Spring is in the air!

Spring is beginning to make its way to Camden, ME.  After about 113 inches of snow this winter we are ready for warm temps and sunny skies.  Although, many be people do not think of Camden as a spring time hot spot it really can be quite nice to travel in our direction this time of year.  The crowds are far less and Abigail's Inn still offers our off season rates.

There are so many wonderful things to do that I will give just a taste of what a weekend stay at Abigail's Inn could look like:

Day 1:  Arrive and check-in.  Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and maybe and afternoon treat.  Take a stroll into town peruse some shops and dining menus.  I would recommend 40 Paper 40paper.com
for happy hour and Fresh for dinner www.freshcamden.com 

 Day 2:  Wake up and enjoy one of Kipp's awesome breakfasts.  Take a hike up the Mt. Battie trail (picture shows view from Mt.Battie trail), the start of the trail is a short walk from the inn.  Once at the top enjoy the beautiful views of the bay and the town.  Linger on a rock soaking in some springtime sun.  If you are so inclined you can continue to the Megunticook Mountain trail.  Follow the hike with a delicious sandwich from the Camden Deli that offers seating overlooking the Harbor.   A leisurely walk through town visiting all of the unique stores and maybe a quick stop in Lily, Lupin and Fern www.lilylupine.com for a nice bottle of wine.  A walk through the Harbor Park would be in order and a trip into the beautiful Camden Public Library.  Head back to the inn to enjoy a glass of wine in one of our very comfortable parlors. Dinner at Francine's Bistro www.francinebistro.com would be the perfect end to a perfect day. 

Day 3:  Enjoy another delicious breakfast.  Take a hike up Beech Hill, one of my very favorite spots. A little gourmet food shopping and a fantastic lunch at Morse's Sauerkraut morsessauerkraut.com/restaurant.html.  An excursion to Sweet Grass Winery www.sweetgrasswinery.com in Washington, ME to pick up some Cranberry Smash and other Maine made libations.  Back to the inn for some reading on the front porch.  Dinner at Atlantica https://www.facebook.com/atlantica.restaurant would cap off a great weekend.

Of course there is much more to do but the above selection should tempt your traveling spirit.  We look forward to seeing you this spring!

Winter Fun in Camden, Maine

Winter took its sweet time arriving this year but when it decided to join us it did so with a cold, hard slap.  This morning the temperature outside was -10 degrees.  It is the kind of cold that when you go outside your eyelashes freeze.

Now all that said it is also incredibly beautiful.  When I was taking the boys to school the sun was shining on the harbor and sea smoke was dancing on the water.  There is a quiet energy that this time of year gives you.  You embrace the daylight hours and cuddle down when night falls with hot cup of tea and good book.  I love winter in Maine!

There are also a ton of great activities happening this time of year for the hearty outdoor soul. As the  picture shows one of our favorites is sledding in the Harbor Park.  Also, the Camden Snow Bowl is due to open on January 10th after the first phase of improvements.  From what I understand ski trails will be wider, there is more snow making equipment and there are now two chair lifts making it easier to get to the trails. 

 Camden Winterfest will begin on January 31st with the annual community ice sculpture contest in the Camden Amphitheater.  See local artists come out and turn blocks of ice into works of art.  There will be craft making for children in the library, some food vendors and the 2nd annual "CamJam" harborside freestyle ski event located in the Harbor Park.  Watch some of our young local talent do amazing tricks on their skis and snowboards.  Winterfest is a week long event leading into Toboggan Nationals.  During the week there will be great shows at the Camden Opera House and at the Camden Public Library.  For additional information on the event you can check out http://www.camdenmaineexperience./content/events/camden_winterfest.asp.

 The 25th Annual US Toboggan Nationals will be taking place the weekend of February 5, 6, and 7.  This is a fun filled event with people from all over the country and some from across the globe attending.  The event kicks off on Friday, February 5 with practice runs for teams and the chute is open to the public.  Who doesn't want to hop on a toboggan and drop down a 400 ft chute onto a frozen lake?  After sliding down the chute you can enjoy an adult beverage at the "Down the chute and Wine challenge" at the Snow Bowl.  All weekend food vendors will be on the ice serving up chili, chowder, pizza and burgers.  Skiing, snowboarding and tubing will be happening on the hill and of course toboggan teams will by vying for the fastest times all weekend.  For additional information on the event or to register your team check out http://www.camdensnowbowl.com/25th-annual-us-national-toboggan-championships.

If after a day outdoors you are looking to warm-up the Camden Opera House has some great entertainment scheduled.  A new event called Community Supported Music begins Friday, January 23 and will continue every fourth Friday for the next 4 months.  Artists featured for the Community Supported Music are all fantastic local musicians.  Tickets are $10 per show or you can buy the whole series for $35.00.   The Camden Opera House is also showing movies and a children's classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" will be shown on Saturday, January 24th.  These are but a
few events that will be taking place this winter at the Camden Opera House and you can visit their website to check out others http://www.camdenoperahouse.com/events.cfm.

With all the events happening I hope that some of you will come visit us in our winter wonderland!

Summer is just around the corner, I hope.

Yes, the snow on the side of the house has not completely melted and the weatherman says that temps may dip into the teens at night but I know that summer is not far off.  I am looking forward to feeling the warm breeze off the ocean, the smell of lilac in the air and enjoying the sweet taste of wild raspberries. 

Camden, Maine is an amazing place to spend a couple of days or weeks during the summer. Abigail's Inn is located in a perfect spot for guests to enjoy the entire midcoast area.  We are mere steps away from Camden harbor where the beautiful schooners the Olad and the Surprise provide guests with 2-hour sailing adventures.  The inn is located at the base of Mt. Battie located in Camden Hills State Park.  A walk through our backyard and up a neighborhood street will lead guests to the trailhead.  After a 30 minute hike to the top you will be graced with a spectacular view of the town and the harbor.  Pack lunch and spend a day at the top hiking or just enjoying the view.  After hiking guests may want to go for a swim or a kayak in the pristine Megunticook Lake which is a scenic 8 minute drive from the inn. 

We are also fortunate to have some wonderful shops a short walk from the inn.  Glendarragh Lavender shop offers the enchanting smell of lavender in soaps, candles, pillows, and as a seasoning for food.  Much of the lavendar is grown on the family's farm in Appleton, Maine.  The Smiling Cow has been a Camden, Maine tradition for 40 years.  The shop offers a wide range of merchandise all with a Maine theme.  If people are looking for gifts to take home to friends and family the Smiling Cow is the place to go. Also, guests won't want to miss Once A Tree featuring all wood items from artists in New England or Jo Ellen Designs' beautiful rugs and gift items. 

After a full day of shopping, sailing and hiking guests will have a wide range of choices of excellent restaurants to have dinner.  Atlantica, located right on the harbor, offers fresh local food done deliciously.  Ken and Dell have owned the restaurant for more than 10 years and have put their heart and soul into creating wonderful food.  Fresh Restaurant located on Bayview landing is another great place to have a meal.  Serving classic coastal New England dishes inspired by the rich culinary traditions of the Mediterranean region.  Also, the Fresh Bakery is a great place to grab a sandwich or an awesome loaf of artisan bread.  40 Paper is another wonderful restaurant serving many glutton free options in a fun environment and they have an amazing happy hour menu.  Francine's Bistro located on Chestnut street has been written up in a number of dining magazines.  Chef Brian Hill changes up the menu almost daily and uses locally sourced ingredients to create a flavor sensation.  I am getting hungry just writing this.

So let us all hope that summer arrives soon so that we can enjoy all that Camden has to offer.  See you soon!

Summer is here......finally

It has been a long time coming but it seems that summer may have finally arrived. After a beautiful and snowy winter and an extremely long "mud season" the sun is predicted to shine for the next week and temps will be in the high 70's. Do you hear my sigh of relieve?

Another sign that summer has arrived is the completion of the patio in our side yard where our raised vegetable beds are located. Kipp, with the "help" of Colin and Brennan finished up the bricking last weekend. I think we used about 800 bricks that we individually placed on a cart at Home Depot and loaded into the truck, not the safest task to do with a 3 and 5 year old but no one was knocked unconscious so it was a relative success. The raised beds have been planted with tomato plants, basil, strawberries, cucumbers, zucchini, parsley, eggplant, butternut squash. As well as an oregano plant and lemon thyme plant that are nearly taking over. Once again Kipp did a great job with the patio and really made my idea of a patio garden a reality.

I will post more news about the inn in coming weeks. We look forward to seeing all of our guests this summer.

Hello Again!

I am sure you have all been eagerly anticipating our latest blog post since it has been sometime since we have updated, say a year. As you can imagine life gets a bit busy around the inn. I always say that I will post in the winter but it comes and goes before I know it. So I am going to try my best to update at least once a month, we will see.

We had a wonderfully mild winter this year with only about 40 inches of snow. Spring came early with warm temps and early flowers. We actually went to Old Orchard beach the last Saturday in March when the temperature was 78 degrees, it was amazing. The boys had a great time and Colin was so "hot" he played in his underoos. He has become a true Mainer.

During the spring we had the wallpaper stripped from the front hallway and painted a beautiful light khaki color with linen trim. Thank you to North Atlantic Painting for doing a great job. We also put new carpet on the stairs. The whole hallway looks great if I do say so myself.

At the same time the hallway was being done we had the front porch re-done. What originally started as just putting new boards down on the floor turned into almost an entire rebuild of the porch. New foundation, new flooring and new columns. It came out great and I love the way the new wood floor looks and I like knowing that the new columns are not going to rot out like the old wood columns did. A big thank you to J & R Builders for the excellent work.

So we are plugging along with work around the inn. No more big projects for this year. Although, Kipp is building me a kitchen garden in the side yard which at this point will be put to use next season.

We look forward to showing off our latest renovations to you all. Hope to see you sometime this summer.

P.S. The picture above of the new front porch is courtesy of James P. Jones Photography RI. You will be seeing many more photos from James when we rebuild our website.

The temperature has risen, the sun is out, the skies are blue and the snow is beginning to melt…..it must be the start of spring in Maine which of course leads happily into a beautiful Maine Summer. This year Abigail’s Inn is partnering with the Schooner Timberwind to offer our two-night dinner package, discounted by 10%, at the start or end of a 3, 4, or 6 day Windjammer cruise and the Windjammer cruise is being offered at a 10% discount as well. With this package you get the best of Maine from land to sea.

The Timberwind is a National Historic Landmark Vessel that holds up to 20 passengers. The schooner has no inboard engines so the wind will lead you on your adventure. You can sail as far south as Boothbay and as far Down East as Bar Harbor, stopping each day in some of Maine’s most beautiful harbor villages and islands. The Timberwind leaves from Rockport Harbor a short 5 minute drive from the inn.

Why not start or end your trip with us at Abigail’s enjoying our wonderfully comfortable guest rooms, delicious breakfasts, and a gourmet dinner in one of Camden’s fine restaurants all at a discount. We can’t wait to see you this summer.

For more information on this special package please give us a call at 800-292-2501 and for more information on the Timberwind you can visit their website http://www.schoonertimberwind.com/.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

This is a post that I have been meaning to put up since Mother's Day but needless to say busy season hit and I am now just getting a chance to do so.

For Mother's Day this year Kipp and the boys treated me to a day away from the inn and down to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse which is located close to Bristol, Maine and is about an hour and fifteen minute drive from Camden. The drive is pretty and takes you through some nice villages like Darmiscotta and New Harbor. We have seen a number of lighthouses since moving to Maine but I have to say that Pemaquid is truly a special place and is amazingly beautiful. Of course the day that we went the weather was spectacular with crystal clear blue skies and a slight breeze. Pemaquid is slightly more touristy than some of the other lighthouse we have visited, but once you get there you can see why. The lighthouse sits on a rocky bluff and is a brillant white and red. The waves crash along the jagged rocks, which look as if they have been placed in neat rows. You can picnic on the lawn or tables and walk down the rocks to the ocean. If you want an ice cream cone and a sandwich there is a cute little stand next to the lighthouse where you can get both. We spent about two hours sitting and enjoying the view and letting Colin run about. This is the kind of place that you could spend hours reading on the lawn or just staring out at the beautiful blue ocean.