A Little Gem in a Little Big Town

It is so interesting to me to watch a small city or town reinvent itself. I'm speaking now of Rockland, Maine. Once just a commercial fishing city perched on the edge of Penobscot Bay, Main Street now glistens with streetlamps, dimly lit restaurants, and sparkling galleries. People drove through Rockland, quickly, to get to Camden or other more scenic parts of Midcoast Maine. Or, they ignored it altogether and took the "short cut" from Warren to Rockport on Route 90. Not anymore. Rockland has become a destination. Convenient flights from Boston make Rockland a hop-skip-and-jump and a perfect destination for a weekend getaway or a desirable retreat any time of year.

Bursting at the seams with amazing dining, galleries, museums, shops and boutiques, Rockland satisfies a cosmopolitan desire combined with small-town appeal and the allure of the sea and working waterfront. Catching up with this renaissance of sorts is Rockland's South End. Still known for the development left behind by MBNA, the South End may have, until very recently, merely been a drive through to more desirable Owls Head and the Saint George peninsula. Today, however, visitors and residence alike enjoy a variety of new businesses and homefronts. The trend is now to "buy and fix up" in Rockland's South End.

One story follows Sandi Dillon, a big city gal who fell in love with a diamond in the rough in the South End. Once a boarding house of sorts, Ripples Inn at the Harbor now beckons guests to explore the new Rockland. Simple, Comfortable, Seaside Chic, Rockland. Ripples isn't a big inn, in fact, there are five rooms. A perfect size for a harborside B&B. Re-designed with comfort and the sea in mind, Sandi welcomes guests into cozy and well-planned living areas. A gourmet kitchen opens to the dining and living rooms ensuring a traditional bed & breakfast experience. Allow Sandi to show you to your rooms...breezy curtains, good use of space, and artistic and comfortable furnishings guarantee a comfortable stay. Special touches make each room unique, each representing a different theme. Poets, artists, relaxation... Situated just a block from Rockland's harborfront, you will enjoy the sounds of the harbor from your open windows as light curtains billow in the seabreeze.

Enjoy a most convenient location, you can walk to anything. The train to Brunswick and beyond, the Farnsworth Museum, many fine galleries, restaurants and shops. Take a sail, take a ferry, have lunch on an island! Then, retire to a cozy retreat to enjoy a nightcap with thoughts of tomorrow left to ponder.