Welcome to our Inn! The Wolf Cove Inn is situated on the eastern shore of Tripp Lake in the Lakes Region of Maine. Resplendent with gardens, pine groves, lawns and a sweeping shoreline, you’ll enjoy beautiful sunsets on our almost two acres with over 560 feet of private shorefront on the lake. Walk more than 40 feet off the porch and your feet will get wet! Now that’s a true waterfront Maine inn. The scenic surroundings at our bed and breakfast are just the start of the wonderful experience you’ll have here.
History of the Property
While the Wolf Cove Inn was born in 1996, the property itself dates back over 100 years. Read on for some of the history we’ve been able to dig up.
- In 1894, the Wolfs of Pennsylvania built a four bedroom “cottage” on the property as a summer home for the family. The Maine dining room and the current Winter Harbor Suite, Casco Bay Room and Penobscot Bay Room made up the rooms contained in the original building.
- A photo from the Poland Historical Society dating to the early 1940s depicts the original cottage. However a newspaper article from the Lewiston Evening Journal dated April 28, 1950 announces the sale of the “11 room Wolf Cove Estate” to the Cullen family of Lewiston. Therefore I surmise that sometime during the 40s, further expansion occurred adding the current kitchen, foyer, office, garage and the spaces currently called the Acadia Suite, Moosehead Lake Room, Rangeley Lake Room and Sebago Lake Room.
- After purchasing the estate in 1950, the Cullens, owners of a lobster shack in Lewiston, converted the estate into a restaurant. Lobster-Land On The Lake operated as a very popular restaurant for over 20 years.
- In 1963, Lobster-Land provided the locale for the filming of a scene from the episode “Same Picture, Different Frame” of the TV series Route 66. Joan Crawford appeared as guest star. The story goes that Glenn Corbett, one of the co-stars of the series, was a little full of himself vis-a-vis stardom. Joan Crawford took it upon herself, as a real star, to take him down a notch of two.
- Trivia alert! Some guest actors from two follow-on episodes were also at Lobster-Land but not in the episode. One was Lon Chaney Jr. The other? A little known young actor named William Shatner.
- In 1970, Rose and Jim Aikman purchased Lobster-Land. They continued to operate the restaurant until 1971 when they decided to convert the property back to a private estate.
Rebirth as a Premier Lakefront Maine B&B
- In 1996, Rose decided she wanted to be an Innkeeper. On July 4th, 1996, the seven room Wolf Cove Inn was born.
- Come 2000, Rose raised the roof and added the third floor where you now find the Sugarloaf, Mt Katahdin and Cadillac Suites as well as the Bigelows Room.
- Following the terrorists attacks of 2001, the secret service spent much time at the Inn for several years. A member of George W. Bush’s staff had a summer home on Jordan Shore Drive, so the secret service used the Inn as a base to monitor traffic on the road.
Wolf Cove Inn Gains New Owners and a Complete Renovation
- In December of 2013, Sue and Roy Forsberg purchased the Inn. Their vision for the Inn was to provide guests with a comfortable and quintessential Maine experience. Right away Roy and Sue began an intense four month long renovation of the Inn. In May of 2014, the Inn reopened and Sue and Roy were the Innkeepers! Additional renovations and upgrades have continued each year, including the building of the Eagle’s Nest Cabin in 2016.
Wolf Cove Inn Enters a New Chapter in 2023
- In June of 2023, Nicole and Geoff Skidmore purchased the Inn. Having just moved across the country from California, we were quite literally living out of our travel bags by the time we purchased the Inn. We are so incredibly thrilled to make this Inn our own and bring our big dreams and ideas with Wolf Cove to fruition. We look forward to welcoming all our guests – both new and returning!
Nicole & Geoff Skidmore: Your Maine B&B Innkeepers
Our goal is to provide each guest with an unforgettable experience through exceptional service, top quality food, comfortable accommodations, and to help them create treasured memories in the awe-inspiring Wolf Cove Inn in Poland, Maine.
Nicole & Geoff come to Wolf Cove with undeniable youthful, fresh energy and an immense background of working with people. It was in the summer of 2021, at the height of Covid-19 pandemic, when Geoff and Nicole were at a crossroads in their careers and were trying to figure out what they truly wanted out of life. At this time, they were seeking adventure and inspiration at some of the most gorgeous mountain communities of the Pacific Northwest. During these adventures, they found themselves gravitating towards Bed & Breakfast Inns and having in-depth conversations with the Innkeepers of these establishments. It was while driving along a beautiful coastal Oregon road with their two dogs (Beyla and Luna) after staying at one of these Inns when a lightbulb went on and they both realized they wanted to open their own Bed and Breakfast. This had always been a lifelong dream of Nicole’s and the time then and there seemed right.
Nicole’s background in hospitality goes all the way back to her childhood when her grandparents successfully ran and operated a Bed & Breakfast Inn in Cape Code, in which they owned in Massachusetts for 13 years! She would routinely help them greet the guests, check rooms, serve at teatime, and arrange food. Having later majored in Business & Hospitality at Arizona State University, Nicole was determined to make this dream become reality. That was until the financial crisis of 2008, the year of her graduation, overwhelmed the globe and the Hospitality industry took a devastating hit. Nicole shifted her attention to another family business, manufactured printed circuit boards, which she has excelled in for over 18 years. It is an absolute dream come true for Nicole to be entering this new chapter building her lifelong dream. She brings with her a revived sense of enthusiasm and cannot wait to greet her guests just like her 8-year-old self once did.
Growing up in the Napa Valley, Geoff worked his way up in the hospitality industry as a young teen, which was somewhat of a rite of passage for any teen living in Wine Country. Years later, having worked in the entertainment industry in a variety of roles in Los Angeles for nearly a decade, Geoff has interacted with some of the film and music industry’s most notable figures: from big named actors, to producers, directors, singers, songwriters, and industry executives. He managed to survive the competitive industry unscathed and very fulfilled! With a background in marketing, integrated planning & franchise management, administrative work, and special events, Geoff brings strong experience and energy to the Hospitality industry to fulfill his shared dream with Nicole: to run and operate a beautiful bed and breakfast.
As California-turned-Oregon-turned-California, and now Maine, residents, Geoff and Nicole are avid fitness enthusiasts, food, wine, and whiskey lovers, hikers, and dog parents. Both welcome their guests with open arms and are proud to call Wolf Cove Inn home. They are excited about their new journey and invite you to experience the rich local history, beautiful outdoors, and abundent Maine Lakes Region amenities. All who come and stay with us, we hope, will leave as our friends.
