Bath Built is Best Built
On a recent visit to a local store, I spied the latest copy of “Yankee Magazine.” I don’t normally give in to the temptation, but this one included the “Best of New England 2014,” and I can never resist the fantasy that I might actually *do* some of the awesome things listed in the calendar of events.
Bath’s nomination for “Best Victorian Downtown” jumped out at me in the Maine section – Bath does have a really excellent little main street, which is one of the primary reasons we moved here. And it made me realize – for a town of 10,000, we’ve gotten an awful lot of recognition in the last few years. Maybe the old Bath Iron Works motto is true: Bath Built is Best Built.
- Best Victorian Downtown, Yankee Magazine, May/June 2014. Bath was also profiled in the same magazine in their article Journey to New England’s Seventh State – the maritime trail, of course.
- America’s Greatest Main Street, Travel & Leisure Magazine, 2011. I couldn’t have put it better: “Explore leafy Front Street, with its brick buildings and an outpost of Reny’s, a small discount department store chain that’s a throwback to an earlier era. Detour down side lanes for bakeries, restaurants, and variety shops.”
- The Maine Maritime Museum of Bath was named one of the Top Ten Maritime Museums in the World by Maritime Insights Magazine in 2012. They note that the Maine Maritime Museum “is a treasure-house of important nautical history of the city of Maine.”
- Great American Main Street Award, National Trust Maine Street Center, 2012. The Trust recognizes five communities around the United States each year for excellence in revitalizing the nation’s historic “Main Streets.”
- Solo Bistro has been the recipient of Sante Magazine’s Innovative Culinary Hospitality Award, recognized for their “unique menu and commitment to using only the freshest local ingredients, combined with Chef Esau Crosby's desire to constantly try new techniques and flavor combinations.”
It’s true. Bath is home to a great downtown, outstanding cultural opportunities, award-winning dining, and a host of other wonderful features. When we moved here, we really had no idea that Bath was so awesome, but we’ve definitely learned over the last few years that Bath-built may be ‘best built’ after all.
Bath's Waterfront Park in the fall.