Blair Hill Inn offers haute cottage-style vacations, dining and million dollar views

Greenville, ME – When it comes to Greenville, the first thing that comes to outdoor adventurers minds is moose and Moosehead Lake.  For discerning inngoers, however, there’s one inn that trumps the lake and Moosehead’s fine furry friends.  Sitting high atop a hill overlooking a sunset-spectacular view of the lake, Blair Hill Inn offers a distinctive getaway location for those seeking the utmost in fine hospitality and dining.  From the verandah where guests drink in an unparalleled view of the sun setting over Moosehead Lake seated on wicker seats and swinging chairs to the Tiffany’s foremost glass blower’s Coiselle chandeliers and sconces, great care has been taken to insure “WOWs” in each room.  Owners and innkeepers Dan and Ruth McLaughlin have transformed a historic gentleman’s farmhouse and estate into one of Maine’s premier inns and as the reviews attest, this is one not-to-miss experience when visiting Moosehead Lake.

The Blair Hill Inn sits at the center of the original 2000 acre Hillside Farms and Estate. In 1891, Mr. Lyman Blair, a wealthy socialite from Chicago, strategically built his home to take advantage of the vast views encircling this special property.  And views are a point of distinction here.  From most of the guestrooms, common rooms and the spectacular 90-foot verandah, the views of Moosehead Lake to Mount Kinneo and beyond are beyond compare.  Dinner and inn guests savor the western exposure as they watch the sun set over the lake sipping cocktails in the evening or steaming coffee in the morning before breakfast.  Careful to offer views from every vantage point, you’ll even find a great “view from the loo” in a number of the guestrooms. 

While history has been savored and great care has been taken to restore the farmhouse to an elegance of a gentler time, the inn lacks no creature comforts either.  Flat screen TVs, deep soaking tubs, double showers, and spacious guest rooms combine with wood burning fireplaces, overstuffed chairs and four poster beds to offer all the amenities guests seek.  Eight guest rooms and suites offer everything from queen to kings to two room suites with tall ceilings, crown molding, curved walls and arches.

A five-course prix-fixe ($55) dinner is served Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights to inn guests and the public, from June through October.  The menus change weekly to reflect the seasons, the freshest produce available and the tastes of Executive Chef Scott Johnson, named by Esquire Magazine as one of the top five chefs in the U.S. Each of the five courses (appetizer, soup, salad, entrée and dessert) is decidedly flavorful using the ripest ingredients from the inn’s gardens and greenhouse and local organic farms.  The hallmark of the inn’s cuisine is the indoor Aztec wood burning grill. From locally farm raised venison to fresh Maine lobster, the wood fired grill brings out flavors no other cooking method produces culminating in culinary cloud nine. 

Nine years ago, the Blair Hill Inn Summer Concert series was launched when innkeepers Dan and Ruth won a performance by a string quartet in an auction and invited the entire town to listen.  Each summer, the Blair Hill Inn features live music from up and coming performers from jazz to blues to bluegrass in the inn’s turn-of the-century carriage barn.  Executive retreats and private dinners are often hosted at Blair Hill Inn, where the same barn or the inn’s common rooms can be converted to accommodate groups up to 35 people. 

There are few more dramatic settings than the Blair Hill Inn’s hilltop vista for weddings. Outside Magazine's Annual Travel Edition 2005 named Blair Hill Inn as one of the top five most visually stunning wedding locations in North America and Maine Weddings featured a spectacular photo essay on an autumn wedding held there in 2007.  Set in a tent high on the hillside, the photo opportunities and relaxed yet sophisticated and natural setting make for magical wedding celebrations.  Blair Hill Inn is experienced in providing all of the ceremony and reception needs.  Catering, bar service, and planning assistance are custom designed to the specifics of a dream wedding.  Intimate settings for a small gathering to a guest list of 150 are the specialty of the Blair Hill Inn. 

From fine dining to the finest of views, Blair Hill Inn is a fabulous Northern Maine Woods gem.  Worth the drive, this destination inn offers everything needed to create the ideal romantic getaway, meeting or event.  For more information, visit Blairhill.com or call 207-695-0224.

Marti Mayne is the B&B Editor for WanderingEducators.com