Freeport is Maine’s shopping destination
“They come here to shop,” says hotelier Chip Gray, referring to the Atlantic coastal t own of Freeport, Maine, a 15-minute drive north of Portland. “It’s not a beach town. It’s a shopping mecca.”
He’s not kidding. More than 3 million shoppers flock to this community each year, irresistibly drawn to L.L. Bean’s impressive flagship shop, which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They also flock to the 170 outlets, including Wilbur’s Candy Shoppe, the Yankee Candle Co. and Polo Ralph Lauren, many of which operate in charming white cottages that date back more than a century.
Freeport is on the Atlantic coast, so you would think sand and sea would be among the attractions, but the coast is rocky around these parts and Freeport grew up as a shipbuilding town back in the 1800s. Eventually, with the coming of train service and industrial development, shoe factories sprung up, including pioneers such as Cole Haan and L.L.Bean.
Gray co-owns the Harraseeket Inn, a l and mark of Main Street, and it has grown along with Freeport to become a local institution. It has made a concerted effort to develop a variety of food and lodging to please the hordes of shoppers who breeze through town looking for discounts on everything from sunglasses to pet food.
The Gray family members are movers and shakers in the world of Maine tourism and they are in their fourth generation of the hospitality business. Now led by matriarch Nancy Gray, the Harraseeket has a folksy appeal, with both the staff and owners greeting guests in a down-home Maine kind of way. But the Harras- eeket is officially a hotel, and quite a deluxe one, rated Four Diamond by AAA.
The inn started out as a five-room B&B operating in an 1830s house and those stately classical columns and portico were added later, one of many expansions and renovations. If you stroll through the property’s courtyard, you’ll get an idea of how business has boomed in Freeport. Harraseeket has grown to encom- pass 94 rooms, with very busy dining spaces, a ballroom and an indoor pool. Scattered throughout are 23 fireplaces so there always is a place to curl up and grab some quiet time.
Keeping up standards with its big-city counterparts, the hotel also has room service, a bellman, daily housekeeping and evening turndown with chocolates placed on your pillow. The guest rooms are decorated with handsome, Colonial-style furniture and gussied up with bed skirts and canopies. One special comfort touch is the white cotton bedspread on every bed, woven by historic Bates Mills in Lewiston, Maine. But, getting back to the many choices: Families, or two or three couples, can check into a townhouse and have a home away from home, cooking in. Couples can nestle into a suite with a hot tub and a fireplace. Pure shoppers — girlfriend groups and the like — opt for basic rooms so they can simply rocket out the door to the outlets across the street.
In keeping with its aim-to-please-everyone philosophy, the Harraseeket has lots of dining options. Its Maine Lobster Sunday Brunch is a must-feast of carved meats, lobster and a big buffet of salads and sides. The Maine Dining Room is classic fine evening dining, with lamb, duck, steak and seafood, and the Broad Arrow Tavern serves lunch, casual fare and après-shopping snacks like wood-fired pizza and steamed clams.
Freeport’s Christmas spirit is glowing this month with its Northern Lights activities, including horse-drawn wagon rides, carolling and a musical light show. L.L. Bean, the retail and catalogue giant whose headquarters is in Freeport, is marking its 100th anniversary in 2012 with sales, demos and how-to courses for would-be outdoorsmen. The company will hold a sled-dog event on Dec. 15 and all-day family fun on Dec. 31. When there is snow, L.L. Bean’s Outdoor Discovery School operates clinics for first-timers to try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
For non-shoppers, Pineland Farms is a fascinating country attraction where visitors can skate, ride horses and tour a working dairy farm and vineyard. There are homegrown food products such as cheeses from Pineland’s own creamery.
One fortuitous new excursion is the new Amtrak rail service from Freeport to Boston. The Downeaster starts at $49 U.S. round-trip, and takes three hours each way, so you can hop on in the morning, have lunch, comparisonshop in Boston and return to Freeport where many shops stay open until 9 p.m.