The image at the top of this page is of Pleasant Mountain and the Shawnee Peak Ski resort (as seen from across Moose Pond). When you look at a topographical view of the region, you realize that Pleasant Mountain is a bit of an anomaly. The surrounding area is hilly, but not mountainous. Pleasant Mountain sticks out. Off in the distance you can see the mountains that surround and make up the Mount Washington Valley including Mt. Washington itself, but they are 28 miles apart. Pleasant Mountain stands apart from the rest and looms large as the western backdrop of the town of Bridgton.
The village of Bridgton (incorporated in the Town of Bridgton) is nestled right in the middle of the lakes region of the Oxford Hills. It sits at the bottom of Highland Lake, and lies between Long Lake, Moose Pond, and Woods Pond. The region survives largely on the tourist trade. Unlike many areas the rely on tourism and mainly make their money in the summer months, Bridgton enjoys year round activity driven by the ski resort, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and a myriad of water related sports and activities. The lakes provide fishing, water skiing, paddling (canoeing, paddleboarding and kayaking) and swimming. There are also several youth summer camps that are nestled on the shores of moose pond and offer parents a great place to send their kids for the summer.
The village offers a variety of shops and restaurants. There is a bookstore (Bridgton Books) a movie theater (Magic Lantern), and in the center of the whole village is Reny’s. Reny’s is a Maine tradition and they have 16 locations across southern and central Maine. Bridgton is fortunate to be one of those 16 locations.
As a side note, anyone who reads the works of Stephen King knows that he grew up in Maine and uses Maine towns (some fictional, some real) as the backdrop for many of his stories. Any avid Stephen King reader knows about Castlerock and Derry (which don’t exist). But if you’ve read any of his more recent works, you will find that he often mentions Bridgton and the surrounding towns. Most recently his novel Doctor Sleep, being the sequel to one of his (arguably) best and scariest novels, is set in the fictional town of Aniston, NH. In this story one of the characters tells her grand daughter to take her child to the Bridgton Hospital. King also mentions North Conway, NH and Fryeburg, ME. Here is an interesting website that does a good job of researching and presenting King’s references to the area. http://maddrey.blogspot.com/2013/07/stephen-kings-maine-day-5-bridgton.html

Places to eat
One of my favorite topics. Food. It is one of the many things that keeps me going back to Maine. Seafood is abundant, but that is not the only type of food you can expect to find. I’m going to break this down by the regions that surround our place in Bridgton, extending into the neighboring regions including New Hampshire, which is just a half hour down the road.
Bridgton

Gastro Pub – located on Rte 302 in the center of Bridgton. This is a new addition to Bridgton and they offer an excellent variety of beers and ciders and an exceptional menu. If they have it (I think the menu changes often) try the Burnt Ends or the Crispy Sprouts. Both are so good you’ll be back for more.

The Campfire Grill – [Update] located on route 302 east of the village just past the drive-in theater, the Campfire Grill is probably our favorite place to eat. The Campfire Grill used to be attached to a motor court on route 302 between Moose Pond and the village of Bridgton but recent events caused them to look for a new location. Judging by the packed parking lot every night it seems to have been a good move.
The Campfire Grill has a really good menu. Don’t let the casual environment fool you; the chef has some serious chops. Many of the dishes are named after local towns, indiginous creatures, or points of interest. I recommend the Coyote Calimari and for a side try the Campfire Baked Beans.
Ancora Italian Kitchen (previously known as Vivo)[Update]- just opened this year. We made a point of catching dinner there the last time we were in town and we were not disappointed. It has a really good menu and excellent staff. They serve one of the local favorites on tap: Allagash Belgian White (I’ll discuss Allagash more in-depth, later).
[Update] We recently returned to Vivo for a family dinner. We had a party of 6 that was easily accommodated (but get there early they don’t usually take reservations). Another excellent dinner and I highly recommend the Bolognese.
Beth’s Kitchen Cafe – Excellent place to have breakfast, especially since she moved into a larger location.
Bridgton House of Pizza (BHOP) – decent pizza and salads. Plenty of seating if you want to stay and eat.
Ricky’s Diner – right across from the BHOP, I haven’t been there yet but my parents have and they said it was good.

Maine Lobster Express -Formerly known as Ken’s Cove (the address still shows up as Ken’s Cove on google maps). They sell a variety of sea food but my primary interest is the lobster. Call ahead and they will cook it for you which I highly recommend if you are getting dinner for more than two. This place is conveniently located on route 302 right where the road takes a bend at the monument.
The Black Horse Tavern – good food, moderately priced. For appetizers I recommend the Teryaki smoked wings and the Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo.
Venezia Italian Restaurant – small and cozy, a little pricy, but good food.

Places in Bridgton I want to try but have not yet:
Toms Homestead 1821 Restaurant
Fryeburg Maine
302 West Smokehouse & Tavern – Fryeburg does not offer many choices for dining, but they do have excellent BBQ. We’ve eaten there once, but it was the best chili I’ve ever had in a restaurant.
Lovell
Ebenezer’s Pub – this place is for serious Belgian beer lovers. They pride themselves on having the best selection on tap. Haven’t been there yet but they have been rated an A+ by Beer Advocate Magazine. Their hours are a little irregular so call ahead to see if they are open. According to the website they have a new location in Brunswick Maine (home of Bowdoin college, imagine that, a brew pub in a college town).
North Conway, NH
Black Cap Grille – located in the plaza next to EMS, the Black Cap offers a varied menu in a casual but modern atmosphere. I really liked the wings I had there at the time but looking at their menu I think that is something they change often.
Merlino’s Family Steakhouse
The Blueberry Muffin – our go to place for breakfast when we are heading home. Try the cinnamon roll french toast. Yes, it is made from a real cinnamon roll.
Peaches – Another excellent place for breakfast or lunch. I believe they are open until 2pm. Located in what used to be a house on route 302 in N. Conway, the menu is interesting and reasonably inexpensive.
Muddy Moose Restaurant and Pub – try the ribs. Excellent.
May Kelly’s – an Irish pub right in the middle of NewHampshire. My neighbor Mike (who is half Irish from Bahston) loves this place. Check them out.
Naples ME
Butcher’s Seafood – 3.7 miles east of the causeway in Naples on route 302, there is a sign with a huge pink lobster. This is Butcher’s seafood. They sell live Maine Lobster and other local seafoods including full belly steamed clams. If you haven’t had a Maine full belly clam, you haven’t had clams. Butcher’s has a friendly staff and they will steam your lobster if you call in advance. Make sure you call early, if you want your lobster close to closing time be warned they turn the steamers off around 5.
Next Blog…
Places to shop in and around Bridgton
…Stay tuned