Migis Lodge
South Casco, Me.
Modern in all the ways you need, but a throwback in all the ways you want.
Sometimes when I miss my childhood, I think of Migis Lodge, a family-oriented resort on Maine’s Sebago Lake. It takes you back. You arrive at Migis on a dirt road surrounded by pine trees, park your car and really don’t have to use it again until you leave. Migis’ cabins combine that timeless feel of the Maine lodge, with hardwood floors and fireplaces and exterior lanterns, with modern amenities like wireless service and comfortable bathrooms. But when I visited Migis with my two young sons last 4th of July, we didn’t spend very much time indoors. Not long after we arrived, the boys got their faces painted with American flag stripes and marched in a kids’ parade to celebrate Independence Day. A counselor walked alongside with a boombox playing “The Stars and Stripes Forever” on repeat.
That evening, we joined other visitors at a 4th of July cookout, where guests mingle at shared camp tables and really do get to know each other. As we looked out over the water, a flotilla of canoes and rowboats from a nearby summer camp, all filled with young kids in life preservers, was towed past us by a counselor in a motorboat. (Harmless chaos ensued when the tow rope got wrapped around a swim float and the boats started crashing into each other; it was like something out of Stuart Little.)
After dinner, my sons played with other boys they had just befriended, tossing pebbles into the lake and wading in the water until the bottoms of their shorts were thoroughly soaked. Over the next couple days, they’d whiz down the rope line, spend the afternoon in summer camp, participate in a kids’ talent show and while away hours swimming in the clear water of Sebago Lake.
Migis isn’t fancy; it’s not supposed to be. The food is solid but not great, the cabins comfortable but not precious. The focus here is on family, and the creation of a place where generations can come together and escape the pressures and distractions of modern life. Few places do it better. migislodge.com
