The Kennebec Explorer 2018 Visitor's Guide to Maine's Kennebec Valley | Page 17

Cumston Hall, Monmouth
Belgrade Lakes
Ladies Delight Light ©Dan Marquis
WINTHROP BELGRADE LAKES LADIES DELIGHT
This town could not be more ideally
located for an easy getaway from the
world. Surround yourself with blue
skies and crystal-clear water. This part of the region is filled with
towns offering the lake life, so if you
don’t find what you are looking for
at first, keep looking in Winthrop,
Litchfield, Wayne, Vienna, Readfield,
Fayette, or even Mt. Vernon. Combine the beauty of Great Pond
and the breathtaking sunsets over
Long Pond with a longstanding
tradition of “summering in Maine.”
Add in the familiar thwack of a screen
door and the bubbly sounds of laughter
filtering up from the shore, and you
have a complete picture of the
Belgrade Lakes. Add in unexpected
but delightful events, spectacular
autumn-hued views from the
Mt. Phillip Trail, and a full-moon
midnight snowshoe hike onto the
ice. It’s a year-round destination that
feels perfectly untouched. Set on a small rocky shoal at the north
end of the narrow and rocky Lake
Cobbosseecontee is the only active
inland light, flashing every night of the
year. The lighthouse was commissioned
by the local yacht club, then designed
and built by the Boston firm of Frank
Morse. Located in the lake’s North Bay,
the lighthouse was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
in 1984. Having undergone multiple
restorations, the light is now the
Crown Jewel of the Cobbossee. Tours of
the lake including the light can be
arranged at the lake’s marina.
WinthropChamber.org BelgradeLakesMaine.com KennebecValley.org
Pack your fishing gear and head to
the lake—there’s excellent fishing on
the three lakes within a mile of
town, so bring the boat, too.
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