Every year, particularly during the summer months, hundreds of thousands of people makes a trip to Freeport, Maine. Some are on their way down the Maine coast for a vacation. Others have made Freeport their destination. Virtually all of them visit the famed L.L. Bean flagship store. But there are more things to do in Freeport than just buying a pair of hiking boots or a fly fishing rod.
Shopping
Without a doubt, L.L. Bean made Freeport what it is today – for good or bad. The catalog giant’s main retail store is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. You can buy a canoe at 3:00am or a sleeping bag at noon. Think it’s just a marketing gimmick? Check the doors when you walk into the store. There are no latches. There is never a need to lock the doors when you are always open.
But Freeport offers far more shopping than just the famous outdoor outfitter. This quaint Maine town has been transformed into a shopping mecca, all while making an effort to retain its New England character. There’s a McDonald’s inside a Victorian-style home and an Abercrombie and Fitch store in what used to be the town’s turn-of-the-20th-century Greek revival library. In all, more than 200 outlet stores and retail shops have been developed over the last two decades, drawn by the shopper traffic generated by the L. L. Bean complex at the center of town.
Dining
Like almost any town in America, Freeport has its share of chain restaurants. Besides the McDonald’s there are the requisite Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s and the like. But, also like any other town, local residents know that you most often don’t find the best food at the best-known eateries.
Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub is Freeport’s local micro-brewery. The beer they brew here supplies the small Maine chain’s locations in Portland and other cities, but is freshest right on site. You can get classic pub food, served to customers sitting at long communal tables, or sit outside on the brew pubs deck.
Folks across Maine who have been enjoying Sam’s Italian Sandwiches since the 1930s swear that it is the bread that makes them special. Originally limited to a ham-and-cheese version that included tomatoes, pickles, green peppers and onions, there are now several sandwich varieties to choose from – but the original is still the best. This is a treat you can’t get anywhere but a small area of Maine. Don’t miss it.
Waterfront
The vast majority of visitors to Freeport don’t even realize that it’s located right on the Maine coast. A short drive from the bustling downtown area is the picturesque harbor in South Freeport, at the edge of Casco Bay. The Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster Company is a family-owned restaurant that has been serving fresh seafood from its own fleet of fishing boats for over 40 years. One of the great things to do on a summer afternoon is to grab a picnic table under an awning above the docks and watch boats unload their catch while you enjoy a loaded lobster roll or golden fried clams.
History
The Jameson Tavern sits right next door to L.L. Bean. More accurately, the outdoor retailer sits next door to it, as the tavern first opened in 1779 and the famous company didn’t come along until more than 130 years later. The tavern was an important stagecoach stop, and a place where the likes of the poets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and John Greenleaf Whittier, as well as President Franklin Pierce, were regular visitors. You can still get an elegant meal at the tavern today. Jameson’s lays claim to being ‘the birthplace of Maine,” because in an 1820 meeting in a second-floor room at the tavern papers were signed that separated Maine from Massachusetts – making it the 23rd state in the Union. Look for the bronze plaque erected in 1914 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to commemorate the occasion.
