Driving north for golf and fun in the Fall

A very special New England place

The Bethel Inn is nestled in 200 acres in the historic district of this picture-postcard village. See the aerial of this spectacular property at the bottom.

Golf, skiing, canoeing, even gem mining is this quintessential village

By Walter & Patricia Brooks

Bethel is a quintessential New England village.

Pro Mark Mallory spent the morning with our family.

The nearby Outdoor Adventure offers a mineral dig.

Our grandkids managed to play Tarzan on the Sunday River zip line with Marina upside-down on the right.

 After that a humongous Calzone was in order at Pat's.

After Bethel we headed for White River rafting at Northern Outdoors on the Kennebec River.

America's Greatest Resort Magazine called this beautiful, 200 acre property "Among the Top Ten Resorts in the Northeast."

Not only is Bethel, Maine one of the most picturesque and peaceful villages to visit in Maine's Western Lakes and Mountains Region, but it is also often referred to as "Maine's most beautiful mountain village."

And appropriately so, because, as and Travel Leisure magazine writes, the Bethel Inn is in an "eponymous historic village six miles from the slopes" adding that the inn has traditional rooms in the main building as well as one- to three-bedroom town houses at its extensive cross-country skiing center.

A superb PGA golf school

Bethel Inn Resort has offered PGA instruction at its Guaranteed Performance School of Golf for nearly twenty years.

Originally established in 1994, the school has graduated over 6,000 participants ranging in ability from novices to accomplished low handicappers.

The school guarantees an improved game or golfers may return to repeat the instructional program at no cost, and the training includes personalized PGA instruction, half of which is on-course with a 3:1, industry leading, student to teacher ratio.

Participants even receive a digital video swing analysis and personalized teaching manual when they finish.

The three day, two night GP School package includes free golf with cart on the day of arrival, unlimited use of driving practice facility, welcoming cocktail reception, three daily meals starting with dinner on the day of arrival and ending with lunch on the day of departure, unlimited use of resort facilities, resort accommodations and all taxes and resort gratuities. Package rates begin at $499 per person.

For another $500 you can even arrange for your whole family to spend the morning with the golf pro, and if that doesn't turn your kids into golfers, nothing will.

Dining at the inn

The Bethel Inn is known for its award winning fine dining in the Main Dining Room and Veranda where an absolutely amazing breakfast is included in the room rates which are exceptional buys in the Fall.

My grand daughter made fresh, wild Maine blueberry waffles for us atop which she piled fluffy pancakes - a new culinary creation by an eleven-year old.

We also discovered the Millbrook Tavern and Grille, downstairs at the Inn, offers a hearty menu. It's a perfect place for lunch or dinner and cocktails with live weekend entertainment, a game room, pool table and 8 big screen TVs.

A look at the Tavern menu will quickly start your taste buds agitating while your wallet relaxes at the modest prices.

Bethel fun & games

Although the inn alone is enough of an attraction, the nearby Sunday River ski area beckened us for dinner and a ride down their excellent zipline.

The Zipline Tour features a series of six lines ranging from 100 to 300 feet in length to take you flying through the woods and over a ravine and stream bed at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour, followed by 750-foot Twin Zips.

The wooded course, accessed via the South Ridge Express, is hidden between South Ridge and Spruce Peak. For a final run, you'll walk over to the Twin Zips to finish your tour right over the Sundance Trail just outside the South Ridge Lodge. It's an all-thrills, no-skills activity for all ages! (Twin Zips are also available without taking the full tour.)

And if you can believe it, we discovered a local mineral mining site at Bethel Outdoor Adventures where kids can pan for gold and at least find some quartz.

The same facility also offers canoe and kayak rentals, so Pat and the kids leisurly paddled down the river until Marina capsized and luckily Willl's hightop Keds served as a bailer for the kayak.

Luckily I had just bought a waterproof camera which recorded their feat.

Almost next door was Pat's Pizza (no relation) where the Calzones were humungous and delicious as was the homemade lasagna.

LOCAL LINKS:

Bethel Inn
Mill Brook Tavern (dinner)

Bethel inn Mountain Golf
Golf pro Mark Mallory

Pat's Pizza
 
Bethel Outdoor Adventure
Mining for gems, Kayaking and canoeing

Grand Summit Hotel Bethel Maine
2 great restaurants at Sunday River:
Legends  Restaurant
Sliders Restaurant

Zip Line Tours at Sunday River Maine

Northern Outdoors White water rafting on the Kennebec River
Rte 201, The Forks, Maine
Cozy cabin Lodging
Kennebec River Pub and Micro Brewery

This 200 acre gem as seen from above