How to Vacation on Deer Isle Maine

Deer Isle Maine is a magical place to go on vacation. Located about mid-way up the Maine coast, Deer Isle is the best Maine has to offer: rich history, breathtaking scenery, unhurried lifestyle, and folks with great character. Deer Isle is an aquired taste. If you like hiking along rocky shores, enjoy the sounds of the tide rolling into a deserted cove, and starting the woodstove at night in August....then Deer Isle is your place.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• outdoor gear/clothing
• insect repellent
• the ability to leave your Blackberry -- no signal on the Island

1. Prepare yourself for some of the best lobster you have ever tasted. Stonington, the fishng village at the southern tip of the Island, is one of the most vibrant lobstering harbors in the area.
2. Take your time and don't sqeeze too many things into one day. People here live their lives by the tides, the seasons, etc....and so should you while you are here.
3. Take a tour of the Deer Isle village art galleries. The island is home to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- a world class workshop for artists -- and their works are often on display in galleries around the Island
4. Take a trip to Stonington to explore this historic fishing village. You can watch the boats roll in with the day's catch...and then eat that catch in one of the harborside restaurants
5. don't miss a trip to Isle Au Haut -- a short boat ride from Stonington. You cannot take a car out to Isle Au Haut so prepare for a day of walking around what is actually a small part of Acadia National Park.
6. Be sure to do a day of sea kayaking around the Island. there are many local guides who can take you out on some of the most serene and nature-filled water trails you have ever dreamed of. There is something spectacular about being so low to the water and feeling the sea beneath you -- certainly a welcome change from sitting on a faux Herman Miller chair in front of your computer screen all day!

Tips & Warnings

• You are "from away" if you don't live on the Island
• Get up early if you want a copy of the Sunday New York Times...they don't get many copies on the Island
• This is not the part of Maine where George Bush summers. If you want the "other Maine"....drive about 3 hours South.
• There are no boardwalks, no skeeball, no amusement rides, and no sandy beaches. If you like that stuff - Deer Isle is not for you.