The Loop

Deal of the Week: Tee it up in Maine's fall colors

September 03, 2014

It seems sacrilegious to be talking about color tours the same week as Labor Day, but fall happens sooner in places like Maine. The next month or so is the perfect window to piggyback a leisurely back-roads drive to see the changing leaves with a round of golf in the northern Northeast.

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Vacation packager MaineGolfandStay.com is offering a variety of fall getaway hotel and green-fee combinations starting at $99.95 per night per person. If your tastes run toward the historic, pick a round at the Donald Ross-designed gem Penobscot Valley Country Club in central Maine. Or, tick off a "Best of" box and play the top-100 Sunday River Golf Club in nearby Newry. Two fine Brian Silva designs -- Old Marsh Country Club and Falmouth Country Club -- are also options.

Rates change based on how fancy you like your hotel. Stay at the four-star Bethel Inn -- which opened in 1913 to board well-heeled patients from a nearby sanitarium -- and the packages are about $210. The Hollywood Hotel and Casino and Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor are less expensive options.

You probably won't be getting beach weather, but you should see plenty of sun and temperatures in the mid-60s during the day. Just keep in mind Maine's position on the eastern side of the time zone. It starts to get dark -- and chilly -- early.