Freeport Maine Bed & Breakfasts: Why You Should Give Them a Try!

We have previously given a number of reasons why someone would want to stay in a bed and breakfast on their travels. Some bear repeating. There are also additional reasons to choose a B&B, including some specific reasons to choose a Freeport Maine B&B.

At Brewster House we recently entertained several guests who were on both their first visit to Maine and their first stay at a bed and breakfast. What did they find?

Better prices than hotel chains

While this may not be the case everywhere, in Freeport, Maine, especially during the busy summer season, the rates at the B&B's are generally quite a bit (sometimes as much as $50 per night) lower than the chains for a comparable sized room. For example, a room with one queen bed and private bath.

The breakfast is not the same!

Many of the chain hotels offer some type of breakfast for their guests. In some cases this is little more than mass-produced items, shrink-wrapped bagels, donuts and cold cereal. Even the chains with a better breakfast leave you feeling a bit like you've just had breakfast in the school cafeteria.

Your Freeport Maine B&B offers a hot breakfast, prepared fresh, and often with only fresh ingredients and made from scratch. Each bed and breakfast has its own personality, so the breakfasts will reflect the tastes of the innkeepers. Most will offer different menus on successive days, so, unlike the chain hotels, you will not see the same meal each day.

Menus will range from pancakes or waffles to egg dishes, from suffed French toast casseroles to quiches, with sides like freshly cooked hash browns, meats, and fresh or cooked fruit dishes. Whatever the style, the breakfasts are one of the main reasons to stay at a B&B!

The rooms

Once again, the rooms in a bed and breakfast will vary from one B&B to another. Most try to make good use of the space, but the old homes were not identical, so the conversion to a B&B results in a variety of combinations.

Some will have rooms of varying sizes, some will be more nearly uniform. Some will be spacious, others less so. All are decorated with individuality and attention that can not be matched in an institutional setting.

The service

In a B&B in Freeport Maine you won't find 24-hour desk clerks and large staffs of people available at any time. What you will find is owner-innkeepers who sincerely desire to make sure that every guest has a thoroughly enjoyable stay in the area.

Your innkeepers will not only see that your room is ready, and your breakfast is served promptly - that goes almost without saying. They will also answer nearly any question about Freeport, or about Maine, and its wonderful scenery, history and attractions. They will provide driving directions, restaurant recommendations and reservations, Most will provide some type of afternoon refreshments, in addition to the delightful breakfast.

More information

To find more information about Brewster House Bed & Breakfast, please visit our website. More information on Freeport's historic bed and breakfasts can be found on the Historic Freeport Bed and Breakfasts website. You may also find information on Maine B&B's at the Maine Innkeepers website or the Maine Office of Tourism website.

10 Things to do Near Freeport Maine (Other Than Shopping)

Maine's premier shopping destination is Freeport. Not only are there over 160 shops, outlet stores and restaurants, but it is the world headquarters of retail giant L.L. Bean, and home to its several stores (the flagship store, with everthing from clothes to camping gear, furniture, home goods, gifts and more), the hunting and fishing store, the bike, ski and boat store, and the L.L. Bean Outlet, with a full-scale home store in the works). But what else is there to do in Freeport, Maine?

There is plenty to do in addition to shopping! In this post we'll cover 10 popular things to do in or near Freeport, for those who aren't here to shop (is that possible?), or when you'd like to take a break from the shops and see a bit of Maine!

1. Bird Watching

There are several great spots for birding near Freeport. From the Audubon Society's Mast Landing Bird Sanctuary, providing a serene property, perfect for walking, enjoying a picnic and bird watching, to the Audubon Society's Gisland Farm Sanctuary, with nature trails winding through meadows, woods and estuaries. Enjoy art exhibits and an extensive collection of mounted mammals and birds representative of Maine's ecosystems. Also, some of the other locations below provide excellent opportunities for birding.

2. Adventure

The folks at L.L. Bean put on a series called the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools which include their $15 Walk-on Adventures. There you can learn to fly fish, paddle a canoe or kayak, cross-country ski, snowshoe, or practice archery or clay target shooting. They also have more advanced courses for the more experienced visitor.

3. Beaches

Yes, beaches. In Maine. Astonishing! In Freeport, there is Winslow Memorial Park, a lovely town park along part of Casco Bay. Most of the waterfront is grassy, and excellent for picnics and playing, but there is a small sand beach, as well.

Larger beaches are found at two State Parks, Popham Beach and Reid State Parks. Both are north on US-1 about 10 minutes, then east about 15-20 minutes more to the end of their respective points of land, where there area beautiful large sand beaches, restrooms, and camp and picnic facilities. The scenery is breathtaking.

4. Visit Lighthouses

Of Maine's 60+ lighthouses, several are not far from Freeport. Since we recently posted on lighthouses to visit nearby, please see that post for all the scoop. This doesn't include several small lighthouses on Casco Bay, in and around Portland's harbor.

5. History

Visit historic Wolfe's Neck Farm and see a 626 acre farm on the Maine coast dedicated to sustainable agriculture, environmental education, and community well-being.

Nearby is Desert of Maine, a famous natural phenomenon, creating a desert in Maine (of all places!).

If you enjoy maritime history, the Maine Maritime Museum is in Bath, about 15 minutes from Freeport, and is filled with history about Maine's maritime past and present.

6. Golf

If you would enjoy a round of golf in a wonderful setting, there are several courses that would suit you nearby. Closest is the Freeport Country Club's 9-hole track. Brunswick's Brunswick Golf Club is a nice 18-hole course, and only about 10 minutes away. Fox Ridge Golf Club, past home to the Maine State Open, is not much farther away, and provides a real challenge to golfers of any ability. Others are a bit farther away, near Portland or Boothbay Harbor.

7. Hiking and Nature

Two of Maine's great State Parks, Wolfe Neck State Park and Bradbury Mountain State Park, are located within about 10 minutes drive from Freeport. Wolfe Neck State Park is on Casco Bay and offers hiking trails in the woods and along the bay. Bradbury Mountain State Park offers fine views from its trails at higher elevation.

8. Boating

Canoes and kayaks can be rented nearby for the self-powered enthusiast. There are also tour boats for everything from puffin and whale watching tours and lighthouse tours to tours of Arctic explorer Admiral Peary's Eagle Island home. Some are as close as 5 minutes from Freeport, while others are from 10 to 50 minutes away. Sails on an antique schooner are as close as Portland harbor.

9. Art Galleries

In Freeport you'll find a group of artists at Freeport Square or the new Wonderful Art Gallery, right in Freeport Village, or just a bit up US-1 is the Frost Gully Gallery, featuring 20 Maine artists at Maine's oldest gallery.

10 Antiques

OK, so hunting for antiques is a form of shopping. Still, it isn't quite the same thing, is it? Just 5 minutes up the road in Brunswick is the Andross building, containing a large antique mall with a variety of dealers. Brunswick also has several independent antique dealers. A few more minutes up US-1 in Bath, there are several individual antique shops along the streets, and others along Route 209 toward Popham Beach.

Do you have any favorite places in Maine? Let us know in the comments.

Shopping in Freeport Maine: L.L. Bean and much more!

To say that Freeport - long known as a great location for unique shopping opportunities - has been in a transition, is putting it mildly.

For years, possibly decades, Freeport has been known as not only the home of L.L. Bean, and the location of its ever-growing number of stores from clothing to boats to hunting to outlet (with more on the way), but also as a great location for a mix of true outlet stores and great local and regional retail stores, most in historic buildings, and all within a short walk down Main Street or a block up one of the side streets. Many recall the walk down the hill to the dirt parking lot where the L.L. Bean factory store was located. Now all that has changed.

For the past year or so the old dirt parking lot has been the site of a major construction project, as L.L. Bean and its partners have been creating a new two-story parking garage with two stories of retail and restaurants above. The construction is nearing completion, and the first stores have opened. First up was a new Nike outlet, with its grand opening last weekend, along with the new Coach outlet and Linda Bean's Perfect Lobster Roll. More stores will continue to open throughout the summer, with special savings often available.

Maine Maven has written a nice post about the new Freeport Village Station shopping mall, and points out that if you mention "Loyal Local" to a clerk, you should receive a "passport" of coupons for additional savings.

Come join us in Freeport, and don't forget to use the words "Loyal Local" at Freeport Village Station!

Our Favorite Things to See in Maine

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... these are a few of my favorite things." So go the familiar words of the song from The Sound of Music. One of our favorite things is to introduce first-time visitors to Maine to some of our favorite things. Here are a few of them:

Lighthouses

Readers of previous posts will not be surprised to hear that our very favorite thing to do in Maine is to visit lighthouses. There are over 60 in Maine, and many can be visited (a surprising number are within only an hour or so of Brewster House).

We have visited fewer than half of them. Actually, visited is a bit of a stretch, as some can be seen from shore, but can only be reached by boat.

In any case, of the lighthouses we have visited in Maine, Ruth's favorite is Portland Head Lighthouse. Commissioned by President George Washington, and a favorite location of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose poem, "The Lighthouse" is said to be inspired by this majestic beacon.

Scott's favorite (though he says it is a close call) is Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, which stands above a rocky slope down to the pounding surf, which affords wonderful opportunities for photos of the lighthouse.

Moose

Like many who visit Maine, looking for, and photographing, moose is a great adventure for us. As we've discussed previously, there are several places where searching for moose is likely to be successful. Having a favorite is easy, though, since we haven't (yet) visited any other. We thoroughly enjoy the beauty of the Rangeley Lake area, and have always been able to find moose.

Exploring the Coast

We love the craggy rocks along the Maine coast, so exploring it is one of our favorites. We love the rocky coastline near Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, or near Bass Harbor Lighthouse, but our all-around favorite is much nearer to home. We love to visit Reid State Park and the village of Five Islands. The views are absolutely magnificent, and at Reid the boulders give way to a sandy beach that glistens in the sunshine. For us, this is Maine!

Where are your favorite spots? Leave replies in the comments!

How to Choose Your Maine Bed and Breakfast

After the recent posts about finding information about your visit to Maine, including finding moose, lobster and lighthouses, it seemed natural that we should next post about finding a place to stay.

While we would love to have all Maine visitors stay at Brewster House, and as conveniently located as we are for many of Maine's wonderful places to visit, we realize that occasionally some visitors will want to stay a bit nearer to some of their favorite places, like Acadia National Park, Moosehead Lake, etc.

1. Maine Visitors Information
Some of the best sources of information on Maine and Maine bed and breakfasts can be found in the tourist information sites of Maine. The State of Maine Tourism Office site has a large section on lodging, divided by type. They also indicate any specials or packages the B&B may be currently offering.

Many Maine Bed and Breakfasts will also be found on the Maine Tourism web site. When you search on that site you'll want to filter your selection, but be aware that selecting "Online Reservations" may not work the way you expect. Making that selection eliminates any property that does not do its online reservations through Maine Tourism, which is the majority of properties. In other words, many of these properties do have online reservations, but not through the Maine Tourism web site.

Finally, Maine Innkeepers Association also lists properties by type. That site is about to undergo a facelift, so it isn't quite as modern in appearance as others, but the information is still useful.

2. Local or Regional Information
Many areas (whether towns, villages, counties or regions) have web sites with lodging and other information that includes B&B's. For example, in Freeport you can look at the Freeport Merchant's Association site, which, while catering to retailers, includes lodging and other area information, including for those bed and breakfasts who are members. Similarly, the Destination Freeport site has area information, with a greater emphasis on lodging.

Still within the area of Freeport, you will find information specifically about Bed and Breakfast accommodations at the Historic Freeport Bed and Breakfast Association site. That site includes an availability calendar, showing which B&B's have availability over the upcoming two weeks. More information can be found on the availability calendars for the individual B&B's.

3. B&B Directories
As with finding a Bed and Breakfast almost anywhere, you may also want to try the B&B directories. There are several very large directories, with many B&B's listed for most areas. You may want to try some smaller directories, especially local directories, as some B&B owners prefer not to list on the bigger directories.

One way to find the directories with good lists of bed and breakfasts in the area is to use your favorite search engine and search "bed breakfast" and the name of the town where you are interested (or just Maine, if you are uncertain where you want to visit). For example, you might search "bed breakfast freeport maine". Instead of looking at the individual results, notice the directories who come up near the top of the listings. These will have a good presence in that area, so following those links and going to the state or city page will help you find a number of selections in that area.

Among the larger directories having a good presence in Maine, and where we are listed, are BedAndBreakfast.com, BBOnline.com, BnBFinder.com, and LanierBB.com. There are also directories who are not quite so large, such as Better Bed and Breakfasts, Charming Country Inns, International Bed and Breakfast Pages, and ILoveInns.com.

What areas of Maine are you planning to visit? Leave your answer in the comments!

Visting Maine (Part 5): Seeing Lighthouses

The final installment in our Visiting Maine: Where to Find the Information You Need series is on Maine's wonderful collection of lighthouses. We posted some information on lighthouses witin an hour of Freeport not too long ago, so some helpful information will be found there, too.

Maine's Lighthouses

There are a number of web sites with photos and information on the more than 60 lighthouses of Maine. One of the best collections of lighthouse photos is on the Maine Office of Tourism web site. There you'll find photographs, information on visiting lighthouses, historical and legendary stories, and information for families with children.

One of the most complete lists of lighthouses, and maps with GPS coordinates, is at Lighthouse Friends. In some cases they provide a lengthy history of the lighthouse, as well as information on the locations to see some that do not allow public access.

Another collection of Maine lighthouses is found at Great American Lighthouses. This site groups the lights by region and sub-region, showing how near some are to each other, and giving historical information and often posting old photographs from the U.S. Coast Guard's archives.

Favorites

With over 60 lighthouses to choose from, it is not easy to find favorites. In fact, we often feel that our favorite is the lighthouse we're viewing at the moment! Still, by the attraction of certain photos, and the frequency with which we either visit or recommend certain lighthouses, some do rise to the top.

Without a doubt, along the south coast of Maine, there are several favorites. Among them we would choose several from our recent post on lighthouses you can visit within an hour of Freeport, Cape Neddick Light (the Nubble), Portland Head Light (often said to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world), and Pemaquid Point Light (and the views from its rocky bluff).


In the mid-coast region, we would choose Owls Head Light (with its spectacular view of Penobscot Bay). Near Bar Harbor, on Mount Desert Island, our favorite is Bass Harbor Head lighthouse (pictured above). Farther up the northern coast (downeast, as we say), is West Quoddy Head Lighthouse (the easternmost lighthouse in the United States, pictured at the top of this post).

There are other wonderful lighthouses all along the coast, so we don't mean to leave any out. People fall in love with all of them, so, as noted above, choosing favorites is not an easy task.

Which is your favority lighthouse? Please tell us and explain why in the comments.

Visiting Maine - Lobster, Lobstah, Ahhh, Heaven - Part 4

Continuing our series on where to find the information you need for your visit to Maine, let's talk lobster - or let's talk lobstah. However you pronounce it, it is uniquiely associated with Maine and uncommonly tasty.

Quite some time ago we talked about where to go for Maine lobster, providing a discussion of seasons, hard and soft shells, etc. - that information is a good starting point.

Where to Get It

As the Maine state tourism office says, "Maine lobster (is any other kind half as good?) is the starring item on menus at sophisticated restaurants throughout the state, as well as at rough-hewn shanties with picnic tables set along the coast."

Most places offer lobster, whether restaurants, diners, hole-in-the-wall cafes, fast food places, lobster roll places, or lobster shacks. Usually it is a lobster dinner, with ears of sweet corn and a side of coleslaw.

Restaurants

Practically any restaurant in the state will offer lobster. Some are the traditional lobster dinner, others are more exotic creations from the chef. All use the delicious local red crustacean.

Lobster Shacks

Many folks like the idea of lobster fresh off the boats. You can find that at most of Maine's lobster shacks along the coast. In some cases the prices are better at the lobster shacks, too. Travel + Leisure Magazine has an article (updated in June, 2009) on "The 10 Best Lobster Shacks in Maine" which gives some good recommendations. It includes Red's Eats in Wiscasset, which we'll class under Lobster Roll, below, but most of the others are genuine lobster shacks.

Some of our favorites are Harasseeket Lunch and Lobster, in South Freeport, and Five Islands Lobster Company in Five Islands. Five Islands offers a spectacular view of the five islands directly off shore, and you can watch the lobster boats come and go from the dock.

Not mentioned in the article, but certainly among our favorites, are the Lobster Shack at Two Lights, in Cape Elizabeth, where you climb up to a lobster shack perched atop a great bluff, and overlook Casco Bay and the Cape Elizabeth (Two Lights) lighthouses. The view alone is worth a visit. Another favorite is the Lobster Dock in Boothbay Harbor, where you can eat inside or out, overlooking the boat traffic in the harbor, and just a short walk across the footbridge to the village.

Lobster Rolls

An entirely different category (at least that's our story, and we're sticking to it) is the lobster roll. Found at many different kinds of eatery (including McDonalds in Freeport!), the lobster roll is an art form of its own.

Generally the roll is a small hot dog bun, laid open, with chunks of lobster piled on it. Some mix the lobster with a sauce, others serve the sauce on the side. Most agree that the less sauce, the better.

Consistently popular enough to cause traffic jams all summer long is Red's Eats, right on US-1 in Wiscasset. About a pound of lobster chunks on a bun, with sauce on the side, the line winds down the street even on a cold, rainy, spring day. Expect to wait, but don't be tempted to go elsewhere. You've been warned!

A similar experience can be had at the Clam Shack in Kennebunkport, where the lobster rolls are considered among the best in the state.

Lobster Stew

Once again, many types of eatery provide wonderful lobster stews. Creamy and filled with lobster chunks, the best ones are a meal in a bowl. Our favorite in this department is the Sea Basket, in Wiscasset. You can even buy the stock (frozen) to take home. Just add cream and heat!

Check the Maine Lobster Promotion Council for more information about Maine Lobster!

Visiting Maine - Part 3 - Searching for Moose

In our first two posts in this series on finding the information you need for your visit to Maine, we talked about Maine's different regions and some of the specifics on the different areas along the Maine coast and in the mountains and lakes.

In the next several posts we'll look at the three icons of Maine tourist attractions: the moose, the lobster and the lighthouse! This post will begin with the moose.

We posted a blog entry about moose in Maine quite some time ago. This will discuss some of the same ideas and add some new ones, as well.

Moose in Maine are most common in the western and northern portions of the state, but can be found almost anywhere on occasion. You can choose a variety of ways to see moose in Maine. We'll talk about several of them.

A Moose Safari

One of the best ways to see moose in the Maine wilds is to take a guided tour. There are many tour operators who offer moose safaris ranging from a few hours to several days. Search "maine moose safari" to see a number of them.

These tours will take you into the woods, to get within camera distance of the majestic creatures. They are usually designed for photography, so there will also often be tips on lighting, positioning, and ways to get some really good photos of the giant mammals.

DIY Travel

If you're not necessarily interested in a tour, both the Rangeley Lakes region and the Moosehead Lake region are prime locations for finding and watching moose.

Both areas have motels, bed and breakfasts, and cabins where you can stay and provide a wealth of information for those looking for a chance to see moose.

Day Trips

In addition, if your visit doesn't allow for a trip of several days to one of the areas where moose are populous, some of these areas are not a difficult day trip from the coastal areas.

For example, Rangeley, Maine is only about a two hour drive from Freeport, Maine, so we have driven to Rangely in the afternoon, looked for moose at dusk, and returned to Freeport the same evening.

Keep in mind that moose are most often seen at dawn or dusk, as the low light often brings them out of the woods to graze. However, the same low light makes photography a bit of a challenge, and can make for danger along the roads, as you can round a curve or crest a hill to find a moose in the roadway. They are huge creatures, so drive cautiously, as they can do a lot of damage to a vehicle in a collision!

However you decide to search for Maine moose, we hope you'll find them and have a richly rewarding time in Maine!