What do you get when you combine historic inns in Kennebunkport, Rockland, and Bar Harbor? How about six-day itineraries featuring food, adventure, art, and a lot more. A new collaboration of historic inns include three of our favorites and some others we now can’t wait to visit.

Check out the website for information on this new collaborative effort. Marti Mayne of Maynely Marketing is leading the group.

In a recent press release, Marti notes that, “Travelers can combine the lighthouses, lobster and luxury of Maine coastal inns with insider tips and key photo sports provided by innkeepers ‘in the know’ about each destination.” The group offers packages and itineraries on its website.

For the record, these are the inns in the group: Captain Jefferds Inn, Inn at English Meadows, and 1802 House in Kennebebunkport; LimeRock Inn, Berry Manor Inn, and Granite Inn in Rockland; and Canterbury Cottage and Saltair Inn Waterfront B&B in Bar Harbor.

Berry Manor Inn and LimeRock Inn are favorites that Linda and I have written about often in our four years of Travelin Maine(rs) columns in the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Both are featured in our book of favorite inns and restaurants to be published in January of 2016 by Islandport Press in Yarmouth.

We also stayed at Captain Jefferds Inn recently and will be publishing a column about it soon. It’s also now on our favorites list. And we visited the good folks at Inn at English Meadows and 1802 House while we were in Kennebunkport and have put them on our list for places to stay and write about in the future.

I have used the Historic Inns in Rockland, in my travel talks, to demonstrate how effective it can be for innkeepers to work together. Very few do, but the Rockland Inns have been working together for years, sharing a common website and bookings, and that has helped them grow their market together. Working together works! And now that concept has spread to include historic inns in Kennebunkport and Bar Harbor.

Marti tells me that Inns Along the Coast has created special itineraries to make your visits special. The Food Itinerary combines lobster shacks with wineries, free tastings, and cooking classes. The Adventure Itinerary offers everything from hiking and biking in Acadia National Park to paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing aboard a historic schooner or spending a day on the bay with a “salty lobsterman.” I am wondering if we can get the lobsterman without salt!

The Arts Itinerary sounds really interesting, too. But it’s the six-day lodging package that really intrigues me. You can mix and match your choice of inns for a trip that includes breakfast each morning, complimentary gifts, and itinerary planning assistance. The packages start at $750 in the quiet season, and it is really easy to book a trip. You simply choose an inn in each destination and book directly with the innkeeper using an availability calendar on the Inns Along the Coast website. The rate varies depending on your choices.

There’s a lot of information on the website, along with a blog that will keep us informed with updates and insights, plus last-minute special offers. You can bet that Linda and I will be keeping up with that.

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