Dozen Distinctive Destinations
Bath, ME
Year Listed: 2005
On the banks of the sparkling Kennebec River, just 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Bath, Maine (pop. 10,000) is an old seafaring town that has reinvented itself as one of the best small cities in America. The town's proud maritime history dates from the launching in 1607 of the first ship built in the New World by English settlers. For centuries, shipyards that lined the river's edge sent wooden sailing ships, steel vessels, and graceful yachts around the world. Today the Bath Iron Works, founded in 1884, carries on the proud shipbuilding tradition of turning out frigates and destroyers. At the south end of the city, the acclaimed Maine Maritime Museum offers gallery exhibits, a historic shipyard, educational programs and narrated boat cruises to points of historic significance and natural beauty. Bath's tree-lined avenues are an outdoor gallery of humble and grand examples of classic American architecture. The year-round downtown area, with its 19th-century brick storefronts and narrow streets, has become a magnet for shoppers through a successful Main Street program, while the expansive Historic District offers guided tours of carefully preserved homes and year-round theatrical performances in the 1846 Gothic Revival landmark that houses the Chocolate Church Arts Center. The ocean can be enjoyed at Reid State Park, a rugged and scenic beach, and at Popham Beach, a glorious five-mile stretch of white sand rated one of the most beautiful beaches in New England. In addition, there's sailing, golfing, waterskiing, boating or just unwinding on the veranda of a romantic inn after a long day of sampling Bath's many pleasures. For these reasons, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country's largest private, nonprofit preservation organization, today named Bath, Maine, to its 2005 list of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States. It was selected from nearly 80 destinations in 44 states that were nominated by individuals, preservation organizations and local communities. "Bath is a jewel hidden in plain sight," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "A small, historic and relatively unspoiled New England town, Bath had the good sense to hang on to what makes it so special. The result is a vibrant community that offers travelers an ideal retreat."
