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In addition to trail rides for visitors by reservation, and riding lessons for local residents, DiAnne’s Deepwood Farm partners with the nearby Bethel Inn Resort to conduct all of their wedding and holiday horse-drawn wagon and sleigh rides. It also serves as the homebase for prestigious Gould Academy’s dres- sage offerings, and hosts summertime horse camps for kiddos starting as young as 5.
DiAnne suggested that I perhaps plan a family camp- ing adventure at the nearby National Forest some sum- mer, and drop the girls for a day or two of horse camp, as it teaches them so much about taking care of them- selves, being calm, and communicating. “Well actually,” she rebuffed, “there’s usually only one of the kids who ends up being a horse person, so drop that one.”
PRO TIP: Call ahead to make a reservation for a trail ride, and try to catch DiAnne in real time rather than leaving a message. And, it turns out, if you actually set your GPS for 84 Parsonage Hill Road in ALBANY TOWNSHIP, Maine, it’ll get you there, no problem. Rural Albany Township is adjacent to Bethel, and locals conflate the two, but it seems the satellites never got that memo.
Beyond Bowling In Rangeley
In Rangeley for a weekend getaway, I had forgotten about Moose Alley until we were driving into town, at which point we quickly rejiggered our plans, and put it on the agenda for the next day’s dinner.
The top-notch bowling facility is impressive, with ten lanes that include bumpers that pop out of the floor for kids, plus a wide open restaurant/lounge area that
somehow pulls off the feeling of cozy even though it’s giant. There’s a gorgeous, grand fieldstone fireplace and chimney with seating that surrounds, great lighting, and ambient nooks for saddling up at the bar, dining, playing arcade games, or stashing your snowmobile gear.
We didn’t think to reserve a lane in advance (lesson learned) so only stuck around for just over an hour, but the girls LOVE bowling, so we made the best of it, nibbling on some scrumptious nachos while we were at it. Despite all the antler decorations (which are per- fect for the setting), the space, menu, and experience rivaled that typically available only in much bigger cit- ies, and though Rangeley is a very small town, it does attract a large volume of tourists.
Turns out, Moose Alley thrives at lunchtime too, and, if I’m being honest, that might have been more our speed. Not that we didn’t have fun. But with leagues on Monday and Tuesday evenings, impressive live music acts on most Friday and Saturday nights (seriously, whoever does their booking has great taste), and open mic’ on Sundays, it gets busy. The lights go low, the drinks flow, and the dance floor gets fun. It’s totally the kind of place I’d groove at on a date night, but 6:00 pm was a good curfew with such little kids in tow.
The one thing I didn’t like about Moose Alley? My score. A sore loser, I guess I’ll come back, but only after I’ve brushed up a bit by watching some bowling on TV.
PRO TIP: Check out their Facebook page, which is updated much more regularly than the website. Call ahead to reserve a lane (especially for the weekend or wintertime). And, don’t forget tube socks!
Almost as popular as the bowling, the arcade at Moose Alley features a ticket system so the young (or young at heart) can redeem winnings for prizes and treats.
Courtesy Moose Alley
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