Deer Isle and Beyond

There are numerous places to see and things to do on the Island and the  surrounding mainland.  Check out the Deer Isle-Stonington Chamber of Commerce site (www.deerisle.com) or the Penobscot Bay Press (www.calendar.penobscotbaypress.com) and WERU’s (www.weru.org/calendar‎) event listings.

Please note that the information below is based on a “normal” year. Please refer to each individual outfit’s website for the latest on what’s open/available.
Here’s  the hostel staff´s pick for things to do in the area:

– Local farm products and coffee shops
Deer Isle has its own coffee roaster! Megan and Melissa run 44 North Coffee in Deer Isle Village, a organic, free trade coffee shop with freshly roasted coffee from around the world. Summertime they also have a cafe in downtown Stonington, open 7 days a week serving mean ice coffee and sweet treats. Highly recommended!
– Check out Yellow Birch Farm on the Reach Road, for fresh produce, eggs and artisan goat dairy products.
– There are two weekly farmers markets. The Stonington Market is open Fridays, 10 to noon. The Deer Isle Night Market is open Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm.

 – Water activities such as kayaking and canoeing.
The towns on Deer Isle contain about 80 small islands in addition to the main island.  It’s an amazing paradise in summer for boating. If you bring your own boat we can guide you to over a dozen public launching spots.
As of now there are no place to rent kayaks/canoes on Deer Isle. For guided kayaking trips, see www.driftwoodkayak.com

– Bike riding
The roads around the Island can get quite busy during the summer, but there are back roads and many beautiful places, ponds and beaches to visit, all easily accessible by bike. The Hostel has a number of fine old English bikes, which guests can borrow.

– Hiking
Next to the Hostel is the Tennis Preserve, a 100+ acre nature preserve set  on the shoreline with several  miles of hiking trails.  This nature preserve and others on the Island are maintained by Island Heritage Trust. www.islandheritagetrust.org There are shorter trails scattered around the Island as well as the nearest main land. See www.bluehillheritagetrust.org

– Acadia National Park can be reached by car (about 2h one way) for a day trip of hiking.
Isle au Haut is one of the most beautiful and least visited parts of Acadia. It can be reached by ferry
from Stonington on the southern end of Deer Isle. www.isleauhaut.com

-Pizza nights at Tinder Hearth Bakery
Tinder Hearth Bakery is a collective in Brooksville, about 50 min drive from the Hostel. They bake organic bread and hosts pizza nights several times/week. You do need to call ahead and reserve your pizza, maybe even days in advance! Nearby is a nature sanctuary with hiking trails and picnic area. www.tinderhearth.org

– Nervous Nellies Jams and Jellies
This café/jam and jelly kitchen/sculpture park deserves it’s own listing over things to do on Deer Isle. Half a mile down the road from us opens a whole new world of creatures and animals, knights and castles, blues musicians and convenience store owners, all while the smell of home made jams, jellies and chutney lingers around the spruce trees. Ann and Peter run this small business where you can sample the goodies, drink tea or coffee, buy gifts to bring back home and wander the woods constantly finding new hidden sculpture treasures. www.nervousnellies.com

– Solidago School of Herbalism
Brighid Doherty, a local herbalist, offers classes, tours and lectures throughout the summer, some of them at the Hostel! Check out her website for more info.