through the woods). You can find a trail map for Blue Hill and surrounding hikes at the Blue Hill Heritage Trust website:
http://www.bluehillheritagetrust.org/

Other Hikes Around Town
The Blue Hill Heritage Trust also maintains a number of other great hikes in the area. You can find more info and trailmaps at the Blue Hill Heritage Trust website:
http://www.bluehillheritagetrust.org/

Acadia National Park
Where to even start... Acadia is the only National Park on the east coast and has easy access to hiking, camping, biking, horseback riding, and more. Our favorite: park at Jordan Pond House and hike up to the top of Penoscot Mountain. The summit trail has a couple of very steep sections, but there are other more gentle routes to the top. If you want an all-day adventure, continue on to the top of Sargent. Make sure to check the weather and consult a trail map before heading out. Be warned that the park can get crowded in high season, so head out early.
http://www.nps.gov/acad/

Restaurants / Take-out

The Fishnet
Classic Maine Lobster rolls/crab rolls as well as corn on the cob, soft serve ice cream etc. (Personally, we usually take the crab over lobster, but that's just us...).
162 Main St.

Bucklyn
Our go-to coffee shop just down Main St.
103 Main St.

Tinderhearth
Tinderhearth bakery delivers twice a week in the summer to the Blue Hill Co-op and The Wine Shop. You can also go there for wood fired pizza or to pick up bread/pastries. Right now it's pickup only. Order on Wednesday for Saturday pick-up. See the pizza schedule on their website.
https://tinderhearth.com/

Perry's lobster
A super cute and classic lobster shack right next to one of the nicest public access beaches (Carrying Place Beach). It's a drive, but if you drive through East Blue Hill it is very scenic.
https://www.perryslobstershack.com/

Barncastle
Very close to the house. They have a very popular pub with live music and a great restaurant.
https://www.barncastle.me/

Rooster Brother
Rooster Brother is a kitchen store (pots/pans/knives/cookbooks etc) in nearby Ellsworth. It's lovely. Downstairs they also have wine, cheese, and dry goods. We stop here for coffees and dried peaches when we are going early for a hike in Acadia. Online and phone orders with curbside pick-up and limited indoor shopping.
https://www.roosterbrother.com/

Flexit
Also in Ellsworth, we'll stop here on a trip to or from a hike in Acadia or errands in the area. Also a nice place to work. The epitome of a classic coffee-shop with lots of vegetarian options—sandwiches, coffee, soup, egg sandwiches, smoothies etc.
https://flexitcafe.com/

Other shops

Blue Hill Books
https://bluehillbooks.com/

Blue Hill Library
A great library. Lots of great kids events. A great place to work. They have blazing fast internet.
https://www.bhpl.net/

Mainescape
Mainescape is the garden center right next to the co-op. They also carry local produce/meats etc and GREAT PIES a couple days a week. They also have lots of dog food/treats etc. In the winter they host the local farmers market in the greenhouse.
https://www.mainescape.com/