Reasons to Drivehighlights the thrilling events happening within five hours of your city, giving you every reason to get on the road and start exploring.
Desert of Maine offers quirky adventure with an origin story 27,000 years in the making. These 20 acres of mysterious coastal desert in the middle of Maine have been a beloved tourist attraction for 100 years, but throughout history, this chunk of land in Freeport has been inhabited by wooly mammoths, the Wabanaki people, and, in the 1800s, a family who worked the land as a farm. Farmer Tuttle, who owned the property then, noticed odd sand patches in his fields but chalked it up to grazing sheep, not realizing he was the proprietor of a geographical anomaly. Eventually, the sand took over, and he and his family abandoned the property, house, and barn. Today’s visitors can explore its original farmhouse, hike its mysterious landscape, play mini golf, and dabble in its unusual history.
Scientists have since traced the mysterious sand back to the glaciers of long ago. Sand was created by shifting ice sheets in an area without trees blocking the wind. After the glaciers melted, moss grew and, eventually, small plants and trees. This growth—over the course of millennia—redefined the landscape. Later, when the Tuttles farmed the delicate land, it caused more erosion and desert-like conditions. Word spread during Prohibition, and as automobiles and road trips became popular, Desert of Maine became one of the nation's early roadside attractions—one you can still visit today.
Visitors to the strange desert can ride an 1800s-style train trolley or take selfies near the 1920s Ford Model T—a car that tourists drove up Maine's scenic Route 1 to visit this OG roadside attraction. Although the Tuttle family home burned down, guests can tour an exact replica, now a living history museum. Restoration is underway on a natural spring water gazebo buried under a whopping 25 feet of sand during WWII. The site also features a hiking trail through the desert-forest, mini-golf, a gift shop, and an old school snack bar, serving up grilled hot dogs, kettle corn, and nostalgic penny candy.
Drive time
2 hours 15 minutes from Boston
Things to do in Freeport, Maine
Freeport is popular for its outlet shopping and L.L. Bean flagship store. Luckily, you can also connect with your inner explorer. Start with the L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Programs, including archery, river fishing, water sports—or even an introduction to compass orienteering. Those looking for a forest bathing session can meander trails, including the moderate 4.5 miles at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, along the jagged shores of Casco Bay and the Harraseeket River.
Craving open-water adventure? Seacoast Tours of Freeport offers traditional boat tours, lobstering, private charters, and educational jaunts to oyster farms. These excursions also highlight the impact of climate change and how the increasing severity of storms impacts coastal ecology. Back on terra firma, stop by Tripping Gnome Farm to shop for freshly plucked produce and funky tie-dye tees. Freeport theater is awash in coastal pizazz, like BYOB performances by Freeport Players and eclectic music and improv at Meetinghouse Arts. Local art also spills into the streets, and the local makers' scene includes shops like Driftsea Creations, Lil Choppy Barrel Swag Co., and Nautical Farms, selling sea glass creations, bourbon barrel goods, and regenerative seafood products, respectively. After a day of exploring, hunker down at Cadenza, Freeport's hang for unabashedly passionate music fans—or head to nearby Saco Drive-in.
Summer visitors adore L.L Bean's Summer in The Park series—free daily concerts, dance lessons, movie nights, yoga, and more. Freeport festivals celebrate seaside life at its finest from one season to the next. Oyster aficionados reserve their calendars in late June for the ultimate seafood soiree—The Maine Oyster Festival. Guests slurp oysters, meet local oyster farmers, and compete for oyster-shucking glory in the Big Shuck. Of course, when the ocean air turns brisk in autumn, the Annual Freeport Fall Festival celebrates with live music, cozy soups, and inspired treasures from over 200 New England makers and artists.
Best restaurants and bars in Freeport
Food competes head-to-head with the area's activities, from regional favorites at Haraseeket Inn's Broad Arrow Tavern to house-made pasta at Tuscan Bistro. Start the day with a shaved steak omelet at Freeport Café or indulge in the otherworldly goodness of sticky buns from Isabella's Café & Bakery. Keep in mind Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster, where you can get onion rings or their genius culinary cousin: onion middles. And the popular spot Derosier's makes one heck of a sub, which tracks as they've been at it since 1904.
Wash it all down with tastings at Portersfield Cider, Mast Landing Brewery, and Maine Beer Company, which make inspired brews with names like Lunch and Love. Or grab a co*cktail at 225-year-old Jameson Tavern, where your plus one just might be a ghost.
Where to stay near the Desert of Maine
Ride that Desert of Maine inspiration by booking one of their cabins, glamping tents, or campground spots. Some of the A-frame cabins overlook a stream. Plus, if accessibility is a consideration, the Haven cabin's design and layout are on-point. Maine has plenty of retro-chic hotels, but the charming cottages at Maine Idyll Motor Court are pet-friendly, and you might snag one for less than $100 a night. Knowing the number of tourists passing through Freeport, there are plenty of larger hotels like Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn.
Melanie Cardenis a Boston-based freelance writer and former chef focusing on travel, food, and immersive adventure.
