3 Best Places to Shop in Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island

About 100 yards from the entrance to Acadia National Park's Schoodic District is the production facility and year-round store for this brand of paraben- and sulfate-free all-natural soaps. While the soaps are sold at retailers throughout New England, you can also buy Prospect Harbor's other products, like wild blueberry shea butter/ jojoba lotion, Vagabond men's bath items, and soy candles in the shiplap-walled shop. There are also apple jams and maple syrup made by other small Maine businesses, and in the fall, the owner's honey until it's sold out.

Hand-cast bronze doorbells and wind chimes are among the items sold at this longtime Prospect Harbor studio. You can also buy finely crafted quilts, wood-fired pottery, and fine cabinetry and furniture made by the owner's family, as well as cards, wild blueberry jam, jewelry, and such by other Maine artisans. Ask for a tour of the foundry---you might even catch a "pour," done several times a week. Open June to mid-October and otherwise by chance or appointment.

Wendilee Heath O’Brien's paintings in watercolor, oil, pastel, Asian ink, and kinpakku (Japanese traditional gold leaf) are sold at her studio gallery, where visitors often catch the artist at work and are welcome to listen in if she's teaching a class. Many works depict Down East landscapes, perhaps with people or children in the scene, but her repertoire includes abstract works, still lifes, and portraiture. A whimsical garden path leads to this year-round gallery behind the artist’s home on Winter Harbor’s Main Street. Notecards featuring her work (buy 10 and get one free!) and another artist's pottery are also sold.