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familydestinationsguide · 5 years

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The 10 Best Family Resorts in Maine of 2019 – That All Ages Love!

This post first published at Family Destinations Guide.

Family holidays are always special, but choosing the right place to travel to is a major factor when it comes to optimizing the fun factor.

With its unique blend of a massive coastline and bustling cities full of culture, Maine is one such destination that has a little something for everyone in the family.

If you are wondering what are the best family resorts in Maine, you have found yourself in the right place, because during the course of this guide, I will be introducing you to some of my top picks for places to stay with your family when you visit Maine.

1. Nonantum Resort

One of the top family resorts in Maine, located just a short walk away from downtown Kennebunkport, is Nonantum Resort, a family-owned property aimed at providing a space for families to make the most of their downtime.

A gorgeous property set around two main buildings — the historic Carriage House Inn and Portside Lodge — the resort has beautifully manicured lawns that lead to the Kennebunk River for a positively idyllic setting for your family getaway.

Depending on what the season is, the resort offers a wide range of activities for you and the little ones to enjoy.

During the summers, these activities are usually centered around the river, with boat tours and crabbing trips down the river.

You can also huddle around the campfire in the evenings to enjoy some s’mores.

During the winter, you can make the most of the Christmas Prelude festivities in town by enjoying breakfasts with Mrs. Clause or making the perfect gingerbread goodies.

Keep in mind that the hotel opens its doors only between mid-April and mid-December.

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2. Edgewater Motel & Cottages

Just a short drive away from Acadia National Park’s many treasures, Edgewater Motel & Cottages is the perfect place for families that are looking to score a comfortable accommodation at surprisingly budget-friendly rates.

The best part about this property is that it is far enough from the people central to give you peace of mind but close enough that you can choose between a bunch of the local attractions when you want to make that trip out and that’s what I love about this place the most!

As the motel is set facing a private pebble beach for those summer days, you can rent sailboats, kayaks and canoes to explore the waters.

There are a number of different accommodation options available, ranging from the standard rooms with two queen beds to cottages and suites that allow you to fix up some meals in-house.

While the motel does offer parking and laundry, there is no restaurant on-site.

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3. Inn by the Sea

If you want to be close to downtown Portland because of the sheer number of things there are to do, but far enough to enjoy your small stretch of the sandy beach, Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth is definitely an option to consider.

The property has 61 different rooms and suites, ranging from suites that have a master bedroom and a living room with a pull-out sofa to larger suites that come with two full bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and a deck to enjoy the sea breeze.

In addition to the spectacular swimming pool, families can also enjoy storytime or movie nights and special winter activities during Christmas time.

Mom and dad will also not be disappointed, thanks to the impressive spa and dining options at the property.

In case you want to try some of the local specialties, there are a bunch of other eateries around the hotel.

Families with pets are especially fond of the hotel’s pet policy!

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4. Samoset Resort On The Ocean

Samoset Resort On The Ocean is a family- friendly resort synonymous with luxury.

It’s a Maine oceanfront family resort that will give you amenities like a giant outdoor swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, as well as an 18-hole championship golf course for families that want to stay active during their family vacation.

If your little ones are between the ages of five and twelve, you can sign them up for a host of different arts and crafts classes, as well as other activities hosted by the Samoset Kids Club.

Keep in mind that the golf course turns into a massive arena for skiing and sledding when winter comes.

Samoset offers a number of rooms and suites, all of which have a large television, an iHome radio as well as a balcony.

If you want to go in for ultimate luxury, Flume Cottage with its two rooms, kitchen and porch — with a hot tub — is a fantastic option.

You’re parents are bound to appreciate the spa and wine tasting too!

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5. The Beachmere Inn

If you are wondering where to stay in Maine with kids, The Beachmere Inn’s spectacular location on Marginal Way makes this property a sure shot winner.

Ideal for both summer and winter getaways, you can enjoy the lobster bakes — held every week — when the temperatures are running on the higher side and the wonderful snowshoeing tour when the weather gets cold.

The property consists of six main buildings, which include a historic Victorian Building and the Beachmere South.

You can choose one of the Inn’s well-appointed family suites to enjoy the patio or balcony, while the kids watch their favorite shows on TV or spend the evening snacking.

This property is especially popular among parents because of the romantic setting — some rooms even have fireplaces — that include a lovely spa and sauna, along with a family-friendly restaurant on-site, which offers a complimentary breakfast buffet.

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6. Hampton Inn Portland Downtown — Waterfront

If you’d rather stay in Portland’s downtown area and soak in the alluring views of Casco Bay, Hampton Inn Portland Downtown — Waterfront is a property that never disappoints.

The main reason why this hotel has made it to this list is that you will never fall short of things to do during your time here.

Setting off the day with a complimentary breakfast, you can walk through the streets of Portland to visit some of the more popular tourist attractions like the Children’s Museum or just hop from cafes and boutiques to restaurants and galleries along the Old Port.

In addition to a range of accommodation options — including a suite that comes with a pull-out sofa — you can enjoy the property’s indoor swimming pool, or have a kid-friendly meal at Sebago Brewing Co. that is on the property.

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7. Cliff House Maine

If you are opting for coastal Maine as your next destination for a family holiday, your accommodation should also do just to the beautiful location.

At the Cliff House Maine, located between the town of Ogunquit and York Cliffs, you will be able to enjoy the spectacular views of the ocean from the private terraces of all the different rooms and suites on the property.

All the rooms come with luxurious bedding, a 55” flat-screen TV and Wi-Fi.

During the summer, you can enjoy the hotel’s outdoor pool, go on a lobstering tour or set off on a fishing trip.

When the weather gets colder, you can either enjoy some cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, or retreat to the warm indoors and enjoy the heated swimming pool.

Mom and dad are bound to appreciate the wellness center and spa as well.

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8. The Colony Hotel

As a part of the Historic Hotels of America, The Colony Hotel is a family hotel in Maine that has been standing for over a century at this point.

Currently being run by the fourth generation of the same family, this property gives you the feeling of being transferred back in time.

With a heated saltwater pool and a private beach with tidal pools, your tykes and tots are unlikely to get bored of the water, but if they do, the hotel also offers an 18-hole putting green, croquet and bikes on rent to explore the nearby regions.

The guest rooms are all renovated to have modern amenities with a classic touch, but keep in mind that all rooms may not have TVs.

There are a bunch of restaurants on-site, which means that there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

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9. Beauport Inn Bed & Breakfast

The B&B experience is truly enjoyable for families who want to feel close to home even when they are on vacation, and there are very few properties like Beauport Inn Bed & Breakfast that make this experience even more special.

Located outside Ogunquit on a vast strip of land, this property is ideal for families with older kids, as it is one of the best options for exploring nearby beaches.

In case you want to stay in, you can enjoy the outdoor hot tub, sauna, lap pool or a Turkish steam room, or if you’re a fan of biking around like I do, simply get those complimentary bicycles to explore along the coast.

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10. Hidden Pond

No matter whether it’s your first family vacation, or you’re seasoned pros, if you are looking for a luxury family resort in Maine, Hidden Pond is a property that just cannot be missed.

With bungalows and two-bedroom cottages spread across the 60-acre property, this resort is truly eclectic when it comes to the aesthetic.

With a spa that looks like a tree house and an organic farm that hosts yoga classes, this is a property that will be thoroughly enjoyed by families of all sizes.

While your little ones will be engaged by the beautiful locale, you can enjoy the fantastic restaurants after you come back from exploring the beach nearby.

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List of image sources

The 10 Best Maine Family Resorts of 2019

Nonantum Resort

Edgewater Motel & Cottages

Inn by the Sea

Samoset Resort On The Ocean

The Beachmere Inn

Hampton Inn Portland Downtown

Cliff House Maine

The Colony Hotel

Beauport Inn Bed & Breakfast

Hidden Pond

#Family Travel #Family Vacations #Family Resorts

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caveartfair · 7 years

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This Painter Captured Solar Eclipses before Photography Fully Could

Portrait of Howard Russell Butler. Courtesy of the Princeton University Art Museum.

Howard Russell Butler, Solar Eclipse, Lompoc 1923, 1923. Courtesy of Princeton University, gift of H. Russell Butler Jr..

It was 1918, and a solar eclipse was on its way. The American artist Howard Russell Butler had accepted a commission from a bigwig astronomer at the University of Virginia to paint the fleeting event in which the moon completely covers the sun. Though photography wasn’t yet capable of capturing all the nuances of the celestial phenomenon, Butler—a former physics major, Sunday astronomer, and celebrated portraitist—was up for the challenge.

What he hadn’t realized, however, was how how brief the experience would be. The astronomy team revealed that he would have just over 112 seconds—about 1.8 minutes—to observe the eclipse. (He was accustomed to having two hours in front of a subject to paint a portrait.) Could he create an accurate representation of the spectacle in such a short window of time?

From 1918 until his death in 1934, Butler tracked down and painted four total solar eclipses. The artist’s first was in Oregon, the second in California (1923), the third in Connecticut (1925), and the fourth—serendipitously, given that an eclipse’s path is generally between only 10 and 70 miles wide—in his own backyard in Maine (1932).

This summer, to coincide with the 21st century’s first solar eclipse in the U.S., all four of Butler’s eclipse paintings are on view in “Transient Effects: The Solar Eclipses and Celestial Landscapes of Howard Russell Butler” at the Princeton Museum of Art.

To a contemporary eye, the paintings are mesmerizingly beautiful and mysterious: The round, fiery masses at the center of each canvas look as if some magical force is churning inside them, forcing unruly flames to explode from the edges of each eclipse’s dark, circular core.

Howard Russell Butler, Solar Eclipse, 1925. Courtesy of Princeton University, gift of H. Russell Butler Jr..

When Butler first made the paintings, however, their purpose wasn’t only aesthetic—they served a critical scientific purpose, too. In Butler’s day, cameras weren’t sophisticated enough to capture details of objects floating in faraway space—especially with the complex light effects of an eclipse. Frustrated, two enterprising astronomers, Samuel Alfred Mitchell and Edward D. Adams, set out to find an artist to document the occurrence.

Adams was connected with the community of artists in New York, where he was a trustee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And it was he who “took upon himself the task of finding the right man…who would have the true scientific spirit and who could combine an accurate sense of form with a refined perception of color,” wrote Mitchell of his colleague.

They hoped that these visual documents would advance their research into not only the patterns of an eclipse, but also the shape and hues of the solar corona: that blazing aura of gases and plasma that envelops the sun. In the early 1900s, the corona was only visible to the human eye during an eclipse, when the moon, by blocking the sun’s radiant body, causes the corona’s diaphanous, flame-like vapors to become discernible.

In the end, Adams located the perfect candidate: Butler, an artist who was not only famous for his detailed portraits and landscapes, but was also once a physics major, an engineer, and a lawyer. While he’d focused on his art practice since the age of 28, his process was still rooted in scientific observation.

“The technique of expression must have a scientific basis, even though the subject of the picture may be highly imaginary, and the artist an idealist under the sway of his imagination,” he wrote of his practice.

Howard Russell Butler, Northern Lights, Ogunquit, Maine. Courtesy of Princeton University, gift of H. Russell Butler Jr..

Howard Russell Butler, Mars as seen from Deimos. Courtesy of Princeton University, gift of H. Russell Butler Jr..

The first eclipse Butler painted in 1918 was also the first total eclipse he had ever witnessed. Knowing that he’d only be able to view his subject for just under two minutes, he made exhaustive preparations. These included refining methods of sketching and notation that he used to record the hues, forms, and lines of the sky, clouds, moon, solar corona, and solar prominences (eruptions on the sun’s surface that extend into the corona).

“Of course no actual painting was possible in time so limited,” Butler wrote. “I therefore employed a method of shorthand sketching (which I had been developing and practicing for about 20 years) for recording sunsets and other transient effects. The method is simple but does require practice.”

It required both practice and extreme meticulousness. Butler divided the 112 seconds of viewing time into 10- and 20-second tasks: “Note value and color of sky, 10 seconds,” “Draw outline of Corona, 20 seconds,” “Record position of prominences, 10 seconds,” and so on.

Butler followed his instructions precisely on the day of the eclipse, for which he’d traveled from New York City to remote Oregon. “When I came actually to do the sketch with the model posed before me for 112 seconds, I found I had ample time,” he wrote of the experience. “I began with the sky.” Over the next several days, he painted from the sketch.

Mitchell and Adams were pleased, and Mitchell described it as “true both as to form and colour” and “a great work of art which has the added advantage of being scientifically accurate.”

For as regimented as Butler’s process was, and as accurate as his paintings were, they also brim with the expressive power of an artist driven by curiosity, wonder, and the thrill of investigating the universe’s mysteries. It is this quality that continues to make these paintings so enthralling, long after they’ve become scientifically obsolete.

—Alexxa Gotthardt

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

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