The old Maine saying "You can't get there from here" turns out to be mostly untrue as far as the islands of Casco Bay are concerned. Casco Bay Lines' ferries depart from Portland year-round for Cliff, Great Chebeague, Great Diamond, Little Diamond, Long, and Peaks (774-7871; www.cascobaylines.com; round-trip to Peaks, $6). Great Chebeague, the largest, has its own ferry, the Chebeague Transportation Company, which departs from Cousins Island, connected to the mainland by a causeway (846-3700; round-trip, $12).

The smaller islands can be reached only by private boat or water taxi. Several—including Little Chebeague and Jewell—are state parks and are available for camping and/or hiking. Captain Gene Willard, who runs the Portland Express Water Taxi, has a story for almost every island in the bay (415-8493). Maine Lady Taxi is also reliable (671-8930).

The best time to explore is summer, the heartbreakingly short season from Fourth of July to Labor Day. Rooms are easier to book before and after, in the less hectic months of June and September.

The area code for Maine is 207. Prices quoted are for July, which is high season; tour rates are per person. Many businesses close in winter.

Lodging
Most people summering for more than a week arrange rentals through Portland agencies such as Port Island Realty (766-5966; www.portisland.com) and Ashmore Realty (766-5702; www.ashmorerealty.com). According to Angel Michaels at Ashmore, $1,000 to $1,200 is the average weekly price for a two- or three-bedroom house with a view of the water.

One of the nicest B&Bs is the Inn on Peaks Island (766-5100; www.theinnonpeaksisland.com; doubles, $229–$250). Long Island's Chestnut Hill Inn is also superb (766-5272; www.chestnuthillinn.com; doubles, $100–$155). On Great Chebeague, attractive rooms can be had at Sunset House (846-6568; www.sunsethousebnb.com; doubles, $115–$125).

The big kahuna of summer hotels is the Chebeague Island Inn, a grand old place overlooking the ocean. It has a small golf course; simple, minimalist rooms; and a kitchen that does brilliant work with local seafood (846-5155; www.chebeagueislandinn.com; doubles, $185–$265; entrées, $20–$35).

Dining
Diners and lobster shacks are the culinary mainstays on the islands—with a single, extraordinary exception: the Diamond's Edge, in the former Fort McKinley, on Great Diamond. Accessible via water taxi or the ferry from Portland, it serves imaginative food, again focused on local fish and lobster (766-5850; entrées, $20–$32).

The Cockeyed Gull, on Peaks Island—also fine if less elegant—is open most days for all three meals (766-2800; entrées, $12–$22).

For a down-to-earth summer classic, go in search of the perfect Maine lobster roll, best enjoyed with a side of onion rings and a large iced tea. Virtually every lobster shack has a version. The one to beat is at DiMillo's, a floating restaurant in a converted car ferry (772-2216; lobster roll, $14).

Touring
Peace and quiet are the islands' stock-in-trade, but there are more than a few adventures: Go ballooning with Hot Fun (799-0193; www.hotfunballoons.com; up to three hours, $250) or, for shorter flights with more passengers, Balloon Rides (800-952-2076; www.hotairballoon.com; one hour, $225).

Any lobsters you haul up aboard the Lucky Catch can be prepared for lunch or dinner at a local restaurant (233-2026; www.luckycatch.com; 90-minute lobster cruise, $20).

Www.Mainemuseums.org lists museums, heritage tours, and more, but it omits the lighthouse-themed Museum at Portland Head Light, on the mainland (799-2661; www.portlandheadlight.com), and the Umbrella Cover Museum, on Peaks Island (766-4496; www.umbrellacovermuseum.org).

The Maine Island Kayak Company, on Peaks Island, has a variety of adventures, classes, and kayak clinics (800-796-2373; www.maineislandkayak.com). Or board the Bagheera, in Portland's Long Wharf, for a schooner tour of Casco Bay (766-2500; www.portlandschooner.com; two-hour sail, $28).

Reading
Many Maine guidebooks include the islands of Casco Bay, usually as part of the section on Portland. The most helpful and well-researched include Maine: An Explorer's Guide (Countryman Press, $20) and The Coast of Maine Book (Countryman Press, $19). The region's best-known author is probably Sarah Orne Jewett, whose classic novella, The Country of the Pointed Firs, is set in Casco Bay.