Maine Coast: Freeport Travel Guide
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Discover all the best places to shop, eat, and stay in our Freeport Travel Guide. Freeport, Maine is home to the LL Bean Flagship Store as well as a dizzying array of brand-name outlets and locally-owned stores. Freeport is a premiere shopping destination set in a charming New England town replete with colonial homes, rustic taverns, and a gorgeous harbor just minutes away.
Although people flock to the area for Freeport’s world class shopping, there are a lot of other things to do. The town is located on the Casco Bay. Freeport boasts a harbor offering sea excursions, hiking trails along the rugged Maine coast, and a vibrant craft beer scene.
Use our Maine Coast: Freeport Travel Guide to discover the town’s many retail spaces, hotels, restaurants, and harbor. Get to know all that this Maine vacation destination has to offer.
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AREA OVERVIEW
Freeport, Maine’s village center is walkable with plenty of free parking. You can shop for a day, but we recommend a weekend. Freeport is an easy 20-mile drive from Portland, Maine. It is a 4-season New England destination. Most businesses stay open throughout the year.
Freeport is especially fun around the holidays when the town is decorated for the season. It’s also great to visit in the summer when LL Bean is running activities, classes, and movie nights in Discovery Park. And, of course fall brings with it glorious color – and sales!
FREEPORT MAINE SHOPPING
Freeport’s primary shopping district runs about .7 miles from the Harraseeket Inn to the Freeport Police Station. The route follows Route 1 (Main Street) through town, with many side streets and lanes veering off to other shopping and eating venues. Our breakdown of the village center is designed to help orient you to the area:
Route 1 (North of the LL Bean Flagship Store)
The area between the Harraseeket Inn and the LL Bean flagship store is full of wonderful, uniquely Maine small shops and business. On this strip you will find the Thos. Moser hand-crafted furniture gallery, Mangy Moose collectibles, Wicked Whoopies, and a host of jewelry, pottery, second-hand, antique, comic, and fine arts shops.
LL Bean Flagship Store and Discovery Park
The LL Bean complex consists of the core “bean boot” flagship clothing store, a home goods store, an outdoor equipment store, and a central Discovery Park green. On the green there are usually food and activity trucks set up. There is an outdoor stage and movie screen where classes, activities, and events are held. There are also large, free parking lots situated behind the complex.
Freeport Village Station (Across the street from the LL Bean Flagship Store)
The Freeport Outlets Shopping Mall is full of upscale, national chain stores surrounding a large, outdoor brick plaza and pathways. The outlet features stores such as Brooks Bros., Carters, Coach, LL Bean, Lindt, Nordica, Osh Gosh, Talbots, and others. There is free parking in the Mill and Depot Street garages.
Route 1 (South of the LL Bean Flagship Store)
Along this stretch, shoppers will find a number of freestanding retail and restaurant establishments located in restored brick and board New England style houses. Business in this area include Banana Republic, The Loft, Levi’s Outlet, and American Eagle as well as Freeport Antiques, and Abacus.
FREEPORT MAINE WATERFRONT
South Freeport is a village 3-miles south of the town of Freeport. Here, you will find the South Freeport Town Wharf and Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company. You can walk the beautiful town wharf where many fishing, boat, and lobstering excursions depart for sea. While you are onsite, have lunch at Harraseeket’s. The restaurant is a much-loved local landmark featuring fresh-off-the-dock seafood with inside and outside seating.
Wolf Neck Woods State Park: About a 5-minute drive from the Freeport town center is Wolf Neck Woods State Park. This 200-acre park has a forest, salt-marsh estuary, and coastal shoreline on Casco Bay and the Harraseeket River. The park has picnic grounds and a network of popular trails for hiking that will get visitors up close to the animals and ecosystems that reside in the park.
FREEPORT MAINE HOTELS
Freeport has a number of charming inns and large hotel chains. In this article, we will feature two lodgings. We have enjoyed stays in both establishments. In addition, both of these lodgings are withing walking distance to the Freeport, Maine shopping district.
Harraseeket Inn: This large luxury inn aims to pamper and relax you. The 94-room inn runs the Broad Arrow Tavern and the Maine Harvest Dining Room. There is an indoor heated pool, outdoor firepit, and many types of accommodations including rooms with fireplaces, town houses, and the LL Bean guesthouse.
Hilton Garden Inn: This clean and comfortable inn is a short 2-blocks from the main shopping district. It features a fitness center, indoor pool, and onsite restaurant.
FREEPORT MAINE RESTAURANTS
There are many wonderful Freeport restaurants in the main shopping district and on the outskirts of town. Here are a few of our favorites:
Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro: Updated takes on Italian recipes in a homey, rustic dining room.
Lobster Cooker and Pub: Restored barn enjoyed for its lobster rolls and patio dining.
Linda Bean’s Maine Kitchen and Topside Tavern: Serving Maine regional favorites in a lively downtown location.
Jameson Tavern: Historic colonial era tavern serving traditional American foods and beer.
Broad Arrow Tavern: Serving fresh seafood, grilled meats, and brick oven pizza in an upscale tavern atmosphere.
Wicked Whoopies: Selling full size and jumbo single serving or gift boxed whoopie pies. So good!
When Pigs Fly Bakery: Serving fresh bread and artisanal baked goods.
Maine Beer Company: Brewery offering beer tastings, pizzas, salads and snacks.
Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company: Family lobster pound serving fresh seafood by waterfront.
FREEPORT MAINE THINGS TO DO
Sign up for a class at the LL Bean Discovery Park. There are many programs to choose from including adventure trips, kids camp, fly fishing, x-country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and archery to name a few. Many of the activities are free.
Shop Freeport’s Main Street and Freeport Village Station.
Book a fishing, boating, lobstering, or kayaking excursion at one of Freeport’s outdoor outfitters.
Shop overnight at the 24-hour LL Bean flagship store.
Take a brewery tour at the Maine Beer Company.
Take a scenic drive on Route 88 and Route 1 past Yarmouth and Falmouth.
Hike and picnic at Wolf Neck Woods State Park.
Shop the small crafters, antique, jewelry, second-hand, and collectible stores of Freeport.
Tour the Thos. Moser Furniture and Freeport Antiques showroom for home furnishing inspiration.
Have lunch at the Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company and watch the local fisher and lobstermen load and unload their boats
Get ready to replace those bean boots you’ve had since college, Laura and Randy
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