The Belgrade Lakes Region - beautiful, historic, and hospitable - is Maine's premier inland resort area. Renowned for its chain of seven unique lakes, its vistas of woods and farmlands, and its inviting waterside villages, the Belgrade Lakes Region is a vacation and recreation mecca for tourists, visitors, and summer guests from around the world.

Once the hunting, fishing and farming terrain of the proud and resourceful Abnaki Indian, this waterway to the mighty Kennebec was permanently settled in the late 1700's based on a rich legacy of mills, orchards, and farms. River and railroad accessibility carried Belgrade products and produce to the world market and by the early 1900's led to the establishment of over two dozen private boys and girls camps and numerous fishing lodges and hotels in the grand style. A favorite summer haven for the rich, the famous, and the creative (it inspired that enduring classic "On Golden Pond"), the Belgrades evolved into a seasonal destination for all lake lovers. The area was the set location for the HBO film Empire Falls in 2003.

Today tranquil lakeside living and superb fishing, swimming and watercrafting throughout the Belgrades are complemented by a variety of delightfully local public suppers, handcraft fairs, lake days bingo, music fests, auctions, antiquing, loon-calling contests, bike tours and several good hikes close by.

Within minutes you will find a new public championship 18-hole golf course in Belgrade Lakes designed by Clive Clark. Visit www.belgradelakesgolf.com.

Highlights of a Belgrade summer include the mailboat ride on Great Pond, outdoor concerts at New England Music Camp (visit www.nemusiccamp.com) on Lake Messalonskee, and cultural and campus events at nearby centers of Waterville, Augusta, Farmington, and Skowhegan. Drive or walk around the beautiful Colby College campus (visit www.colby.edu) to pick up some college atmosphere.

Blending the old and the new, the leisurely and the energetic, the rustic and the refined, the Belgrades remain a true memory-making adventure for all who pass through the area, and for the many who return time and again.

The Pressey House is located in the heart of the Belgrade Lakes Region, in Central Maine. Staying at The Pressey House offers convenient access to many of Maine's most popular areas: