FAMILY SUMMER VACATION IN BETHEL, MAINE

             After the events of the year 2001, American family travel patterns appear to be changing.  Vacations are simpler, less expensive, and closer to home.  Families are in search of a destination that will guarantee a meaningful experience with memories to last a lifetime.  Bethel, Maine is an ideal vacation destination to focus on family values.

Families can take easy day hikes in the White Mountain National Forest or climb up Wight Brook Nature Preserve to Step Falls to swim in the natural granite pools or frolic in the waterfalls.  Fancy-design swimming pools give way to the local town pond on North Road and to swimming holes at Frenchman’s, the S Turn, or Covered Bridge on the Sunday River.  A canoe trip on the Androscoggin River is a great way to see wildlife from heron to moose.  Trade in the video games for a pick and bucket to mine for gems in the many abandoned quarries of western Maine.  The area is famous for its quartz, mica, and precious tourmalines. There’s mountain biking at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center, bicycle touring the country roads and horseback riding at two facilities.  A trip to Bethel isn’t complete without a visit to Pooh Corner Farm & Greenhouses to meet Roo (a wallaby), Piglet, Eeyore, and Rabbit.

            In case it rains, kids will enjoy a tour through the early 19^th century Moses Mason House to see how families of yesteryear lived or a visit to the Crystal Cave at Mt. Mann Jewelers to find that special sparkly rock.  Bethel has a four-screen movie theater, an adventure center with indoor laser tag, climbing wall (outdoor waterslide and unique miniature golf course too), a toy store, and two video stores.

            Bethel has a variety of lodging from primitive campsites in the White Mountain National Forest to luxury suites at the Bethel Inn Resort.  There are B&B’s, inns, motels, mountain or lakeside cabins and cottages, and modern condominiums.  Many accommodations are pet-friendly.  Best of all, because Bethel is a major winter destination, summer is the “off-season” and rates are very reasonable.  At most locations kids 5 and under stay free.

            With six pizza places, this small town caters to a family’s palette and pocketbook.  Even the fine dining establishments have children’s menus and are just as happy to serve chocolate milk or soda as a bottle of wine.  Families can opt to cook in at the condominiums, suites, and cottages or over the campfire at the campgrounds.  There’s often a grange hall supper or church dinner going on.

            Bethel has been welcoming summer guests since the early 1800’s.  They came to enjoy the clean, clear mountain air and to eat the home-cooked, locally-grown food.  A lot has changed in the last 200 years, but families still search for the goodness of nature that Bethel exemplifies.  Bethel is located at the intersection of Route 2 and Route 26 in western Maine, just 12 miles from the New Hampshire border and 70 miles northwest of Portland.  For information and reservations contact the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce at 800-442-5826 or on-line at www.bethelmaine.com.     

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