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Resorts in New England Providing Good Old-Fashioned Summer Vacation

Posted on: Tuesday, 28 February 2006, 21:00 CST

By Jacky Runice

Call me weird, but I found the most attractive thing about the movie "Dirty Dancing" was the fact that Baby and her family are spending three weeks at a Northeast lake resort.

Keep Patrick Swayze, just give me the vacation resort where families return for generations to play croquet, swim in the lake, chase chipmunks, swing on a swing, play canasta and meet new friends.

Fake your best Katharine Hepburn accent and begin planning a visit to the northeastern corner of the country for an old- fashioned summer vacation.

When it was established in 1886 by Ardelia Beach, the Basin Harbor Club was a 225-acre working farm catering to summer boarders. In the 21st century, the resort is still family-owned by fourth- generation Beaches, Pennie and Robert H. Jr., but covers 700 acres of Vermont's most pristine land along the shore of Lake Champlain. Open from mid-May to mid-October, the resort offers a main lodge, cottages, a private golf course, spectacular gardens, a grass airstrip and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. It will soon be part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, dedicated to preserving natural resources and wildlife habitat.

Of particular interest to families, the Ultimate Family Getaway package offers a boatload of summer vacation fun and memories. The resort not only caters to parents, "but we are parents," says owner Pennie Beach. "We have thought through every detail of this package to create a wholesome, memorable vacation that is as easy for parents as it is fun for kids."

The package includes a two-night stay in one of Basin Harbor's lakeside cottages, breakfast and dinner daily, numerous children's activities, a cruise, wildlife tour, a special "tower of treats" upon arrival, a tour of Vermont Teddy Bear Factory (www.vermontteddybear.com), and two hours of babysitting.

The kids are automatically enrolled in Basin Harbor's Children's Program, offering a summer-camp atmosphere filled with activities and special events. The kids' program is broken up into four age groups, accommodating kids ages 3-15. The Champlain Explorers (ages 9-12) and the Champlain Ventures (ages 13-15) groups partake in activities such as golf and tennis clinics, canoe treks, capture the flag, field games, movies, stargazing, biking, hiking and boating, as well as day trips to county fairs and baseball games. Younger kids get into arts and crafts, outdoor games, swimming, nature walks and a picnic lunch in the playhouse.

To find out more about the program, which offers a morning camp, afternoon activities and evening dinner events, go to www.basinharbor.com/kids.

Parents can read a book on the beach, play golf or tennis, browse the galleries and shops in the nearby towns of Middlebury and Shelburne, sail, visit a farmers market or take a painting class. The family plays together, too: volleyball, Ping-Pong, horseshoes, checkers, darts, badminton, Scrabble, inline skating and more options requiring neither batteries nor an electrical outlet. Or, just hang out in your one-, two- or three-bedroom cottage.

The Ultimate Family Getaway package starts at $336 per night, and is available during non-peak, non-holiday times. Visit www.basinharbor.com or (800) 622-4000 for more information or to make a reservation.

Some vacationers have been coming to Maine's Linekin Bay Resort every summer since they arrived on the planet ... and now they bring their grandchildren. Owned and operated by the Branch family since 1909, the facility operated as a summer camp until it was converted to a family resort in 1946. Boasting one of the largest sailing fleets in New England available for guest use, Linekin Bay Resort is one of a handful of resorts still offering an American plan - meaning all meals and the use of all facilities are included in the rate. (You can also choose a modified American plan.)

The atmosphere is unpretentious and informal and although access to telephones, computers and television is limited, there's plenty to do: learn to sail or sail in a weekly regatta; swim, row or canoe; hike through the woods; fish; play Ping-Pong, tennis and shuffleboard. The kids' camp (ages 3-10) meets twice daily, except Saturday, for arts and crafts, games, shore exploration, swimming, field trips and more at no additional charge.

Snooze in lodge rooms or in one of 30 cottages scattered through the pine grove and feast upon native Maine mussels and lobster, fresh from the bay. You'll enjoy three hearty meals a day featuring an abundance of Maine seafood.

Linekin Bay's 61st season runs from June 17 through Aug. 26 and rates vary according to accommodations. Call (866) 847-2103 or take a look at www.linekinbayresort.com.

Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.

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