Things To Do in Freeport

While the outlet malls in Kittery, down south near the New Hampshire border, are convenient for a blitz of name-brand shopping, Freeport is a different animal. The outlets here are crunched together along and interspersed around Freeport’s busy Main Street. That makes driving around town a headache, as pedestrians and cars cruising for parking bring things to a constant halt, but it’s more convenient once you’re out of the car. 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—and there are now 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—generally offer a higher grade of product than Kittery’s do, 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. 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?”Price tags tend to be higher here than in Kittery, however.

You can troll L.L.Bean’s many stores (see below), but even just sticking to Main Street you’ll come across such finds as Cuddledown’s comfy pillows and comforters; the Casco Bay Cutlery and Kitchenware’s respected knife shop; Abercrombie & Fitch’s ever-young fashions, housed in a former Carnegie library; excellent bi-level Gap and Banana Republic outlets; the familiar Polo Ralph Lauren and The North Face outlets; and plenty more 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).

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.

More on L.L.Bean: One of the big reasons that L.L. Bean’s flagship shop is such a tourist draw is that it’s open 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day—note the lack of any locks or latches on the front doors. As such, it’s a popular spot even in the dead of night, especially during summer or around holidays. Folks have been known to set out from New Hampshire at 1 or 2 in the morning to enjoy the best deals (and empty aisles) on their middle-of-the-night arrival. But L.L. Bean’s campus doesn’t stop at the flagship store. The Hunting & Fishing Store is connected to the flagship (indeed, you can walk from one into the other without realizing you’ve done so); it’s the place for fly-fishing gear, hunting boots, and tons of other undeniably cool stuff—from freeze-dried camp food to hand-crank-powered LED flashlights (no batteries required), folding Adirondack chairs, 13-foot game-hunting perches, and a zillion lures, fly ties, buck knives, tent lines, and watercraft. L.L. Bean also maintains several a few nearby satellite shops stocking small, rapidly changing inventories of specialized goods. The Bike, Boat & Ski Store, just across the Freeport Village Station plaza from the flagship store, holds lots of canoes, kayaks, paddles, cycles, and helmets. Next to it is a huge Home Store, selling hand-crafted beds, sofas, and other furniture, plus home accessories (doormat, anyone?). Finally, Bean’s outlet shop is just across Main Street in the new Freeport Village Station complex.