Stonington publishes new tourism guide ahead of Puffin Passages & Pride
Publication is first of four guides aimed at summer activities and also shoulder seasons
Stonington is welcoming visitors with open arms, thanks to a new series of guides. The town hosts its Puffin Passages & Pride events this week. Photo by Unsplash.
June 15, 2026
By Staff
STONINGTON –The Town of Stonington and its Main Street Committee, comprised of more than 40 local, year-round businesses, has announced a new series of guides highlighting the island, its natural beauty, businesses, and special activities in the shoulder seasons: Early Spring, Early Summer, Late Fall, and Early Winter.
The launch of the first guide coincides with the island’s early summer extended weekend, Puffin Passages & Pride, June 17-21. Visitors for the special weekend are encouraged to reserve for and arrive the evening of Wednesday, June 17 to fully experience the town and this year’s special, puffin-related events during the height of the bird’s breeding season on nearby Seal Island, the state’s largest nesting colony of Atlantic Puffins managed by the Audubon Seabird Institute.
The annual celebration coincides with Pride festivities and the opening of the summer’s first mainstage production at the town’s iconic Opera House. Each of the available guides can be downloaded by following the unique QR codes on the attached flyer or from the home page of the own website.
“We’re grateful to have received a Maine Office of Tourism Enterprise Marketing Grant to create these interactive guides,” said Linda Nelson, Stonington’s Economic & Community Development Director. “We are an island of small, entrepreneurial businesses. Our owner/operators often don’t have the capacity to create the type of high quality, interactive marketing assets this grant facilitated.”
Puffin Passages & Pride launches with an opening reception and special talk by local naturalist Laura Blandford on Wednesday, June 17, at 6 pm at the Granite Museum at 51 Main Street as she works with a live puffin cam feed to describe some of the history of the Seal Island bird colony and behaviors tour goers might observe. Blandford researched sea birds for her graduate degree at the University of Maine.
Mid-June is peak time for viewing breeding puffins. Special guided Puffin Tours leave from the Isle au Haut Boat Company dock at 1 pm, the first on Saturday, June 20 and the second on Sunday, June 21. The tours fill up quickly. Reservations may be made through the Isle au Haut Boat Company or by calling 207-367-5193.
The week also includes the opening of Opera House Arts’ first summer 2026 mainstage production at the 1912 Stonington Opera House, on the National Register of Historic Places. “Outside Mullingar” is a play by acclaimed playwright John Patrick Shanley in an original production directed by the Opera House’s Artistic Director Kathryn Markey. The play opens Wednesday, June 17 at 6 pm in a special “pay what you can” performance, and includes performances Thursday through Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. Tickets are available at the Opera House website.
Throughout the weekend visitors and residents will be able to drop by Island Approaches on Main Street for all things puffin.
Puffin Passages coincides each year with Island Pride. Island Pride includes a round-the-island motorcade Saturday, June 20 starting at 2 pm at the Stonington Ballfield, followed by an evening celebration at Deer Isle Music Hall and BBQ from 6 - 9 p.m featuring special guest speakers Representative Holly Eaton and Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey.
Puffin Passages & Pride: Exploring Penobscot Bay’s Wildlife Haven is coordinated and sponsored by the Town of Stonington and the following local businesses: 27 Fathoms Waterfront Grille, Boyce’s Motel, Deer Isle Adult & Community Education, the Isle au Haut Boat Company and Opera House Arts.
For more information on the Town of Stonington and its year-round business community and opportunities for visitors, as well as a one-sheet on its Economic Resiliency Strategy and to download the new interactive seasonal guides, visit the Stonington town website.
