Blue Hill (Maine)

Blue Hill  is a small town in Hancock County, in the US state of Maine, located on Blue Hill Bay, about 14 miles southwest of the county seat of Ellsworth and quite near Acadia National Park.

Understand
The population is less than 2,500 people, but Blue Hill is quite busy during the summer tourist season. Visit historic houses and art galleries, shop for antiques, and view the small harbor. There is also a small local hospital on Water Street and a newspaper, The Weekly Packet. Additional information is available from the Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce located at 28 Water Street. Tel: +1 207 374-3242.

By air
Nearest major airports are the Hancock County - Bar Harbor Airport near Ellsworth (about 20 miles), Bangor International Airport in Bangor (about 30 miles) and Portland International Jetport in Portland (about 120 miles). Even if you fly, you'll need to rent a car at one of these airports.

By car
You will most likely enter Maine on Interstate 95, especially if you are coming from southern New England or U.S. points beyond. The standard routes to Downeast Maine are to either follow I-95 to the capital, Augusta, and then to break east on state highways, or to leave I-95 around Brunswick, Maine, and follow U.S. 1 north along the coast toward Ellsworth and Bar Harbor. The drive along U.S. 1 is typically more scenic, but also generally slower.

By boat
Blue Hill does have a pretty tidal harbor on Blue Hill Bay that is fairly sheltered from the open ocean. The K.Y.C. yacht club welcomes members of other yacht clubs, to drop anchor there and to come ashore. K.Y.C., however, is located some distance from the center of town, and it might be preferable to ask for a ride to go shopping. There are several boat yards in Blue Hill, offering their services. By road, Blue Hill is approximately 45 minutes away from Bar Harbor. The high-speed car ferry "The Cat" links Bar Harbor with Yarmouth (Nova Scotia, Canada).

Get around
You'll generally travel around the Blue Hill area by car, as public transportation in the Blue Hill area is nonexistent and the main grocery store, Tradewinds Marketplace, is most of a mile up a steep hill.

Traffic during the summer months is incredibly busy (by Blue Hill standards), although seekers of solitude might want to visit from October to April, when the tourists and summer residents haven't come up yet.

There is a public transportation system serving Blue Hill and Hancock County. It is called Downeast Transportation. This service is offered Monday through Friday, to and from Ellsworth, the county seat. Connections can be made to other parts of the county-wide network.

Buy
There are a number of art galleries and antique shops in the area. Yard sales are popular in the summer. Look for roadside signs.



Eat
Situated right on the ocean and in Maine, fresh seafood is widely available and often a specialty here. There are few chain restaurants in town, so you should be prepared to eat at local establishments, unless you want to drive in to Ellsworth. Here are a few:



Sleep
Blue Hill has a number of inns and bed and breakfasts. Even more numerous than those options, however, are private vacation homes for rent, although for many these are cost-prohibitive. Blue Hill is typical of Downeast Maine in this regard. You often have more choices of lodging in renting private homes than you do for motels, hotels and inns, especially in small towns like Blue Hill. Backpackers and those looking to take the path less travelled, camping out on their own are unlikely to be hassled, as long as they pack light and keep out of sight of houses. The edges of blueberry fields are excellent in this regard.

Go next

 * Acadia National Park - the first National Park east of the Mississippi. Busy during tourist season but one of the most beautiful parts of the Maine coast.
 * Bar Harbor
 * Ellsworth - the local center for shopping.
 * Mount Desert Island