The Ark

The Ark Known as Pilgrim's Inn from 1977–2026. We are historic inn featuring waterfront dining and overnight stays in Deer Isle, Maine.

Overlooking picturesque Northwest Harbor and our tranquil mill pond, Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle, is the perfect place to experience Downeast Maine at its best. Built in 1793, our historic post and beam Maine inn welcomes you with an ambiance and warmth of a bygone era. Lovingly restored and meticulously maintained, the inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of In

ns Along the Coast of Maine. Twelve rooms and three cottages offer you a range of lodging options to best meet your needs from mid - May through mid - October. Our location on beautiful Deer Isle Maine in Penobscot Bay will offer you unlimited activities to fill your day. From kayaking our rocky shoreline, to eating fresh lobster, exploring our many art galleries or just relaxing in a comfortable Adirondack chair, you’ll find out why Deer Isle has enticed visitors to this area for generations.

For more than forty years, Sedgwick painter Colby Pert has painted the boats, wildlife, and coastal landscapes of Maine....
06/23/2026

For more than forty years, Sedgwick painter Colby Pert has painted the boats, wildlife, and coastal landscapes of Maine. A fisherman, carpenter, and cabinetmaker, he works from photographs and paints on rough-sawn wooden boards, returning to familiar scenes and subjects again and again over the years: Trap Day, Home by Dark, Winter Fishin’, The Haddock Net, There’s Work Today, and Saving the Last of the Crew.

The titles tell much of the story. These are paintings shaped by a lifetime spent around boats, weather, and work on the water.

Come check them out. On view at The Ark through July 14.

Chef Lucy Gibbon’s menu debuted in our Dining Room this weekend, weaving together her experience as a New York chef, her...
06/22/2026

Chef Lucy Gibbon’s menu debuted in our Dining Room this weekend, weaving together her experience as a New York chef, her family’s roots in the South, and the bounty of our local farms.


Guests have been savoring in a buttermilk-brined, country-fried rabbit; a salad of little gems, fennel and sultanas with chowchow dressing; Rainbow Farm pork shoulder slow cooked in molasses and whole grain mustard, a take on the classic Southern oyster stew with toast, and much, much more. Lucy brings an infectious energy and joy to her work and to our kitchen.

Chef Lucy’s menu runs through July 14. Join us in the Dining Room and indulge in a Southern-inspired take on the best coastal Maine has to offer.

An old building is only as good as the people who look after it. One of them is Megan Gamboa and her family of JM Painti...
06/14/2026

An old building is only as good as the people who look after it. One of them is Megan Gamboa and her family of JM Painting.

This spring, they helped refresh the interiors.

As paint was removed from banisters, stairways, and built-ins, layers of the building’s history began to emerge. Traces of old colors revealed just how many times these spaces have been cared for over the last 200-plus years.

Old buildings leave clues. They can be found in worn surfaces, old photographs, forgotten details, and sometimes in the layers of paint themselves.

Megan understands this instinctively. A paint-splattered service area, inspired by one at the Haskell House, became one small way of carrying an old idea forward.

Over the past few months, Megan and her family have worked around guests, contractors, and opening deadlines to help care for this place. We are grateful for their craftsmanship, dedication, and partnership.

An old building is only as good as the people who look after it. One of them is Megan Gamboa and her family of JM Painti...
06/14/2026

An old building is only as good as the people who look after it. One of them is Megan Gamboa and her family of JM Painting.

This spring, they helped refresh the interiors.

As paint was removed from banisters, stairways, and built-ins, layers of the building’s history began to emerge. Traces of old colors revealed just how many times these spaces have been cared for over the last 200-plus years.

Old buildings leave clues. They can be found in worn surfaces, old photographs, forgotten details, and sometimes in the layers of paint themselves.

Megan understands this instinctively. A paint-splattered service area, inspired by one we saw while visiting Phil’s Haskell House, became one small way of carrying an old idea forward.

Over the past few months, Megan and her family have worked around guests, contractors, and opening deadlines to help care for this place. We are grateful for their craftsmanship, dedication, and partnership.

We are excited to announce our Chef in Residence series begins on June 19th. Over the course of the season, we’ll have f...
06/07/2026

We are excited to announce our Chef in Residence series begins on June 19th. Over the course of the season, we’ll have four residencies with five chefs who will bring diverse perspectives and vibrant flavors to this slice of Maine’s incredible bounty.

Kicking off our series is Lucy Gibson, a Brooklyn based chef who stayed with us as guest last fall. We are thrilled to welcome her back to The Ark as a member of our team. A graduate of Brown University and the Culinary Institute of America, Lucy was the Executive Chef at Rockefeller Center’s Jupiter, and the Sous Chef at King, considered one of New York’s best restaurants by The New York Times.

Chef Lucy’s menu will run through July 16th, combining a love of relaxed, European home-cooking with nods to her family’s Southern heritage. Snag a reservation so you don’t miss a joyful menu that will celebrate all the deliciousness this time of year has to offer.

In the meantime, join us in the Dining Room or Tavern for local favorites and new additions to our team’s menu.

Illustration by

Two good reasons to enjoy our new landscaping this Thursday—and every Thursday: pizza and oysters. Our Thursday pop-ups ...
06/01/2026

Two good reasons to enjoy our new landscaping this Thursday—and every Thursday: pizza and oysters.

Our Thursday pop-ups start this week, featuring wood-fired pizzas from Deer Isle’s own as well as a rotating oyster raw bar brought to you by a selection of Maine oyster farms. On the first Thursday of each month, will be serving delicious, local oysters. And we’ll be running a full bar program.

Join us on Thursday from 5–8:30pm for a bite and beverage. No reservations required.

We are thrilled to welcome our team, guests, and community back to The Ark. While we've restored a name rooted in histor...
06/01/2026

We are thrilled to welcome our team, guests, and community back to The Ark. While we've restored a name rooted in history, many hands have been at work refreshing this special slice of Deer Isle.

New walkways make for more accessible approaches to the inn and restaurant, and the reintroduction of native species like birch and blueberry anchor us in this place. Our landscape architects from We Are STIMSON and contractors at Northwoods Granite and Landscapes made sure every new addition to our grounds felt as natural and meant to be as possible.

Long before Deer Isle was famous for lobster, the island was known for its granite. Thanks to a generous donation by Mark Cormier, The Ark's new landscaping incorporates stone from here.

It takes a village to create a place as special as this, and we are lucky to have partners who share our vision for a more accessible and sustainable Ark.

We’re working on making The Ark more accessible and are on the hunt for Deer Isle granite.Seems like there’s plenty of g...
04/15/2026

We’re working on making The Ark more accessible and are on the hunt for Deer Isle granite.

Seems like there’s plenty of granite on Deer Isle until you actually want some.

We’re looking for large offcuts, leftovers, or forgotten blocks that might be waiting for a new purpose. It feels right to build with what’s already here.

If you have extra granite blocks you’d be open to parting with, we’d love to give them a new life here at The Ark.

Delighted to be featured in the Stylish Getaways issue—especially as we’re refreshing the inn’s interiors and landscapi...
04/08/2026

Delighted to be featured in the Stylish Getaways issue—especially as we’re refreshing the inn’s interiors and landscaping for the season ahead.

The piece focuses on our Chef in Residence series and the chefs who shape each moment here. We have one residency spot still open for this season—if it speaks to you, we’d love to connect. DM us or email [email protected].

Words by
Images by
Food by and chefs in residence and

Meet Jeremy Hansen, Head Chef at The Ark.Chef Jeremy brings a deep commitment to community to his work—grounded in servi...
04/03/2026

Meet Jeremy Hansen, Head Chef at The Ark.
Chef Jeremy brings a deep commitment to community to his work—grounded in service, care, and a belief that food can nourish whole communities. His approach is rooted in going deep: building real relationships with farmers, fishermen, and makers, and letting the seasons guide what’s on the plate.
He leads the kitchen at the inn and is shaping our Chef in Residence series—welcoming other chefs into The Ark and weaving their perspectives into the story of this place.
A dad, a mentor, and someone who believes a meal can do more than feed you—it can connect you to place and stay with you.
We’re really happy he’s here, and we can’t wait to share what makes this place so delicious again in our second season.
Dinner reservations will open in the weeks ahead—keep an eye here for more.

Address

20 Main Street
Deer Isle, ME
04627

Opening Hours

Monday 4pm - 8:30pm
Tuesday 4pm - 8:30pm
Thursday 4pm - 8:30pm
Friday 4pm - 8:30pm
Saturday 4pm - 8:30pm
Sunday 4pm - 8:30pm

Telephone

+12073486615

Website

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