I’m back on Monhegan for the first time in 25 years, equally stunned by the beauty and by my stupidity for not coming back earlier and more often. Monhegan is a small island 14 miles off the coast of Maine. Access is by ferry; 1- 2 hours from Portland to one of the ferries, then an hour across. This has been a famous art colony since the late 1800s, with the three Wyeths, George Bellows, Edward Hopper and Rockwell Kent the best known.
100 years ago, Maine had over 300 islands with year-round inhabitants. Today there are 14. Monhegan remains one of them, thanks to some luck and the dedication of its inhabitants. 30 years ago the population was barely 50, today almost 100.
Native Americans knew but never settled it. Samoset startled the Plymouth Colony in 1621 when he walked in and said “Welcome Englishmen”. He learned the language on Monhegan from English fishers.
To compare Monhegan to a larger, better-known island, Nantucket:
Monhegan is ~5% the size, has ~0.5% the population, is ~5 times more beautiful, and has infinitely fewer billionaires.
The season starts before Memorial Day, ends mid-October. There are two fine, comfortable hotels (Monhegan House and Island Inn). Eileen and I stayed at the Island Inn. A small, partial water view room in this shoulder season was $300, including an excellent, made-to-order full American
breakfast (food on the island is simple, local and consistently wonderful). Lovely room, luxurious linens, spacious bathroom. There are also a number of smaller inns and airbnb type places.
Both hotels have really fine restaurants. Both are BYOB, no corkage charge. There are also some cafes, all BYOB. Two stores sell wine, the selections are very limited. If you come here and love wine, bring it with you! Eileen and I brought two reds for two nights and I bought a good bottle of white at the Island Store. It can’t be a coincidence that 5 of their ~40 selections had whales on the labels, including the Patagonian Sauvignon Blanc I chose.
Unless you are a painter, this is a place to be, not do.
Please note that cars are not allowed except for the year-round residents.
There are 15-20 miles of stunningly beautiful trails. The Cliff Trail circumnavigation is ~5 miles. At 78 years of age I found just half of it challenging, nobody will find it boring. Do not take it lightly! Get the trail map and read it before you go; there are scrambles, slippery rocks, cliffs and tides.
The Lighthouse museum ($10 entry) has millions worth of great paintings you can contemplate at your leisure, probably with nobody else there. I love Rockwell Kent and there is a stunning seascape, part of Jamie Wyeth’s personal collection.
Speaking of painting, there are almost a dozen artist’s studios that can be visited (plan ahead) and several really excellent galleries.
This is an extraordinarily beautiful place, easy-going and very welcoming.