CLOSE-UP ON Brunswick, Maine
Home to elite Bowdoin College, Brunswick has figured prominently in the lives of such notables as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Joshua Chamberlain, and George Mitchell, and one might expect it to be a bit stuffy. It's not. Balancing the college intellectuals are Brunswick Naval Air Station personnel, Bath Iron Works employees, gentrified retirees, and counterculture entrepreneurs. The result is a vibrant downtown, with a thriving main street lined with eclectic shops and restaurants, and an energetic arts community with diverse offerings and five downtown museums.
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Smack downtown is the handsome, mid-19th-century Greek Revival-style Brunswick Inn on Park Row (165 Park Row, 800-299-4914, brunswickbnb.com, doubles start at $125), previously known as the Brunswick B&B, with spacious rooms, a wine bar, and an art gallery. The inn offers a full breakfast. On the edge of downtown, sandwiched between Route 1 and the Androscoggin River, is the full-service Captain Daniel Stone Inn (10 Water St., 877-573-5151, captaindanielstone inn.com, doubles $79-$250 depending on the season) with rooms in both the Federal-style original home, dating from the early 1800s, and a newer wing. Rates include an expanded continental breakfast. Less than 10 minutes from downtown, but a world away, is Middle Bay Farm Bed and Breakfast (287 Pennellville Road, 207-373-1375, middlebayfarm.com, rooms and suites $150-$190), an elegantly restored 1834 home on 5 1/2 dreamy acres fronting on Middle Bay, the site of the former Pennell Brothers Shipyard. The adjacent sail-loft cottage has two two-bedroom suites with kitchenettes. A full breakfast is included with all accommodations. Over the bridge in Topsham, the riverfront Black Lantern Bed & Breakfast (57 Elm St., Topsham, 888-306-4165, blacklanternbandb.com, doubles $95-$110), a comfy home with handmade quilts topping the beds, is in walking distance of both Topsham's and Brunswick's downtown shops and restaurants.Do
Bowdoin College (Maine Street and Bath Road, 207-725-3000, bowdoin.edu) is home to two excellent and free museums. Enter the recently renovated Bowdoin Museum of Art through its stunning new glass-and-brass pavilion. Inside are 14 galleries, with permanent and rotating exhibitions. Follow in the snowshoe steps of Bowdoin graduates Robert E. Peary's and Donald B. MacMillan's expeditions to the North Pole at the Perry-MacMillan Arctic Museum. Off campus the Pejepscot Historical Society (207-729-6606) operates the Pejepscot Museum (159 Park Row, year round), documenting local history; the adjacent Skolfield-Whittier House (161 Park Row), a 1925 time capsule; and Chamberlain Museum (226 Maine St., April through October), honoring former Maine governor and Civil War hero Joshua Chamberlain.Spend
Thinking green? F.W. Horch (56 Maine St., 207-729-4050) sells practical products for sustainable living. Pick up a good read at Gulf of Maine Books (134 Maine St., 207-729-5083), an independent, alternative bookstore. Color and creativity make browsing at Spindleworks (7 Lincoln St., 207-725-8820), a nonprofit art center for disabled adults, worth the short stroll off Maine Street. Contemporary New England art is the focus at Bayview Gallery (58 Maine St., 207-729-5500). When it comes to antiques, Day's Antiques (153 Park Row, 207-725-6959) wins for quality, with an eclectic selection of fine American and European pieces. For sheer quantity, don't miss the equally eclectic Cabot Mill Antiques (Fort Andross, 14 Maine St., 207-725-2855). Stock up on fancy foods and fine wines at Provisions (148 Maine St., 207-729-9288).Fuel
It's no surprise that a college town has a good selection of reasonably priced bistro-style and ethnic restaurants. " 'Tis a Gift to be Local" is the slogan at Sweet Leaves Teahouse (22 Pleasant St., 207-725-1376, dinner $14.75-$16.75), where the menu changes daily to reflect what farmers have brought to the kitchen. Since 1991, Wild Oats Bakery and Cafe (Tontine Mall, 149 Maine St., 207-725-6287, lunch $10-$15) has been the place to meet and munch. Tiny 111 Maine (111 Maine St., 207-729-9111, lunch or brunch $7-$9) is a fine choice for weekend brunch, but it's equally popular for its wild mushroom pot pie, white bean stew, and Cuban sandwich. Locals know how to find Backstreet Bistro (11 Town Hall Plaza, 207-725-4060, dinners $16-$26), a cozy spot tucked behind Maine Street, near the fire department.Play
Bring ice skates for the rink on the town mall. Hike, ski, or snowshoe on the one-mile Pitch Pine Barren Loop at the Brunswick Town Common (Route 123, brunswickme.org/commons) or Cox Pinnacle (Hacker Road, community.curtislibrary.com/pinnacle/index.htm), a 103-acre town-owned preserve. The Androscoggin River Bicycle Path, a 2 1/2-mile paved route, parallels the waterway between downtown (Water Street, off Mason Street) and Cook's Corner.Party
Cafe? Gallery? Cinema? Frontier Cafe, Cinema & Gallery (14 Maine St., Fort Andross, 207-725-5222, explorefrontier.com, lunch or dinner $8-$12), with big windows overlooking the Androscoggin River, is all of the above, screening indie movies and presenting readings and concerts and discussions. Expect live music Thursday and Friday nights and jazz during Sunday brunch at the Sea Dog Brewing Co. (1 Main St., Topsham, 207-725-0162, seadogbrewing .com), just over the bridge from Brunswick. At Sweet Leaves Teahouse (22 Pleasant St., 207-725-1376, sweetleaves.com), Tuesdays are open mike nights, Wednesdays are for board game enthusiasts, and Friday Flight Nights highlight wines not usually available by the glass. Five Rivers Arts Alliance (207-798-6964, fiveriversarts alliance.org) sponsors arts-related events year round, including Arts Night at the Library (winter months) and Second Friday Art Walks (May-December). Catch a show at The Theater Project (14 School St., 207-729-8584, theater project.com) or watch a flick at the Eveningstar Cinema (Tontine Mall, 149 Maine St., 207-729-5486, eveningstarcinema.com). And Bowdoin usually sells tickets to on-campus activities.
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