Your Guide to Ellsworth Maine: The Best Things to Do in Ellsworth

Despite the Maine axiom, “You can’t get there from here”, this is certainly not the case for the city of Ellsworth. Served by US Route 1, travelers can continue through Ellsworth further Downeast, following US Route 1A north to Bangor or take US Route 3 to Mount Desert Island.

Ellsworth is the perfect stop for those touring the Maine coast for vacation. Travelers can easily find numerous lodging accommodations in Ellsworth thanks to the main routes passing through the city. Between brand name hotels, motels, or cottage rentals, finding a place to stay in Ellsworth is easy.

Like many Maine communities, Ellsworth has a lot of history. After the Great Fire during The Depression, which destroyed much of the downtown commercial district, planners had completely redesigned the layout of the city creating a more easily navigable village as well as adding Ellsworth’s shopping district.

Today, High Street in the Downtown area is titled the largest shopping district in Hancock County. Despite the fire during a difficult economical era, today the city of Ellsworth is flourishing – making this city perfect for a vacation or weekend getaway to the Downeast region.  

There are tons of things to do in Ellsworth. Visitors will find themselves torn by the many choices for area attractions. Anyone with an itch to revel in nature can find both hiking and biking routes within the city as well as maintained trails in the Stanwood Wildlife bird sanctuary. Visitors can trek 200 acres of diverse terrain and observe wildlife or find a place for a picnic.

Alternatively, Woodlawn Museum offers a day of fun with doors open for sightseeing tours of the historic house as well as lawn space to play croquet, walk the beautiful gardens, or stop to picnic. The Woodlawn Estate also has snowmobile trails for winter recreation. Bring the kids to Knowlton Park, a six acre open space natural park, the park hosts a big screen movie night on Thursdays during the summer months. In the winter, Knowlton Park is host to a public ice skating rink for all to enjoy.

The Telephone Museum is also worth a visit for young and old alike. Telecommunication devices of old are displayed for exhibition, some of which are just for show, while some antiquated devices are actually functioning. How fun it is for the kids to see the first real phones, and the progression from dial phones to today. Another popular attraction is the historic Grand Auditorium which hosts comedy acts including Maine’s Bob Marley, music concerts, or musical plays. 

Though Ellsworth is not technically a coastal town, this is the place for water exploration. Abutting the Union River, Ellsworth’s waterfront is open for boat launches. For those without a boat, Ellsworth has its share of boat rentals convenient for those with a hankering to get out on the canoe or kayak to explore the brooks and bends of the river. The Ellsworth waterfront is not exclusive to boaters however. This area is a perfect place to attend a free waterfront concert or picnic.