Visitor’s Guide
Coming for a visit? Here’s our guide to ensure a delightful and delicious journey.
In 1850, there were near-daily steamships from Boston to Pembroke. These days you’ll likely arrive via an overland route. Having a vehicle during your visit will be helpful, as there are exciting things to see, spread out a bit.
If you are coming to camp, be sure you register for your site on Hipcamp.
Here’s the detailed Welcome Handbook that we share with all visitors and campers. Download it to your phone, or better yet—print it out, keep it on your lap during your road trip Downeast.
Please remember, you must email us to pre-arrange a tour of the farm, for any size group.
How to Get Here
By air
Pembroke, ME is halfway between Lubec and Eastport on Cobscook Bay. The closest airports are Bangor and Bar Harbor (US) and Saint Johns New Brunswick (Canada). All airports are about 2 hours drive from the farm.
By bus
You can take the Coastal Connection West Bus from Bangor-Ellsworth.
By car
If you are coming by car from points south, it is a lot faster if you use the big Highway 95 via Bangor, and then come east on Route 9. Also known as “The Airline Highway,” Route 9 is very serene and forested, but keep your eyes on the road because everyone is driving very fast.
Route 1 is charming and wonderful—it just takes a lot longer. A good compromise is to come via Bangor, and then cut down on the 192 to Machias, our Washington County seat.
If you are coming through Ellsworth on Route 1, we recommend a nice road called Route 183 over Tunk Mountain through Sullivan, particularly during the leaf season. Otherwise, you can continue on Route 1 through Machias.
Recommendations
Map
GPS does not always get service on the Airline Highway. We recommend you buy a Gazetteer map so you won’t suffer the feeling of being lost—the paper map is useful for making sense of this quite complicated coastline.
What to Eat Along the Way
Use our Eat Downeast! digital map to find local food producers of Washington County—more than 140 farms, farmstands, restaurants, fresh seafood, and more!
What to bring
Packing List
- Wool socks — Recommended in all seasons, there are bugs here!
- Clothing layers of all kids — for warm weather and cool weather
- Cooler — bring an extra cooler and you can pick up some clams or frozen scallops, frozen meat, or blueberries to bring home with you from Washington County.
- Jug for transporting potable water to your site
- Sturdy hiking boots
- A bicycle if you have one
- A portable camp stove or a grate for cooking over a fire
- Binoculars for watching birds and seals!
Provisions
We recommend you bring provisions for your picnics as there are very few dining options in our part of the world.
The closest village with services is Machias, where you’ll find Machias Marketplace, Hannaford, and many banks, hardware stores, and gas stations.
Beyond Machias there is the Whiting Store (gas and convenience), Pembroke Freshies (gas and convenience) and the Dollar General in Pembroke. And of course, Smithereen Farm Store.
The other close towns with grocery stores are Eastport (IGA), Perry (Farmers Union), Lubec (IGA), and Calais (Trade Winds, basically a Hannaford).
- Rockland: Good Tern Coop
- Rockport: Fresh off the Farm
- Belfast: Belfast Coop, Cheese Shop, Chase’s Daily
- Blue Hill: Blue Hill Coop
- Machias: Machias Marketplace
- Bangor: Tiller and Rye, Brewer, or Bangor Natural Living Center
- Edmunds: Long Lost Farmstand and Tide Mill Farm milk fridge
- Lubec: Lubec Brewery, Claire’s Bakery (she just opened her own storefront!), H&D Seafood
- Perry: East Bay Seafood
