Historic Maine inns are some of the last vestiges of simple and timeless country gatherings. Whether as a natural stop on the way to a big city or as a place to break up a long road trip, the classic Maine inn is as quintessential as a Maine lobster. So when millennial innkeepers Geoff and Nicole Skidmore decided to buy Wolf Cove Inn, they didn’t miss a beat turning it into a destination that honors the past but walks headfirst into the now.
Follow me to Wolf Cove Inn, where love is found in the details.
They say a loon’s call echoing across a glassy lake at dusk is one of nature’s most haunting sounds. One that leaves an imprint in your mind. During our two nights at Wolf Cove Inn, we see the loons, yet they remain silent. They glide unhurried and unbothered across Tripp Lake in pairs, like long-lost lovebirds.
Wolf Cove Inn, located in Poland, Maine, is a modern-day love story that unfolds in unexpected ways. There’s the love of the bucolic property—a Maine inn that was brought back to life by California transplants, Nicole and Geoff Skidmore. There’s family love, as Nicole and Geoff discovered they were pregnant with their son while finding Wolf Cove. Then there are the inn’s signature micro-weddings, which quietly celebrate love.
And, there are the loons. Who doesn’t love the loons?
Love is sprinkled throughout the property like fairy dust. It manifests in ways big and small. Whether as a boat house ‘Romance Dinner’, a private lakeview sauna oasis, an elopement, or a photo op in a tandem swing with your favorite person. Wolf Cove Inn has declared love a core value.
Nicole and Geoff have redefined the image of a stuffy historic Maine inn, essentially flipping the script, right down to the dinner soundtrack.
Saying Goodbye to Hollywood
Love is so naturally sewn into the fabric of Wolf Cove because it was a romantic endeavor from the start. In 2021, Geoff decided to leave his job at Disney Motion Pictures in California, unfulfilled by the remote post-pandemic setup. One weekend, he and Nicole left their tech-filled worlds behind to tackle Washington’s Mt. Rainier. It was somewhere between miles 40 and 50 that kick-started a heartfelt conversation. What did they want to do with their lives?
Nicole comes from an innkeeping background, her paternal grandparents having previously owned a B&B on Cape Cod. This connection sparked a passion for the hospitality industry that was destined to come full circle.
A dream started to take shape, and soon they were scouring the country for an inn to call their own, inviting Nicole’s dad, Bruce, to partner with them. It was during this arduous and lengthy process that they discovered Nicole was pregnant. Little did they know how soon they’d be parenting two needy babies, Aiden and Wolf Cove.
Maybe it’s because so much tenderness went into creating Wolf Cove Inn, or because their son was brought into the world there, that the underlying tones are so intrinsically sentimental.
Geoff calls the innkeeping experience one of passionate progress. Always evolving, growing, and changing. Hmmmm, that sounds a lot like raising a child.
In and Around Wolf Cove
Wolf Cove has thirteen thoughtfully designed rooms, including the newly renovated Deer Isle Suite and a standalone cabin called the Eagle’s Nest. We stay in Deer Isle. It’s complete with a full kitchen, private backyard patio entrance, an art installation wall that channels Mother Nature, and a host of other amenities.
All the rooms are named with Maine in mind, Acadia, Cadillac Mountain, and Moosehead Lake, to name a few. Some have hot tubs, fireplaces, and cushy king beds. A select few are dog-friendly. The Eagle’s Nest is nestled between tall pines and has panoramic lake views.
Geoff tells me they have plans to upgrade the rooms over time, taking care to evolve and refine while never loosening their grip on the guest experience. It’s a labor of love. And as every parent knows, maturity takes time and patience.
Millennial Experiences Aren’t Just for Millennials
Geoff is a natural storyteller. I admire his talent for capturing slice-of-life moments: Aiden chasing their dog Luna across the lawn, a peek inside the fabulously-curated sauna oasis experience, or poking fun at the trials and tribulations of innkeeping.
Geoff catches these moments in a way that is endearing and relatable. Then, after a long day tending to guests’ needs, overseeing the property, and a host of other tasks, he goes home and starts uploading to Instagram and TikTok. Nicole’s job also continues—a toddler is a round-the-clock undertaking. Many of Wolf Cove’s reels have gone viral, amassing thousands of views and followers. The life of a millennial innkeeper is always IRT.
Nicole and Geoff’s relatability is what makes this Maine inn especially unique. I’ve been to many inns, yet I can’t remember one where the hosts were so visible and accessible. Geoff and Nicole are intentional with Wolf Cove Inn. Every aspect has been thought through. Guest movements are anticipated. The pace flows naturally.
They’ve also somehow discovered what many historic inns lack—that true hospitality lives in the details. That the guest experience is more than a comfy bed and an in-room Nespresso machine. And that bridging the traditional and the new can only be accomplished with good old-fashioned hard work. They do this all while chasing Aiden, their toddling innkeeper-in-training.
Setting the (Instagrammable) Scene at Wolf Cove Inn
At Wolf Cove, the lake and its ever-present birdlife add to the rhythm of our stay. With the help of my Merlin app, I hear Bay-Breasted Warblers, Pine Warblers, and Chipping Sparrows among other species. Birdsong is Wolf Cove’s built-in soundtrack—best listened to while taking advantage of their picture-postcard views and Instagrammable nooks and crannies.
Tripp Lake, rimmed with uninterrupted pines and cast in silhouette at dusk, is cinematic. A trellised arch overlooks the water, perfect for a golden-hour photo. A red-roofed barn rests across the hill, as if lifted from an American folk painting. Colorful buoys hang playfully from a white-shingled boathouse, while canoes and Adirondack chairs wait on the shore—everywhere you turn, it’s one frame-worthy scene after another.
Beyond Bed and Breakfast
Wolf Cove Inn uses local purveyors for just about everything. The all-day coffee station beans come from 44 North and are best savored on the sun porch in a handmade mug from local potting duo Kristen and Joe Camp. Campfire Pottery creates the tableware we dine on each night, which is as hearty and artful as the meals.
Unlike other Maine inns, Wolf Cove takes its culinary program beyond breakfast. Executive Chef Kevin Peters spent time at both Blue Hill in New York and Noma in Copenhagen. At Wolf Cove, he returns to his Maine roots to take charge of the dining experience. Whether enjoying his signature free-form vegetable lasagna with its handmade sheets of pasta and ultra-delicate béchamel, or his bold short rib and bone marrow ragu, each bite is infused with, you guessed it, love.
Whisk and Butter make the Wolf Cove Inn love story even sweeter. After dinner, we devour their dark chocolate caramel sea salt cake, topped with chocolate ganache, before we sit by the lake listening for the elusive loons. As if in consolation, an owl hoots weakly. Appeased, I head to our suite and sink into a deep sleep.
The Boat House Bistro is the Original Love Shack
I ask Geoff how the Boat House Bistro came into being, and his answer surprises me, although it shouldn’t. He tells me it came from an Instagram post.
“Social media just freaked out about it,” Geoff says with a smile. He had shot video of the 20-square-foot space, an original boat house overhanging the lake, and unknowingly created a viral moment.
“Everyone wanted to know how they could book it. I knew we were on to something.” Geoff and Nicole’s constant drive to create and enhance means Wolf Cove Inn will continue to surprise guests.
The Boat House Bistro helped prompt an uptick in the culinary program at Wolf Cove Inn. What started as simple pizzas and chili dinners evolved into an elevated culinary program that sticks closely to Maine. It’s the ultimate intimate, private dining experience—naturally enhanced by the lakeside scene, the orange-tinged sunsets, and the loons’ eerie call.
In the Name of Love: Micro-Weddings and Elopements
There’s something undeniably romantic about choosing to elope. Not out of haste or rebellion, but with intention. To strip away the expectations and the crowds. To focus only on what (and who) matters most.
Maybe it’s the stillness of Tripp Lake, the loons, or the way the light catches the pines at golden hour, but Wolf Cove Inn seems to be made for elopements and micro-weddings. Perhaps it’s Nicole’s golden touch, her attention to every detail, and gift for inspiring romance.
Wolf Cove offers wedding and elopement packages to help couples curate and commemorate the first day of their lives together. This is Nicole’s sweet spot. And after seeing a few of the ceremony locations, I’m tempted to renew my vows. My husband takes to the idea exactly as I expect, then readily agrees to paddle me to the middle of the lake so I can search for eagles. Mission accomplished.
Love Conquers All
At dusk, Tripp Lake looks like glass. A hush falls over the landscape, and the conical spires of evergreens are backlit by the setting sun. I try to manifest a loon—a long, mournful, distant wail calling to his partner, “I’m here, where are you?” he will cry. Moments later, she will respond. “I’m over here. Find me.” It’s solitude, peacefulness, and yearning, all wrapped up in one long, amorous note. But not today, which is fine. Another reason to return to Wolf Cove.
Before we get on the road, I ask Geoff one last question: ‘What do you ultimately want here?’ He thinks for a moment, then replies, “In this little remote part of Maine, I want to create the unexpected. Something that creates a sense of FOMO. Something that gets people to stop scrolling and say, ‘Whoa, that’s different, that’s unique.’ I’d really love that.”
At its core, Wolf Cove Inn is a love story. A series of love stories. Not only between people, but between place and its purpose, old and new, between stillness and sound.
This historic Maine inn is waiting. Head north and find it.
Saying ‘I do’
Wolf Cove makes tying the knot with your favorite peeps picture perfect by offering Inn Buyout Wedding Packages. They can accommodate up to 50 guests for an intimate and beautiful lakeside ceremony. Click here to learn more!
Disclaimer: Although Wolf Cove Inn kindly hosted me for my stay, all opinions stated are my own. As always, I’ll only recommend places I fully believe in.
