1. Biddeford Pool Beach
City: Biddeford, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: Off State Route 208
Description: Biddeford Pool was created by the movement of barrier beaches, with sand and sediment sifting in from the nearby Saco River. It seemed like prime real estate for summer home development when cottages began to go in, but since then hurricanes and tidal swings have made the ground shift under some properties, and city officials wonder whether it made sense to build here in the first place. Still, these sands make for a pretty beach. Lifeguards patrol the beach, and there are restrooms. Parking is by permit only, and the stickers can be picked up at Biddeford City Hall ($10 for 1 day; $25 for 3 consecutive days; $40 for the week).
2. Fortune’S Rocks Beach
City: Biddeford, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 284-9307
Address: Fortune’s Rocks Rd.
Description: This 3,740-foot gem curves up and away from Kennebunkport toward the summer colony of Biddeford Pool. It’s open to the full force of the Atlantic, facing the sea unprotected. The sands are long, and there are lifeguards and restrooms. Parking for the season is by permit only ($10 for 1 day; $25 for 3 consecutive days; $40 for the week).
3. Gone With The Wind
City: Biddeford, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 283-8446
Address: Yates St.
Description: Frankly, you’ll give a damn about Gone with the Wind’s kayak tours, especially if you are at all hesitant about kayaking, intrigued by the sport but maybe a little nervous. The guides here take clients out in small groups, they use “umiaks,” very stable open-topped kayaks, and they paddle in the protected waters of Biddeford Pool in Saco, which are usually placid. Favorite routes include trips to Wood Island Light, a beacon built in the early 1800s, and to Beach Island, where there is a colony of charismatic seals.
4. University Of New England
City: Biddeford, ME
Category: Relocation
Address: 11 Hills Beach Rd.
Description: Another school with twin campuses, UNE has facilities in Biddeford and in downtown Portland (the site of the old Westbrook College). It is Maine’s only medical school, and it has about 2,000 undergrads, 967 graduate students, and 500 medical students on its attractive campuses. The Biddeford campus has more than 4,000 feet of ocean frontage. And the school’s level of prestige is rising fast—U.S. News & World Report has called it one of the best regional universities in the Northeast (81st), and has recognized UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine for excellence in primary care, geriatrics, and rural medicine. The marine biology program is growing in repute as well, thanks to the new Marine Science Education Research Center.
5. Biddeford City Theater
City: Biddeford, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 282-0849
Address: 205 Main St.
Description: Murder mysteries, comics, big bands, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Lazer Vaudeville—this is the rich mix you’ll find at the City Theater, a great space in downtown Biddeford. It’s enjoyed some revitalization since the early 1990s, after hosting such greats as Fred Astaire, Mae West, and W. C. Fields in earlier days. Active year-round.