Dress code at Basin Harbor and the Balsams in Summer...
 

I called both places and they said their dress code in the evenings (not just in dining room, but on the grounds) are jackets for men etc. I'm a little confused - EVERYONE must be dressed up (including kids)? I mean, aren't there people doing activities in the evenings? Swimming, tennis etc? Anyone have first hand experience?

We're trying to find a place with our four kids - great food but casual attire...

Thanks.

Lisa

Lisa--we have been to Basin Harbor and people do dress at night; there is really no swimming at night (the pool isn't much and the lake is dark) and I don't know if there are lights at the tennis; Basin Harbor is great, but a little old school (think lots of Lilly), there is a more casual restaurant where no one dressed up, but if you want to eat in the Main Dining Room, everyone was dressed up. They do have outside bbqs, etc. which were casual. It is definitely the kind of place where people are used to dressing up.

Hope this helps--let me know if you have questions, it is beautiful there.

Mary

Thanks! Basin Harbor sounds like so much fun for the kids - just not sure if I can convince hubby to dress up for more than dinner (it was hard enough during the cruise we took to dress him formally for a couple of dinners)!

Is it a stuffy place?

Lisa

Lisa--it's not stuffy, it is a country club atmosphere, but everyone is very nice. We didn't actually like eating in the Main Dining Room--too formal for us for the summer, but the food in the casual restaurant was good and the outdoor events were really fun. The cottages are great; we only went up there once (I don't know where you live, but for us from D.C. it is really far) and then decided we missed the ocean, but if your family would like a lake, tennis and your kids would go to the kids camp (most of the kids seemed to go), it's a fun place. There is also great bike riding for the kids.

Hope this helps,

Mary

Thanks again! You mentioned that you ate in the casual restaurant - didn't you have to dress up even though it was in the evening?

Lisa

You don't need to dress up for the Red Mill (I finally remembered the name!); locals can join Basin Harbor (like a country club) and they all seemed to eat at the Red Mill; if you want to have a drink out on the lawn before dinner, you needed to have a jacket and most women were in skirts and dresses; the atmosphere is not snobby, rather old-money--most of the people we met had been going there for years and obviously like the traditions like dressing for dinner. The family that owns the property, gives a cocktail party and you need to be dressed for that. If you do go, make sure you make dinner reservations--even for the Red Mill--we didn't have reservations for our first night and there was nothing available until 9:00 which doesn't work for a 5-year old and we ended up eating in the bar which was fine, but not optimal.

Mary