A Dog Lover's Guide to Midcoast Maine

For daytrips or weekend escapes, Mid-coast Maine offers a great combination of off-highway scenic routes, country roads, destinations worth stopping for - including delicious food. From May thru October, a wide variety of festivals and events make return visits very attractive. Attractions will bring you closer to Maine culture, the arts, great musiv, and the great outdoors. Bring your dog!

Bay Leaf Cottages and Motel welcomes travelers with their well-behaved dogs. Ginger, our 11-year old cocker spaniel, greets visitors and gives each of her new pals a welcome "doggie bag" complete with dog blanket, water bowl and mat, bones, poopie bags, and coupons for pet-friendly businesses in the area.

Our park-like setting makes bringing your dog alone fun. Nearby dog parks and beaches, pet shops, and hiking trails provides your pet with options. We offer an on-site outdoor shaded kennel with dog house and water feeder.

7 motel rooms (with water views) and 8 cottages (some with kitchens, some with water views) are designated "dog friendly". Be sure to book in advance, especially for weekends in July-August.

Ginger will be here until mid-October - we'll close around the 17th.

Questions? email Jane@bayleafcottages.com

What makes the Mid-Coast of Maine a destination for people who traavel with their dogs?

www.downeastdognews.com

• dog friendly lodging
• dog-friendly businesses (ability to dine outside, shops that allow pets, shops that cater to pets)
• dog parks
• dog beaches
• unique dog walking and hiking routes
• training programs, events, fairs
• support services (veterinarians, kennels, grooming, training)

Dog friendly businesses in the Lincolnville Beach area (for those staying at Bay Leaf Cottages):

• Critter Outfitter (Camden)
• The Fertile Mind Bookstore (Belfast)
• Friends of Belfast Park (Belfast)
• Human Society of Knox County (Rockland)
• Loyal Biscuit Co. (Rockland)
• The Maine Dog (Camden)
• Mr. Paperback (Belfast)
• Owl and Turtle Bookshop (Camden)
• Perry Greene Kennel and Outfitters (Waldoboro)
• The Readin gCorner (Rockland)
• The Seagull Shop (Pemaquid)
• Sherman's Books (Camden)
• Yankee Clipper (Rockport)
• Zoots Coffee Shop (Camden)

Bay Leaf Cottages & Bistro

All the charm of a B&B without the cost!
www.bayleafcottages.com

The last two months in Maine have flown by! We're enjoying this vacation property so much. Since our purchase and closing (early May), we've accomplished a lot. For example:

1. 1. Opened the property once again (it had been closed for 1.5 years and was in foreclosure) - plumbing, heating, water tests, electrical work --- basically EVERYTHING was checked out and turned ON.
2. 2. Removal of waste, dead trees, bushes, and all sorts of "stuff" - old this and thats - a huge yard full (behind the fence kind of thing) and at least a garage and building full of "stuff".
3. We had 3 garage sales and saw lots of old bedding go to those in need. Not to mention "decor items" made by prisoners from Warren's Prison Shop in Thomaston (circa 1982).
4. Painted and revived four important rooms open to the public - our welcome Office with Gift Shop (stop by and see what neat items we have available including Put a Lobster in Your Kayak T-shirts and Lincolnville Sweatshirts), our Bay Leaf Bistro (now serving Breakfast daily, lunch daily, and Lobster Dinners for $10 on Saturday night with special dinners on Wednesday night), our Library with resource materials on what to see and do in Maine, and our Living Room - open to our guests. Remember, we're trying to create "all the charm of a B&B without the cost". See our website for our weekly breakfast and lunch menus.
5. Hosted a contest for interior design majors at Illinois State University - winners were brought to Maine in May to spend 4 days redecorating 11 cottages. See the interior photos on our website http://www.bayleafcottages.com/ "view the cottages". We also have our our Facebook page before and after photos. There's a link to an article about the Cottages by Design that appeared in the Bangor Daily. Each and every cottage and motel room has new bedding and new decor! All cottages are on our herbal theme and motel rooms are Maine-coast themes.
6. Held a ribbon cutting ceremony with three Chambers of Commerce - Belfast, Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville, and Penobscot Bay (Rockland). Open house was fun!
7. Painted the interior of the main house - kitchen and living room, bedrooms - someone has to watch the place!
8. Cleaned out the garage and set up the workshop. One can now play ping pong inside! Yeah!
9. Painted the railings of the decks, fences, bridges and set up a nice Pergula for picnicing and grilling.
10. Added a dog run for our 4-legged friends.
11. Added a play ground with Step 2 Swingset and Crabbie sandbox
12. Created a kids play cottage with games, arts and crafts, and MORE!
13. Scheduled and offered seminars - see our summer class schedule for kids and adults - you don't need to stay on-site to participate in the many fun things we're doing here!
14. Started planting gardens and replacing grass as needed.
15. Gained a flock of ducks and added our own 2 jumbo rubber duckies to the pond and stream (which were dug out earlier in the summer).

Well - we've done a lot and still have more to do!

Along the way we've met many of our neighbors (even had a picnic with many of them last week) and hope to meet more!

We hope to meet you too! Come visit!

Jane in Maine