Bath, Maine

Downtown Bath

Bath is a delightful village just north of Brunswick along Route 1.  The town’s heritage centers around ship building and the number of Federal and Greek Revival homes which make downtown so pretty speak of prosperity from times long past.  Ship building continues to be the local economy’s foundation, which is apparent from the massive Bath Iron Works (BIW) facility along the Kennebec River.  Tourism is second to BIW in generating business, and the beautiful architecture of the town is complemented by many interesting shops and eateries.

I’m sure there’s plenty of literature around Bath, so I’ll just offer some biased perceptions from my time here (we technically lived in Brunswick but had a Bath phone number).  Though you will hear a lot of talk about the Maine Maritime Museum, I was never thrilled.  Its okay, but my memory is that the value never exceeded the entrance fee – last time there was fifteen years ago, so perhaps it has improved.

A hearty recommendation is to check out the schedule for the Chocolate Church.  I have enjoyed countless musical performances in this venue and continue to be amazed how much talent comes through this teensy, out of the way location.  There’s a vibe here that I have always treasured.

If you’d like to stretch your legs, head north of town to Thorne Head Preserve.  You won’t find this small destination touted in any tourist literature (in fact, I found few locals were even aware of this beautiful spot!), but it is a sensational natural area which affords some great views of Merrymeeting Bay.  One last essential tidbit ---  best pizza in town, bar none, will be found at the Cabin!!!