1. Goose Cove Lodge
City: Sunset, ME
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (207) 348-2508 or (800) 728-19
Address: Goose Cove Rd.
Description: How did we love Goose Cove Lodge? Let us count the ways. On Goose Cove near Stonington, the lodge sat on 22 stupendously beautiful acres of woods and waterfront, and it had a real natural bent. Guided nature walks, mountain biking, kayaking, stargazing parties, bird-watching, and more were an everyday part of life. The gray-shingled place changed hands recently and it remains to be seen if it will continue its wonderful ways.
2. Goose Cove Lodge
City: Sunset, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 348-2508
Address: Route 15A
Description: The setting at this nifty inn is positively magical, overlooking the cove of the same name (you’re going to want to get a gander at this Goose), which is an inlet on East Penobscot Bay. Isles and islands, spruce forests, and shimmering sea everywhere you look, and you have to travel some off-the-beaten-track byways to get there. There’s dining on the deck or in the dining room known as the Point, with wood grain all around. Surf and turf with occasional Mediterranean influences comprises the menu. Try the porterhouse steak, the Mediterranean seafood stew (lobster, clam, mussels, shrimp, scallops and fish in an orange fennel broth), or grilled Italian sausage served over penne pasta. (See if you can weasel your way into an invitation to stay at the stargazing parties that often occur here in summer.) No kids’ menu. Full bar. Open from mid-June through mid-October. Reservations advisable.