New England Vegetarian Bed & Breakfasts

Here are three delightful destinations for vegetarian travelers. See also: Boston Area Accommodations

Shady Hollow Inn, South Dennis, MA

We each have spent lovely weekends at the Shady Hollow Inn in South Dennis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Ideally situated on the lush and verdant north side of the Cape, it is a short walk from the beautiful Bass River, and an easy drive to all points of interest on Cape Cod. Our hosts, Ann Hart and David Dennis, opened the Inn May 18, 2001, offering four appealing guest rooms, vegetarian or vegan home-cooked breakfasts, as well as dinners and picnics on request. Two kayaks and two bicycles are available for guest use.

Our hosts could not have been more friendly or accommodating, and we were delighted with everything! Delicious breakfasts included organic orange juice, fresh-baked muffins, a delectable fresh fruit salad, and a choice of breakfast entrees such as a wonderfully flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth tofu scramble. Dinner was vegan and excellent, a healthy four course meal that left us feeling both satisfied and nourished. Organic ingredients are used when possible.

David and Ann have done an incredible job renovating this 1839 house to offer gracious comfort, doing everything themselves even while Ann, who is an artist, worked. The Inn has all new furnishings with the pleasing, clean lines of mission style, comfortable beds, and special touches such as an outdoor shower to wash off the sand and salt under the open sky, an old Cape tradition. David also brings to the endeavor a background in the vegetarian natural foods distribution business.

In all, Ann and David seem to be doing everything right to make the Inn comfortable, inviting and affordable, and the food delicious!

Contact them at 508-394-7474 or visit www.ShadyHollowInn.com.

—Beverly Rich & Evelyn Kimber

The Guest House at The Peace Abbey, Sherborn, MA

The unique setting of the Peace Abbey provides the visitor with an unforgettable experience. In addition to offering four gracious and comfortable guest rooms for overnight lodging, guests have access to the meditation room and its artifacts from around the world representing many spiritual traditions. Stroll the grounds and take inspiration from the Pacifist Memorial, "bearing witness to humanity's long-cherished pursuit of justice and peace through nonviolence and love." Reflect on the Walls of Names, six brick walls on which are recorded the names of and quotations from sixty peacemakers.

The Peace Abbey's philosophy of nonviolence extends to all beings. Of special appeal for vegetarian visitors are the magnificent Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial with its life size bronze statue of Emily the Cow, and the Veganpeace Animal Sanctuary, a small, safe haven for animals bred for food production who have escaped fate at the slaughterhouse.

The three acre site includes surrounding forest and pastureland, and is a 40 minute drive from Boston, just south of Natick. The Guest House has a vegetarian kitchen and dining room. Guests are welcome to bring their own vegetarian ingredients and use the facilities, as the Abbey does not provide breakfast.

Visit www.peaceabbey.org/abbey/guesthouse.htm or contact them at 508-650-3659.

—Evelyn Kimber

Elm Cottage, Searsport, Maine

Searsport is a small coastal town on Maine's mid-coast. Nestled in its historic district is Elm Cottage, a vegan/vegetarian B & B offering a view of Penobscot Bay and two comfortable, newly-decorated rooms with original wide-plank pumpkin pine floors and private baths. It is steps away from Seaport's town park and beach, museum, antique stores, art galleries, restaurants, and bookstores, and within an hour's drive of many of Maine's most popular destinations.

This beautifully-appointed 1840 home has a vegetarian kitchen and offers a delicious home cooked breakfast that includes orange juice, tea, coffee, fresh fruit, homemade granola or hot mixed grain cereal, soy milk and yogurt, homemade muffins, scones or breakfast bread, Olivio, apricot butter, homemade jams, and a cooked dish that varies each morning, such as tofu scramble, baked fruit french toast, pancakes, crepes, or baked tomatoes stuffed with mushrooms.

In addition to Elm Cottage's welcoming feline and canine hosts, innkeeper Janet is a vegan and a Reiki Master who participates in local vegetarian and food-coop activities and has an interest in nutrition and food in healing. She can cater to special dietary requirements at breakfast, and offers the visitor both an outdoor deck by a bubbling pond, and free wireless Internet service to either depart from or connect to the outside world.

Contact Elm Cottage at 207-548-2941 or elmcottageinsearsport@gmail.com or visit www.elmcottageinsearsport.com.

Just an hour's drive from Searsport is the wonderful Eden Vegetarian Cafe in Bar Harbor, Maine, offering locally grown, organic, vegan cuisine at its finest. Eden has changing seasonal menus for spring, summer, and autumn, and is closed in winter. See www.barharborvegetarian.com.