Shopping

Freeport has more than 140 retail shops spaced out between exit 20 of I-295 (at the far lower end of Main St.) and Mallet Road, which connects to exit 22. Some shops have even begun to spread south of exit 20 toward Yarmouth. The bulk of them are "factory" or "outlet" stores. If you don't want to miss a single one, get off at exit 17 and head north on U.S. Route 1. The bargains can vary from extraordinary to "huh?" Plan on wearing out some shoe leather and taking at least a half-day if you're really intent on finding the best deals. The sometimes-changing rotation of national chains here has recently included Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, Gap, Calvin Klein, Patagonia, North Face, Nike, Chaudier ("the cookware of choice aboard Air Force One"), Mikasa, Nine West, Timberland, and Maidenform, among many, many others.

Stores in Freeport are typically open daily 9am to 9pm during the busy summer and close much earlier (at 5 or 6pm) in other seasons; between Thanksgiving and Christmas, they remain open late once more.

Need an Outlet? -- In addition to the main store, L.L.Bean now maintains two new satellite shops (tel. 877/552-3268) stocking small, rapidly changing inventories of specialized goods, some of them used; this pair of shops replaced the old factory store just downhill from the flagship campus. The Bike, Boat & Ski Store is near L.L.Kids (behind the flagship store) and holds lots of canoes, kayaks, paddles, cycles, and helmets. The Hunting & Fishing Store opened in November 2007, just south of town on U.S. 1 (past the gas station) and houses fly-fishing gear, hunting boots, and the like.

Tale of the Tags: Freeport vs. Kittery

When visiting the Maine coast, many travelers only find time to shop once. Trouble is, there are two significant outlet centers on the southern coast. How to choose? Here's my quick take:

In Kittery, located at the southern edge of Maine (see earlier in this chapter), the malls are clumped along Route 1 just a couple of miles north of the New Hampshire border. Though the area appears at first glance to be a conglomerated, single huge mall, in fact there are five or six distinct areas with separate entrances. Choose carefully before you make your turn!

Generally speaking, Kittery is better for the name-brand shopper who wants to hit a large volume of places in a short time. It's easier to do Kittery quickly than Freeport, because of the side-by-side arrangement of the various stores and the malls. The trade-off is the blandness of the experience: Each of these side malls offers vast parking lots and boring architecture, and you cannot safely walk from one mall to another -- you need wheels.

Among Kittery's best places to try are a Gap outlet, a Samsonite shop with knowledgeable sales help, a small but elegant Coach store, Reebok (I picked up swim trunks here for a fraction of the retail cost), Stride-Rite (excellent selection of cut-rate shoes), J.Crew (good prices on sweaters), Seiko, an Orvis sporting-goods outlet, and a useful Crate & Barrel outlet. The Indian-themed Kittery Trading Post is not all it's hyped up to be, but at least prices are low.

Additionally, there are a couple of good places here for a snack: Bob's Clam Hut, with a long line of hungry patrons awaiting superlative fried clams, and Ben & Jerry's for ice cream. For a sit-down meal, I like The Weathervane, a small New England fish-house chain that delivers value at moderate prices and is an excellent choice for families.

Freeport is altogether different. The outlets here are interspersed throughout Freeport's Main Street. That makes driving around town a headache, as pedestrians and cars cruising for parking bring things to a constant halt. My advice? Strap on your walking shoes, park anywhere you can find a spot -- even in a distant satellite lot -- and just resign yourself to a lot of hoofing it. Bring a portable dolly or luggage rack to carry packages if you're expecting to buy a lot.

Freeport's outlets generally offer a higher grade of product than Kittery's, and the stores have a great deal more architectural (and corporate) personality, too. You will actually find local, small manufacturers here, not just the big guys, and inventive big brands that go beyond the usual.

You can troll L.L.Bean's factory stores (now tucked up behind the flagship) for top-grade outdoors equipment and clothing, but even just sticking to Main Street you'll come across such finds as Cuddledown of Maine's comfy pillows and comforters; the Freeport Knife Co.'s respected knife shop; Abercrombie & Fitch's ever-young fashions (the girls will love this place), housed in a former Carnegie library; excellent bi-level Gap and Banana Republic outlets; and Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Coach, and Patagonia stores, among many other distinctive factory shops.

If you love shopping and you love quality, it's a genuinely enjoyable experience to stroll around here for a day, taking a snack of chowder or lobster; pausing to assess your finds; grabbing a soda, grilled hot dog, or ice cream from a vendor; then planning dinner somewhere. Parking and traffic are negatives to consider, however -- you may cruise a half-hour before finding an open spot (if you ever do). You'll also probably spend more in Freeport than in Kittery, as price tags are generally higher.

The winner? It's close, but I'll take Freeport only because it's walkable.

There's also a third option to consider, by the way. That's the big Maine Mall, which takes up a huge chunk of real estate near the Portland Jetport in South Portland (easily reached off the Maine Turnpike via its own exit). The options here are uniformly bland -- this could be Anywheresville, America -- and there are no outlet or factory stores; you'll pay full price, plus Maine state tax.

Still, if there's something reassuring about being able to bop among Macy's, Bath & Body Works, Victoria's Secret, Pottery Barn, The Disney Store, and babyGAP, then grabbing some chocolates from Godiva before settling down to coffee and a book or CD at Borders (in its own free-standing building), you might enjoy it. There's not much that's distinctive here, though the bookstore is well stocked and the staff is helpful. Also check out The Sports Authority for low-priced sporting goods; watch for specials on exercise equipment, golf balls, camping gear, and the like, and hit Williams-Sonoma for a look at upscale cooking gear.