Freeport, Maine…Shoppers Paradise

Story by Crystal Plummer, Photos by Mark Plummer

Many towns in Maine do not have year-round service, and close shortly after Columbus Day. Freeport, Maine, on the other hand, stays open all year and has special activities for the whole family to enjoy.

During the summer, L.L. Bean, Freeport's largest and most popular merchant, hosts its Summer Concert Series featuring weekends of free music in its outdoor Discovery Park.

Freeport is known as one of the outlet-shop capitals of the world, with 170 different retailers in one small town. L.L. Bean has a fantastic store that features its “seconds” in clothing and household items. One thing to remember about L.L. Bean is that even its seconds are better than most companies’ first-quality merchandise. Other outlet stores include Anne Klein, Banana Republic, Coach and Jones New York..

If you only have time to visit one outlet, don’t miss L.L. Bean. The best thing about it is the famous L.L. Bean Satisfaction Guarantee, which applies to all of merchandise whether bought at retail, on sale, or clearance.

After a day of shopping, visitors can find fantastic restaurants featuring everything from seafood to steak to vegetarian meals. The Lobster Cooker is a quaint restaurant off Main Street that serves succulent lobsters, clams, and hand-cut french fries. It also offers salads and kids meals.

Jameson’s Tavern and Gritty McDuff’s serve some of the best ales and beers in the state. Jameson’s has a formal dining area as well as the tavern. Gritty’s, as the locals call it, is a casual restaurant that serves its own label of ales, as well as themed ales for Halloween and Christmas. The local McDonald's is an adventure in itself. Instead of the typical brown shingled building with large picture windows, it is an old Captain's house. If it wasn't for the small trademark golden arches in front, you wouldn't know it even existed.

There are several bed and breakfasts in Freeport, along with a few inns, a hotel and at least two high- quality campgrounds in the outskirts of town.

The Hampton Inn opened six years ago as a full-service hotel with a conference center that local businesses utilize for meetings. The Harraseeket Inn, located on the north end of Main Street, offers beautiful accommodations with a full buffet breakfast included in the room rate. It also offers all-inclusive wedding packages at its critically acclaimed inn. For your dining pleasure, The Harraseeket Inn has a formal main dining room, and a casual Broad Arrow Tavern. The Hilton Garden Inn opened in September.

Simple to elaborate campgrounds are available for the more adventurous. The Desert Dunes of Maine Campground is a family-friendly area with every convenience that a camper could hope for, yet with the peace and quiet of a backwoods Maine road. Campground guests receive free passes to get into the famous Desert of Maine. Erosion converted this 300-acre farm into a desert. It is an adventure for the whole family. Adults will enjoy the dunes and the Tuttle Farm Museum, while children will have fun finding “gems” in the desert’s sand (they even get to keep what they find!). Everyone will enjoy watching desert sand transformed by onsite artisans.

About a six-mile drive away is Wolfe’s Neck State Park, which offers trails, a small beach, and a picnic area. The beach has a small island just a few feet away that is an osprey preserve. People are prohibited on the island devoted to the osprey, a majestic fish-eating raptor.

There is a boat shop and a wonderful takeout restaurant at the Freeport Town Landing, Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster, which is open seasonally, is a great place to go to watch the hundreds of boats sail in and out of the area, while savoring a traditional Maine lobster dinner.

Atlantic Seal Cruises, famous for its Eagle Island Adventure tour, is just up the road. More than 6,000 visitors a year take the trip to Eagle Island State Historical Park to look at the summer home of North Pole explorer Admiral Robert Peary. A hiking trail is available for visitors to explore the island.

Freeport boasts many outdoor activities. L.L. Bean offers its Outdoor Discovery Schools - classes that teach such activities as kayaking, fly fishing, bike tours and photography. The public Freeport Country Club welcomes the golf enthusiasts. There are also many local antique shops and museums to fill your vacation with cultural and shopping excitement. Freeport has everything from candles to candy, from outdoor gear to clothing shops, from ice cream parlors to cooking stores. There is even a pet shop that welcomes Fido!

Freeport can be as expensive or as frugal as one would like. It's simple to visit Freeport without spending any money at all. Free activities abound, including hiking trails, snowshoeing trails and picturesque picnic sites.

Each winter, this coastal community has a wonderful Parade of Lights. This year’s event lit up at 6 p.m., on Dec. 1 with the Main Street Magic Parade of Lights. Carolers, cider, cocoa, decorations, horse and carriage rides and even a "talking" Christmas tree rounded out the weekend festivities. L.L. Bean is a major sponsor of the annual festival, which embraces a variety of family holiday fun.

Freeport’s one disadvantage is hassle of traffic and parking. Outside of the L.L. Bean stores, there are not a lot of parking spaces available. Once parked, it is best to stay in that spot and walk around the town. Thankfully the town is only a few blocks, but that may get tiresome for some elderly or disabled folks. There is no public transportation, but plenty of benches to sit and rest a spell.

Freeport is beautiful, and can easily be visited in a day. For those of who like to relax, spend a few days, and enjoy the scenery. It’s easy to see why Freeport is known as “Maine’s #1 destination.”