Day 12  9/18/14  Freeport/L. L .Bean

We drove down to Freeport to go to L.L.Bean.  Freeport’s downtown (?) area is one gigantic mall and outlet center.

L.L.Bean main store.
It was so long I had to put two pictures together

L. L. Bean

Just about anybody who likes the great outdoors has heard about L. L .Bean.  In case you are not acquainted it is probably the largest clothing, camping, hunting and fishing, kayaking and biking and outdoors home decor outfitters in the country.  So naturally we had to check it out.  This place is huge!  There are three floors in the main building.  Then there is a separate building for the bikes and kayaking.  Plus there is another building for the home décor items.  If that ain’t enough… there is a clearance outlet about a block and a half away.   

In the parking lot there is a carving of bear cubs in the hollows of a tree.

Then at the Main Street entrance is the L.L.Bean “Bootmobile”.

The first thing we spotted inside was the locked antler moose exhibit, “ForeverLocked”, in the camping area of the store. This is a traveling display telling the story of two Bull Moose who died in combat after their antlers became locked.  Check out the link for the whole story.

 

The fish tank is always a draw to Linda and me.  The display held trout and salmon.  A unique feature of this tank was a glass dome in the one corner where kids can stand up and it looks like they are inside the tank.  I wanted to try it but I couldn’t get through the opening!  The tank has a pump that moves 200 gallons of water a minute to give the illusion of the fish swimming in a river.

As we walked near the information center a lady staff member struck up a conversation with us and asked if we had our pictures taken at the Boot.  We told her we saw the Bootmobile.Then she said if we went back out this set of doors she would take our picture.

The Maine Boot is the whole story behind L.L.Bean.  He started producing them in 1912 and they are still available today.

In a glass case in a corner of the store there is a clock made by the Balzer family of Freeport. 

The grand staircase leading up to the ladies ware had several mounted animals including a bear, mountain goat, and muskox.

Wow we’re worn out from all the walking.  Better head back to camp so Linda can start on the laundry.

Tonight we will visit with Linda’s cousin Dale and his wife Christine and their family in the big city of Bodoin.  We always enjoy getting to see them. 

Links:

Forever Locked

L.L.Bean  Web site

L.L.Bean (The Company)

L. L. Bean (The man)

L.L.Bean:   43°51’28.95”N              70°06’15.98” W