Resorts beckon folks to a more relaxed time
Northern New England is home to a dwindling but cherished number of family resorts. Most have been owned by the same family for generations and many have catered to generations of guest families. Typically lodging is in cottages or cabins and a minimum stay is required in July and August. Breakfast and dinner as well as children's programs and adult activities are included in the per person rates. Following are places our family recommends.
The Wildflower Inn, Lyndonville, Vt. "When are we gong back to The Wildflower?" Aki, 7, has been asking since we were there two years ago. She remembers the donkey and his friend the horse outside her window and, more importantly, a 5-year-old girl named Emma. Aki and Emma bonded during mornings at Gardening School. They met again in the pool and for dinner in Daisy's Diner. Aki's happiness was infectious. At one point she rolled over and over down a sloping meadow and her entire family - parents, grandparents, uncles, and 1-year-old brother - gleefully followed suit.
A relative newcomer among the region's family resorts, the Wildflower opened in 1985. According to innkeeper Mary O'Reilly, now a mother of eight, "Jim and I wanted to create a place in which children felt as comfortable as their parents."
Set high on 570 acres of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, the Wildflower's woods and meadows are webbed with trails. The 24 rooms and condo-style suites, divided between a 19th-century farmhouse and four neighboring buildings, are fitted with child-friendly amenities.
Wildflower programs are geared to 3- to 11-year-olds, but there's plenty here for teens and adults, including outstanding mountain biking, a children's theater, and a spa.
2059 Darling Hill Road, 800-627-8310, wildflowerinn.com. A special five-day June program geared to babies through 5-year-olds includes all meals, tax, and tipping, from $1,725 for two adults, $575 per child; B&B rates are also available from $195 per night for an inn room to $460 for a three-room suite (based on two-person occupancy).
Rock Gardens Inn, Sebasco Estates, Maine "Kids are our best promoters," says Ona Barnett, owner of the inn. "They keep badgering their parents and grandparents to come back."
Rock Gardens opened in 1911 in Phippsburg on a sleepy peninsula south of Bath. During the 1930s Nate Cushman of bakery fame purchased 575 neighboring acres, creating the seasonal vacation village that has since evolved into Sebasco Harbor Resort, where facilities include a nine-hole golf course, three restaurants, a large saltwater pool, a theater, and spa.
Today the resorts coexist nicely. In July and August organized activities include Camp Merit for youngsters age 5-10 (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) as well as family-focused events such as a weekly Pirate Adventure and cruises aboard the resort's excursion boat.
At the resort the 140 or so guest rooms range from '30s rustic to 21st-century posh, including cottages with up to 10 bedrooms. Despite its size the resort prides itself on the personal way staff relate to guests. Owner Bob Smith counts many of his guests, some of whom have been coming here for 40 years, as friends.
Rock Gardens is a cluster of 10 waterside cottages (accommodating three to eight) set on a secluded point around a central lodge. Guests, 70 percent of whom are repeat visitors, enjoy their own pool and access to Sebasco's facilities.
Rock Gardens Inn, 207-389-1339, rockgardensinn.com. June 15-Sept. 14, $135 per person (includes breakfast and dinner), less for children, five-night minimum in July and August. Sebasco Harbor Resort, 800-225-3819, sebasco.com, from $399 per night for a two-bedroom cottage before July 11 (with breakfast and dinner $60 extra per adult, no charge 10 and under); seven-day minimum for cottages in high season. Camp program is $8 extra a day.
Quimby Country, Averill, Vt. When it comes to loyal followings, no place can top Quimby Country, founded as a fishing lodge in 1894 amid thousands of wooded acres in the state's Northeast Kingdom. When Florence Quimby died a group of longtime guests formed a corporation and bought this lakeside retreat to preserve its ambience.
The cream-colored, flower-bedecked lodge and matching line of cottages by Forest Lake exude a sense of 1890s rustic charm, but with current comforts. A wooded path leads to Great Averill Pond, a vast lake with a grassy swimming beach and surprisingly warm water. Counselors organize talent shows and games for youngsters but the frequent hikes, picnics, and cookouts are designed to include all ages. Fabulous meals are served family style.
1127 Forest Lake Road, 802-822-5533, quimbycountry.com. Per-person rates include all meals and programs; from $176 per person per day and from $93 per child, free under age 3 and if staying per week, slightly more during mid-July through August.
Tyler Place Family Resort, Highgate Springs, Vt. The Tylers pride themselves on just how much their place, founded in 1933, has changed in recent years as facilities have expanded.
"Adults used to either play tennis or water ski," says Pixley Tyler Hill, one of 25 family members involved with the resort. Facilities now include an indoor-outdoor pool and an arts and crafts center. Adults can try their hand at pottery or enjoy a massage or yoga while youngsters are engrossed in multi-faceted morning programs. Families share afternoon activities and are encouraged to explore this rural northwestern corner of Vermont.
Tucked along the shore of Missisquoi Bay (a northern arm of Lake Champlain) and into woods and meadows of this 165-acre property, cottages and family suites are all designed with separate parents' bedrooms and up to four bedrooms for extended family.
802-868-4000, tylerplace.com. High season cottage rentals are typically Saturday to Saturday and all-inclusive daily rates begin at $180 per adult and $112 per child, except Aug. 30-Sept. 6.
Basin Harbor Club, Vergennes, Vt. The state's premier lakeside resort is a 700-acre retreat with views across Lake Champlain to the Adirondacks. Since 1886 members of the Beech family have kept up with the times, expanding facilities to include an 18-hole golf course and an airstrip. The favorite attraction, however, remains the beach.
In addition to rooms and suites in four guest houses, 74 family- and pet-friendly cottages of varying sizes are scattered by the lake.
Children's programs range from Baby Champs to Teen Escapes and include morning camp, afternoon activities, and dinner events. All ages are required to wear a coat and tie to dinner in The Lodge.
4800 Basin Harbor Road, 800-622-4000, basinharbor.com. Through mid-October. Children's programs mid-June to Labor Day are included along with three meals in a two-bedroom cottage, $197 per adult, $40 children. Seven-day stays are the norm.
Highland Lodge, Greensboro, Vt. This inn reflects the warmth of its hosts, the second and third generations of Smiths to operate this small, informal, quintessentially Vermont resort. The rambling, 1850s lodge with its rocker-lined porch is effortlessly gracious and comfortable. With 11 neighboring cottages, it's set on 120 acres high above Caspian Lake. A path leads past the tennis courts to a shaded beach and boathouse. Late June through late August a morning program in the Play Barn is geared to ages 4-9 and the best of the resulting artwork is tacked to trees in the neighboring pine grove.
Teens and adults play tennis, sail, kayak, hike, bike, and rock on the porch. Families gather for dinner.
1608 Craftsbury Road, 802-533-2647, highlandlodge.com. High season rates are $142.50-$170 per adult, including breakfast, dinner, service, and children's programs. No charge for children under 2, otherwise $40-$100 depending on age.
Oakland House Seaside Resort, Brooksville, Maine In 1889 Jim Littlefield's great-grandfather hung out the Oakland House shingle, the same sign that still greets guests. This prime property at the mouth of Eggemoggin Reach has been in Littlefield's family since 1767. While there is no formal children's program, Oakland House offers ocean and fresh water beaches, boating and lawn games, lots to do in the Playbarn, and weekly events like a lobster bake. Fifteen family-sized cottages and cabins of varying sizes are sprinkled through the woods and along the shore. The original mansard-roofed hotel houses the dining rooms, including a special one for families.
435 Herrick Road, 800-359-7352, oaklandhouse.com. Cottage rates include breakfast and dinner and, vary throughout the summer, $552-$1,680 per person per week. Shorter stays are possible.
The Birches Resort, Rockwood, Maine Here rustic one- to four-bedroom log cabins overlook Moosehead Lake and activities include family-geared whitewater rafting in the nearby East Outlet (minimum age is 5) as well as swimming, kayaking, moose safaris, and floatplane trips.
800-825-9453, birches.com. Three daily meals in a two-bedroom cabin begin at $120 per adult, $60 under 12, free under age 3. The same cabin in July and August is $1,500 per week without meals.
Smugglers' Notch Resort, Smugglers' Notch, Vt. This place offers condo-style lodging high on the slopes of a ski mountain. More affordable than full-service resorts, "Smuggs" in summer caters to families with children of widely ranging ages with daytime "camps" divided into five age groups, utilizing several water park-like pools. Options for adults include tennis, guided hikes, nearby kayaking, and spa treatments. Moderately priced dining is available.
4323 Vermont Route 108 South, 800-451-8752, smuggs.com. Family Fest Vacation Packages from $379 per night for a family of four in a one-bedroom condo in July (less per night for longer stays) with a full daily program.
Christina Tree can be reached at ctree@traveltree.net. 