Words By Vanessa Santarelli Photography Courtesy Of Topside Inn 2022-05-19 14:49:35
INN AND AROUND
If your Maine getaway must include a five-star breakfast, you can realize your dreams at the Topside Inn in Boothbay Harbor. One morning’s multicourse meal might include lemon ricotta pancakes, airy on the inside with buttery, crisp edges, topped with wild Maine blueberry compote. Another morning might feature herby crepes filled with ham, artisanal cheese, local mushrooms, and vegetables from the innkeepers’ garden. Or maybe you fancy eggs Benedict with house-smoked pork, a fried green tomato, a farm-fresh egg, and a lime-and-avocado hollandaise sauce.
The traditional New England clapboard structure of the Topside Inn’s main building sits on a hilltop and has plenty of windows for guests to take in sweeping views of the village, inner harbor, and blue-green waters of Casco Bay. Its bright, spacious accommodations include private decks and plush king-and queen-sized beds. The Topside Inn also has two other buildings on property with rooms outfitted in similar luxury.
WHERE TO DRINK: The inn’s newest feature, reserved for guests, is the chic BarOne, a craft cocktail/mocktail lounge where you can enjoy signature drinks and small-plate fare before walking down to the dozens of shops, galleries, restaurants, boat charters, and ice cream parlors in town.
WHERE TO EAT: For a contemporary culinary experience, try HarborSide 1901 Bar & Grill on Bridge Street for fresh grilled seafood, meats, and dishes inspired by Asian fusion cuisine, like sesame-seared tuna with wasabi and ginger. You can hang with the locals at Brady’s on Union Street and eat crave-worthy fried chicken sandwiches, drink cold Thirsty Botanist IPAs from Boothbay Craft Brewery, and enjoy live music on the establishment’s sprawling deck.
WHAT TO DO: Hit Tidal Transit to rent a kayak or stand-up paddleboard and take in the solitude and tranquility of the local marine ecosystem. Or go to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to visit artist Thomas Dambo’s majestic and gargantuan wooden trolls and uncover the ecological lessons they can teach you.
Mark Osborn and Brian Makarewicz, Innkeepers
60 McKown St
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
(207) 633-5404
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