Bakeman Beach derives its name from the Bakeman family who settled in Brooksville, following Maine's tradition of naming coastal features after early families establishing homesteads in this picturesque town on the Blue Hill Peninsula in Penobscot Bay. The beach sits in Brooksville, one of seven towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula including Blue Hill, Brooklin, Castine, Penobscot, Sedgwick, and Surry, located in Downeast Maine where rolling fields and woodlands meet coves and harbors at the mouth of the Bagaduce River. Brooksville developed as a fishing and farming community with several villages including Harborside on Cape Rosier, South Brooksville home to Buck's Harbor Market and the white steepled church made famous by Robert McCloskey's illustrations in Blueberries for Sal, and Brooksville Corner. Shellfishing, aquaculture, farming, lumbering, and lobstering have played important roles in the region's economy and culture since the earliest days, with Buck's Harbor featuring a deep protected cove where working and recreational waterfronts coexist. The Blue Hill Peninsula serves as gateway to Little Deer Isle, Deer Isle, and Stonington, creating a scenic region known for traditional Maine coastal culture, artisan communities, and spectacular Penobscot Bay views where granite shorelines, spruce forests, and island-studded waters define the quintessential Downeast Maine landscape.
Beachcombing along Bakeman Beach reveals smooth stones polished by Penobscot Bay tides, sea glass, shells from productive Gulf of Maine waters, and driftwood. Wildlife watching provides opportunities to observe harbor seals and gray seals on offshore ledges, bald eagles nesting throughout the peninsula and soaring overhead, ospreys diving for fish, and common eiders, black guillemots, and cormorants along shorelines. Migratory shorebirds stop during spring and fall passages. Lobster boats work waters year-round harvesting Maine's iconic crustacean. Kayaking around Brooksville provides access to quiet coves, the Bagaduce River's reversing falls where tidal currents create turbulent waters, and neighboring islands. Fishing from shore yields striped bass, mackerel, and flounder. Views capture Penobscot Bay's island-studded waters, the dramatic granite coastline, and on clear days Acadia National Park's mountains visible across the bay. The beach provides peaceful atmosphere characteristic of traditional Maine coastal villages where working waterfronts and summer retreats coexist in century-old farmhouses and modest homes preserving authentic Downeast character.
Brooksville dining offers authentic Maine coastal cuisine. Tinder Hearth at 1452 Coastal Road serves wood-fired European-style bread, pizza, and pastries year-round with popular pizza nights in gardens Tuesday through Friday during summer featuring dine-in and takeout. Buck's Restaurant at 6 Cornfield Hill Road combines fine dining with friendly casual service Wednesday through Saturday evenings from 5:30 to 8:30 featuring inventive dishes with freshly caught seafood, premium meats, and locally grown produce plus a raw bar stocked with Penobscot Bay oysters and clams. Bagaduce Lunch next to the reversing falls on the Bagaduce River offers clam shrimp haddock and scallop baskets with onion rings, hot dogs, burgers, and chicken fingers. Nearby Blue Hill features Thai restaurant, Arborvine Fine Dining, and Marlintini's at 83 Mines Road. Sow's Ear Brewery at 7 Rope Ferry Road in Sedgwick serves local brews and stone-hearth pizza with outdoor seating and bi-weekly live music. Bakeman Beach attracts residents of Brooksville, kayakers exploring Penobscot Bay, beachcombers, and visitors experiencing authentic Downeast Maine coastal culture on the Blue Hill Peninsula where lobstering traditions, artisan communities, and spectacular natural beauty create the quintessential Maine coastal experience immortalized in Robert McCloskey's classic children's book Blueberries for Sal.
