1. Benjamin F. Packard House Bed And Breakfast
City: Bath, ME
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (207) 443-6004 or (866) 361-60
Address: 45 Pearl St.
Description: A sea captain’s home on a quiet side street, the Packard House is a Georgian mansion built in 1790. The Kennebec River is only a block away. The inn has three large rooms and one suite available, and each has a private bath. The Garden Suite has a sitting room and a pullout queen-size bed for more sleeping space. No children under age 10. Rates include a full breakfast. There’s a two-night minimum stay required in season. Open year-round.
2. Fairhaven Inn
City: Bath, ME
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (207) 443-4391 or (888) 443-43
Address: 188 North Bath Rd.
Description: Unlike most of the other bed-and-breakfasts in Bath, the Fairhaven is not downtown. Rather it’s about a half mile out in the Kennebec riverside North Bath area. This location is great for visitors who prefer quietude and a bit of acreage in their hostelry. The Fairhaven sits on 16 acres of meadows and woods, with views of the river, and it’s a rambling old farmhouse with weathering shingles. Inside are eight guest rooms, most of which have private baths, and a couple of common rooms perfect for lounging. Golfers will find the Bath Country Club nearby and the grounds are pleasant to wander.
3. The Inn At Bath
City: Bath, ME
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (207) 443-4294 or (800) 423-09
Address: 969 Washington St.
Description: Bath’s Washington Street is a graceful old avenue, and it’s thanks to houses like this 1810 Greek Revival beauty. The City of Ships is filled with fine sea captains’ homes, and the area surrounding the inn is rich with them. The inn itself has eight rooms and a suite, each individually decorated and some—like the yellow Sail Loft, with its four-poster, and the Lavender Room, with its canopied full-size bed—that feel more historic than others. All have private baths, cable TV, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning. Some have fireplaces, Jacuzzis, writing desks, and outdoor entrances. There are various specials and packages to choose from.
4. Bath Country Club
City: Bath, ME
Category: Golf
Telephone: (207) 442-8411
Address: 387 Whiskeag Rd.
Description: These 18 holes have been renovated and expanded into an impressive course, and you should set aside a whole afternoon to play them. It’s a good idea to come early for lunch at the clubhouse restaurant. There’s also a pro shop on-site, along with practice greens, club and cart rental, and a lounge for bragging after the game is done. Tee times are necessary on weekends. Open from early April through October.
5. Library Park
City: Bath, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 443-5143
Address: Summer St.
Description: A William Zorach sculpture might have been the most talked-about element of this five-acre park—it was the source of controversy in the 1960s—but the Victorian landscaping, pond, and fountain are certainly worthy of note, too. It’s a nice place to sit or stroll.
6. Beale Street Barbecue
City: Bath, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 442-9514
Address: 215 Water St.
Description: The staff at this exceptional barbecue joint wear T-shirts that read “It’s a long way to Memphis,” which is where the real Beale Street is. But, like that avenue, famed for its food and its blues, BSB serves up good eatin’ and music, and Midcoast residents are thankful for it. The menu is deep with barbecue choices, from pulled chicken sandwiches served on corn bread to jambalaya to the grilled fish of the day. The coleslaw is great, the baked beans even better, and the fries have a spice all their own. The portions satisfy even the hungriest iron workers.
7. The Cabin
City: Bath, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 443-6224
Address: 552 Washington St.
Description: Serving arguably the best pizza in Bath, the Cabin is an institution, a gathering place of lots of locals and hungry shipbuilders—the restaurant sits across the street from the massive yards of Bath Iron Works. The dimly lit joint has been packing them in for more than three decades, and it is always busy. Its wooden booths are filled shortly after they’re emptied, and take-out is ever popular. There’s a nice outdoor courtyard as well. The pizza is great, with a tangy sauce that has just the right combination of spices and a crust that is baked to perfection. If you’re in the area and have a hankering for pizza and beer, this is the spot. It’s an especially nice option if you’re in town and it’s late—the Cabin stays open until 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and until 10 p.m. during the rest of the week. Open year-round.
8. Solo Bistro
City: Bath, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 443-3373
Address: 128 Front St.
Description: Modern food, contemporary taste. That’s how this hip joint in downtown Bath bills itself, and by the standards of Victorian downtown Bath—Midcoast Maine, even—it rises to the occasion. The cuisine, as you might guess, is on the nouvelle end of the spectrum. It features New American stuff like grilled hanger steak with carmelized onions and a $21 french-fry main course, with carmelized shallot gravy and seasonal vegetables. Everything is done very well and the wine list is obviously a specialty. People seem to be digging the place and it’s bringing a cachet to the City of Ships.
9. Squire Tarbox Inn
City: Bath, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 882-7693 or (800) 818-06
Address: 1181 Main Rd. (Route 144)
Description: A lot of people like to spend a few minutes with the goats when having dinner here, and they are a charming bunch. Meals are served in a 1763 saltwater farm, which is run as a dairy of the goat variety these days, and many of the nice touches during dinner are goat derived. The cheeses are delicious, and the warm buns, made with whey (a cheese by-product), have become a signature dish. Entrees might be rosemary roasted rack of lamb with garden mint sauce, filet mignon, sauteed giant shrimp, or Maine sea scallops. Reservations required. If you can’t get enough, you can stay in a room at the inn.
10. Bath Goodwill
City: Bath, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 443-4668
Address: Route 1
Description: A certain internationally known outfitter based a few towns over sends this thrift store its seconds and blemished items, and you can often score some great finds on the racks and racks of clothing here. Just a hint. Proceeds benefit people with disabilities.
11. Halcyon Yarn
City: Bath, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 442-7909
Address: 12 School St.
Description: More than 100 varieties of yarn and a host of wools, merinos, felts, kits, books, videos, and classes make Halcyon Yarn a haven for knitters, spinners, and fabric artists of all sorts.
12. The Chocolate Church Arts Center
City: Bath, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 442-8455
Address: 798 Washington St.
Description: This 1847 Gothic church is hard to miss, both because it’s big and prominent, even from Route 1, and because it’s painted a rich chocolate brown. And you wouldn’t want to miss anything that goes on inside. A cultural bright spot in the City of Ships, the church is a multifaceted operation, presenting an array of concerts, lectures, and performances and hosting shows at its adjacent art gallery. Check the Web site for the latest information.
13. Maine Maritime Museum
City: Bath, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 443-1316
Address: 43 Washington St.
Description: The City of Ships is where you’ll find the state’s largest nautical museum, right on the Kennebec River and just downriver from the massive shipyard of the Bath Iron Works. People around here know boats, and you can tell by strolling through this excellent collection. Just about anything you ever wanted to know about ships is here in this incredible complex of buildings. There’s the big brick Maritime History building, which brims with paintings, models, pieces of boats, documents, and other artifacts—reportedly more than a million pieces—and has permanent displays on fishing, canning, and, of course, shipbuilding. If you can’t get enough about this last, simply step outside and venture over to the famous Percy and Small Shipyard, the nation’s only remaining yard devoted exclusively to wooden vessels. Walk on over to the Maine Watercraft Exhibit, and you can see a variety of small vessels straight out of the state’s history, from rowing boats to canoes to bateaux. And if you feel like actually getting out on the water, you can do that, too. The museum sponsors excursions all summer long, which leave right from its own pier. You could easily spend a few days here. Open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.