Naples, ME

The 4th annual Maine Blues Festival returns to Naples, Maine on the shores of Long Lake and Brandy Pond this Friday night and Saturday providing young and old alike a chance to see over 40 bands and performers at a dozen different sites in this picturesque town in the heart of the Sebago Lakes Region.

The Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce provides the organizational backbone to this two day event which ushers in the summer season in Maine's lakes region with world-class performers playing America's music - the blues. One ticket gets you into all the venues and there's even a place for children to hang out if they are not as enthralled with the music as their Moms and Dads. Tickets are $11 in advance and $15 at the door. This is truly a family fun event - in fact, children under 12 are free!

The weekend kicks off Friday night with performances at the Freedom Pub and Cafe as well as the Tiki Bar in Naples, plus an off site performance at the Point Sebago Resort in Casco on Sebago Lake. Everything moves into high gear on Saturday with bands and performers playing not only at these sites, but at the American Legion Hall on Rte. 11, Bray's Brewpub, the Moose Landing Marina, the Naples Golf and Country Club, the Naples Village Green sponsored by Tony's Foodland, Rick's Cafe, Sandy's on the Flight Deck, Sydney's Restaurant, Bear Bonz BBQ, and the Songo River Queen II. For a full schedule visit the Maine Blues Festival website.

For those interested in lakefront real estate in the area check out the current listings on our Lakefront Locator before coming up, then give us a call to set up a showing. You can attend the BluesFest on Friday night, look at lakefront property on Saturday morning, then return to the BluesFest later in the day. What a weekend!

Brandy Pond, once known as the Bay of Naples, sits at the heart of the Sebago Lakes Region between the long and narrow Long Lake to the north and the mighty Sebago Lake to the south.

Connected by the Naples swingbridge and causeway to Long Lake and by the Songo River, through the Songo locks, to Sebago Lake, Brandy Pond is the centerpiece of 35 miles of boating that is the pride of the Lakes Region.

Flanked, as it is, by two relative giants, Brandy Pond is no mud puddle. It's surface area covers 733 acres, its maximum depth is 44 feet and mean depth 16 feet, and it's shorefront is comprised of 204 lakefront lots.

On its surface on a summer's day find all kinds of floating craft, from canoes and kayaks, to powerboats pulling waterskiers and wakeboarders, to the grandest lady in the area, the Songo River Queen - a stern wheel paddler with two decks and capacity for 300 passengers. Cast an eye skyward and watch as seaplanes descend and take off from these friendly waters.

Under the surface is an angler's delight. Brandy Pond serves as a freeway for fish traveling between Sebago Lake and Long Lake. In these waters find colder water varieties like landlocked slamon, brown trout and brook trout, and warmer water species like large and smallmouth bass, pickerel, perch, hornpout, and sunfish.

There are lakefront homes in many styles and sizes on Brandy Pond - from humble Maine camps to sprawling, year round, contemporary homes. This is a popular destination for many vacationers and second homes are much in demand here. Here are three that are currently listed for sale:

25 Bentwood Road - log cabin on the water, sandy frontage, sunsets, $400,000.

82 Marshall Road - 3 bedrooms with a guest cottage, 2850 sf of living space, $749,000.

26 Chickadee Land - private, 3 bdrm, 160 feet on the water, 2.7 acre lot, $799,900.

To see more lakefront properties in the area try using our Lakefront Locator. It's never been easier to find your lakefront home in Maine.

Sebago Lake State Park is a popular state park in Maine that is well-known for camping, boating, swimming, and recreation. Located in the town of Naples at the north end of mighty Sebago Lake, the state park was founded in 1938 as one of the five original Maine state parks.

This state park offers 250 campsites, two public boat launch areas, and bathrooms. The park is mostly forested and encompasses 1,400 acres. The woods provide a respite from the sun and beach activities and are enjoyed by hikers, bikers, and nature walkers alike. The park is open from May 1 to October 15.

Sebago Lake State Park is divided into two areas for camping - Naples Beach and Witch Cove. Besides the beach areas, both sites offer boat ramps and bathrooms with flush toilets and hot showers.

While the park is popular with campers, many day-trippers pay a visit to the park on hot summer days just to enjoy the beach and great swimming. There are plenty of areas that have picnic tables and fireplaces, so pack a lunch and bring the kids.

Of course the big attraction here is the lake itself - the great Sebago Lake. Carved out by glaciers eons ago, Sebago Lake is Maine's second largest lake and its deepest at 315 feet deep. It offers 45 square miles of clean, clear water and is a wonderful place to enjoy all fresh water recreation - swimming, fishing, and boating of all kinds.

No matter what your water recreation pleasure, you can satisfy it at Sebago Lake.

I was driving over the causeway in Naples earlier this week and saw the strangest sight out on Long Lake. The ice had just gone out and there on the lake, probably a mile or two from the causeway, was this big black thing floating on the water. What could it be?

Stopping to have a look - I saw that it was moving! It was a beautiful early spring day - no fog or rain - visibility for scores of miles. I could see the top of snow-covered Mount Washington. The lake was blue and dappled with sunlight. I watched that thing, moving slowly against the horizon.

Then it hit me! That floating monolith was the Songo River Queen out for its maiden voyage. Every fall they basically shrink wrap "the Queen" in black plastic to protect it from the elements. For some reason, they hadn't yet removed the plastic before taking her out on her initial cruise of the season. What a sight!

If you've never been out on "the Queen" you might want to give it a go the next time you're up this way. The Songo River Queen is an authentic Mississippi River Stern Paddle Wheeler. It has an open deck on the second level for open air viewing and an enclosed deck below. It can accommodate up to 300 people, is wheelchair accessible, and provides one of the most relaxing and enjoyable rides you'll ever want to take by boat.

Sometimes the cruise will take you out onto Long Lake and other times it will go down through Brandy Pond and the Songo River, then through the historic Songo Locks. Whichever way you go there's plenty to look at whether it be the wide vistas while out on Long Lake or the shorefront homes as you cruise Brandy Pond and the Songo River.

If you come, though, don't expect to see this big boxy floating thing all wrapped in black plastic. She will have shed her winter coat and will show herself in all her familiar glory - white paint trimmed in red, flags flying, and her stern wheel paddling.

When it opened its doors in the summer of 1900, the Bay of Naples Hotel on the east shore of Long Lake in Naples, Maine had a full compliment of guests ready to occupy its four floors and 72 rooms.

A staff of 85 would have waited on the front veranda and watched as their guests disembarked from a boat provided by hotel owner Charles Goodrich. Horse-drawn buggies would have taxied the guests from lakeside, up the gravel path, to the hotel front door. Before entering, they could turn and take in a sweeping view of Long Lake, the causeway and Naples Village and, on the horizon, the Presidential Range of the White Mountains and mighty Mount Washington.

Goodrich built the Bay of Naples Hotel as a destination for all the passengers he carried on the Songo River Steamboat Company, which he also owned, as well as for well-heeled summer vacationers looking to escape the heat and humidity of east coast cities.

Once inside the hotel, two grand staircases would lead guests to their rooms or, if they prefered, they could take the elevator. In the lobby a stone fireplace with a 12 foot mantel provided heat, if necessary. A similar fireplace could be found in the main floor dining room, as well.

The hotel kept a stable-full of horses to take guests out for daily excursions to area points of interest. Before too many years passed the horses were replaced by Model-T Ford automobiles.

For fifty years this magnificent hotel graced the southern end of Long Lake, welcoming visitors from near and far. But with the advent of the automobile, air conditioning, high-speed highways, motels, and private residences on the lake, the days of the grand summer hotel came to an end.

Guests stopped arriving at the Bay of Naples Hotel in 1951 and it was demolished in 1964. Today on this spot you'll find the Bay of Naples condominiums. They command the same stellar view as the hotel, but lack the imposing grandeur. Sadly, we'll probably never see its like again.