Stonington is a real harbor town, not a postcard of one. Lobster boats leave before light. The galleries open late morning. The ferry to Isle au Haut runs from the pier two streets down.
Stonington sits at the bottom of Deer Isle, about as far down the coast as the road goes. It is still a working harbor, one of the busiest lobster ports in the state, and it has not been tidied up for visitors. That is the whole appeal.
We'll tell you where the good coffee is, which trail to walk at low tide, and when the fog is worth waiting out. Here is where most people start.
Walk down before breakfast and watch the boats head out. The co-op sells lobster off the dock in the afternoon if you have a kitchen to get back to.
Two small galleries within walking distance, and a printmaker's studio that keeps odd hours. The island has drawn artists for a hundred years.
The mailboat runs from the pier two streets down to the quiet half of Acadia, where there are more trails than people. Pack a lunch.
When the tide goes out it opens up a different town. Ask us for the route along the shore. Boots, not sneakers.
The busy side of the park is about forty minutes by car. Go early, come back for dinner, skip the crowds in between.
Some mornings the harbor disappears entirely. Those are the good ones. Coffee on the porch and wait for it to lift.
Most people come between April and October, when the light is long and the water is busy. We stay open through the winter too, for the kind of guest who wants the town to themselves and the fire going.