I’m the parent of a Bates senior. My father was a Middlebury alum (as was my sister); my mother went to Bates. These schools were famous in my family culture. My son applied to both and was waitlisted at Midd; Bates offered him a good tuition package and he has been very happy there. I went into the college search phase with him thinking Midd would be preferable, mostly because of its reputation and because I thought he would like the campus. However, when visiting in 2012, I was surprised to feel put off by what I perceived as a country club atmosphere–so many huge, fancy buildings. It felt slick to me. My son was disappointed to be waitlisted there, but in fact when we made the (pre-application) college visits he seemed to prefer the relatively cozy atmosphere at Bates–a main campus of just over 100 acres, with additional environmental preserve acreage on the coast. And yes, the food is great.
My understanding is that over the years Midd has put a lot of money into growing its campus–and it has its own golf course and a ski area. Bates, on the other hand, tends to hold its endowment a little closer. There are local ski areas and golf courses, but they are not owned by the College. If you are interested in languages, I think Middlebury is where you want to be (although Bates has some really good study abroad programs–Japan in particular), and I believe environmental science is a strength.
Bates has super debate team and a very strong Econ department. In the arts, its strong point is said to be dance. Historically, it has made educating rural kids a priority (e.g. my mother) and turning out “teachers and preachers” (also my mother). However, more recently, I believe just as many graduates head for Wall Street and law school, and like Middlebury, it now mines the private schools of NYC and the west coast as well as the public high schools of New England. My senior, who double majored in Math and Philosphy, is heading to a tech job after graduation (the career center did a great job in assisting with this).
So there’s my two cents. You may find your experience of these schools to vary. Middlebury has a higher ranking, to be sure. I think the education is comparable, depending on what you want to focus on.