Much of the current prosperity of FREEPORT , fifteen miles north of Portland, rests on the invention by Leon L. Bean, in 1912, of a particularly ugly rubber-soled fishing boot. That original boot is still selling, and L.L. Bean has grown into a successful mail-order business with an enormous clothing store on Main Street that never closes. Originally, this was so predawn hunting expeditions could stock up; all the relevant equipment is available for rent or sale, and the store runs regular workshops to teach backcountry lore. However, with the outdoor look in vogue, L.L. Bean is now more of a fashion emporium. Freeport has expanded to welcome its 2.5 million annual customers a year with a mile-long strip of top-name factory outlets along US-1, most of which do give genuine reductions on usual shop prices.

Freeport is not an ideal place to stay - everything falls quiet once the shoppers have gone home - but if you need accommodation, the Harraseeket Inn at 162 Main St (tel 207/865-9377 or 1-800/342-6423, ; $160-200) is a wonderful clapboard B&B inn with some eighty rooms. The Freeport Inn & Cafe , 31 Hwy-1 S (tel 207/865-3106 or 1-800/998-2583, ; $100-130), provides good-value rooms and no-frills food, including all-day breakfasts.

For a complete change of pace, head a mile south of Freeport to the sea, where the Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster Co (tel 207/865-3535), extending on its wooden jetty into the peaceful bay, makes a great outdoor lunch spot. The very green promontory visible just across the water is Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park . In summer, for $2, you can follow hiking and nature trails along the unspoiled fringes of the headland (tel 207/865-4465).

Freeport

• Freeport

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