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

SURRY

Gary Mitchell has an interesting assortment of memorabilia at Mitch’s Antiques on the Surry Road.

All of the offerings (except frames) at Blue Moon Images Gallery on the Surry Road are made in Maine.

If you take Rte 172 from Ellsworth to Blue Hill, you'll come to the village of Surry, home of the Surry Opera Company, famous for its cultural exchanges with the former Soviet Union.

Check out the Village Boutique thrift shop for good, inexpensive clothing and the Standing Bear Gallery for art of outstanding merit.


BLUE HILL

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In Blue Hill and Castine, pain de famille is famous for its Milanese-style Frenchbread

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.

Liros Gallery keeps a wide variety of material on hand, but specializes in Russian Icons.

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.

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.

Judith Leighton says she chooses art that celebrates life, so that people who visit her gallery 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.

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 childrenâs section.

Sisters Salsa, which you can find at most Shop 'n' Saves, is made locally from fresh vegetables and juices. McVay's Exxon can handle just about any problem you're having with your car.

Dick and Mardi Byers-Gay offer attractive guestrooms at Tenney Hill Inn, their restored Victorian home just south of town. Sip tea on the upper balcony, lower deck, or sunporch. They offer attractive season and long-term rates. Dick is a language specialist, fluent in numerous European and Asian dialects. Call 207-374-2169.

The Tradewinds Market Place south of town is the place to get Hannaford Angus Pride Beef.

For good food and good drink in a cozy, colorful Caribbean atmosphere, check out Marlintini’s Grill..

If you enjoy being amidst garden plants, you'll appreciate Mainescape on South St. in Blue Hill. It 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.

Jonathan Fisher, Renaissance man and Blue Hill resident, was a scholar, minister, artist, and inventor. On Rte 15, the Jonathan Fisher Memorial, a Federal house built in 1814 by Fisher, includes paintings, furniture and a collection of his unusual inventions. Tours are conducted between 2 and 5 p.m. July 1 to mid-Sept.

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.

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.

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.

In Penobscot, you'll see the Northern Bay Market on Route 175. 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.

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. There is a very active local historical society, which has placed markers all over town celebrating various noteworthy occurrences.

If you take Rtes. 176/15 out of Blue Hill, you'll reach Gray's Corner. Here you must turn right toward Penobscot or left toward Sargentville. The left turn will take you to Rte. 175, the turn you take to get to South Brooksville, Cape Rosier, and the Holbrook Sanctuary.

If you opt for Penobscot, don't miss Ye Olde Woodworks on Route 175. They build traditionally-styled furniture you'll treasure instantly.

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.

In Sedgwick, you’ll want to check out Coastal Designs. Here you’ll find jelly cabinets, breadboxes and clocks that double as pieces of art and much, much more. On hand also is a full range of songbird motif table and wall lamps.

If you stay on Rte 15, you'll come to the Country View Drive-In where you can get good basic food at reasonable price.

Further down the road, you'll find an incredibly spectacular view from atop Caterpillar Hill. There's a picnic area here as well as a nice art gallery. Perhaps no gallery on earth has a more idyllic setting that of the Gallery at Caterpillar Hill. Views of the surrounding countryside are breathtaking. Offered here are works of art celebrating the beauty and character of Maine.

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.

In Brooklin, you'll want to check out Pineflower, a shop specializing in antiques, handcrafts, and flowers. There's a lot here, including braided rugs, baskets, quilts, crocks, bottles, weathervanes, sleds, kitchenware, dolls, vintage clothing, nautical items, books, and much more. While you're here, how about signing up for wreathmaking classes?

Near-by, Carroll Kane builds his famous Adirondack chairs. These have arms wide enough to serve as tables. His shop is open most days.

Also in Brooklin, the Morning Moon Cafe provides homecooking and daily specials, all at competitive prices. In this quiet village, you'll find a library much loved by E.B. White, acanvas shop and the Wooden Boat School.

The Lookout in Brooklin 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

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.

Route 175 north from Brooklin reaches Blue Hill 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.

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."

From Sargentville, you can turn left on Rte 175 and head towards Sedgwick and Brooklin. A right turn will put you on Rte 15, which leads to Deer Isle.


DEER ISLE

If you get out to Nervous Nellie's Jams & Jellies on the Sunshine Road in Deer Isle, check out Peter Beerits playful wood sculptures. The man has a great sense of humor, and obviously enjoys doing them.

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.

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. Hance features both pottery and weaving. The Eastern Maine Gallery shows jewelry, clothing, rugs, bells, and pottery. 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.

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.

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.

On Main Street in Stonington, Eastern Bay Gallery shows the work of more than 50 Maine artists and craftspeople. The emphasis is on distinctive, finely crafted and functional work at affordable prices. Call 367-6368.

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.

Three of Stonington's noteworthy attractions are the Drydock shop, Fisherman's Friend Restaurant, and the used book store.

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.

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.