Hallowell hugs the Kennebec River just south of Maine’s capital city, Augusta. Once a major port for ice, granite, and lumber, the well-preserved late-19th-century downtown, now a National Historic District, entices visitors year-round with shops, restaurants, and charm. And in this part of Maine, abundant opportunities for outdoor fun are a given.
STAY
On a back road, 130-acre Maple Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast Inn and Conference Center (11 Inn Road, off Outlet Road, 207-622-2708 or 800-622-2708, www.maplebb.com, $100-$165 in winter with breakfast) is an ultra-green rural respite on a working farm adjacent to an 800-acre wildlife preserve. Two in-town bed-and-breakfasts are within strolling distance of Water Street’s shops and restaurants. The Benjamin Wales House Bed and Breakfast (49 Middle St., 207-512-2461, www.benjaminwales.com, $99-$169 in winter, with breakfast), an 1820 Federal listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has four Maine-inspired, antiques-furnished guest rooms and a regulation pool table in the parlor. The Colonial-style Second Street Bed & Breakfast (68 Second St., 207-622-2214, www.secondstbandb.com/, winter rates $125-$150, with breakfast) has five guest rooms. Ten minutes from downtown Hallowell, the Senator Inn and Spa (284 Western Ave., Augusta, 207-622-5804 or 877-772-2224, www.senatorinn.com, winter rates from $90) is a full-service hotel with restaurant, spa, and indoor pool; some rooms are pet friendly.
