Biddleford, ME
 

I'm sharing a vacation home with five others in Biddleford, Maine for the week of October 14-21. We'd like some input on beaches, restaurants and nearby special places to see. We are interested in biking, shelling and relaxing by looking at fabulous views. Thanks for the help.

Er, well, not exactly sure how you settled on Biddeford (not Biddleford, unless you're staying somewhere I've never heard of).

Biddeford is an old manufacturing town at the mouth of the Saco River. I saw <i>Psycho</i> there, at the State Theatre, several years ago (in its 1st run), but that's not pertinent to your questions.

The best nearby beaches are in Kennebunkport and Old Orchard Beach, but it will likely be far too cold to be on the beach without some seriously warm clothes. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Kennebunk is a nice place to visit, and Portland is a decent place to spend a day and to find a nice restaurant. It's likely that some of the seasonal restaurants in the Kennebunkport and Ogunquit areas will be closed. The White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport would be openm and you could expect an exceptional meal there.

Not sure what you're expecting for weather. A nice mid-October day will have high temp in the mid-to-upper 50s, and there certainly can be frost at night.

If you are staying at Biddeford Pool, you will be at a more scenic area, but Biddeford is as Rizzuto said. If you go just a little north on rt. 9 you come to places like Camp Ellis, Ocean Park, and Old Orchard Beach. You can walk for several miles along a nice sandy beach from OP to OOB. You can park for free on the street in OP and walk to the beach via the ends of any of the roads that go towards the shore.

You won"t be too far from Portland, and that has lots to offer. A ride on the boat that visits the islands from there might be a nice afternoon trip. There are also plenty of lobster pounds, and places that cater to locals for good seafood in the area too.

Have a great trip!!

Biddeford has an interesting array of ethnic eateries....sushi, great Indian food, Vietmamese, Mexican, Thai and other traditional fare are easy to find. Check out the brewery at On The River (maybe I'm wrong about the name) but it's easy to find and always packed and has a great selection of locally brewed beer. Lisa's Pizza and Bill's in OOB are a must....try some vinegar with your pier fries, too. Jimmy the Greeks is located half way between OOB and the Saco Biddeford area. Good pizza and entertainment every night. Parking lot is always packed.

Venture into Portland and check out the Old Port for food, shopping and entertainment.
Take a ferry ride over to Peaks Island and rent bikes...if the weather allows.

Check out Ferry Beach State Park in Saco...it's probably closed but you can park on the road and walk in...go down to the ocean and walk back via the paths in the woods....wooden bridges over swampy areas, ancient trees, ponds....just beautiful, easy walking and interesting.

Enjoy your trip.....get out of Biddeford.....so many places to explore!!

You'll be less than an hour away from Portsmouth, NH, which is a great historic seacoast town with lots of nice shops and restaurants. You can take a fall foliage cruise from there with the Isles of Shoals steamship Co. Here's a list of their cruises for when you'll be there:

http://www.islesofshoals.com/cart/calendar.php

Strawberry Banke is also in Portsmouth, and is a wonderful museum - actually a whole neighborhood of houses restored to different eras, from colonial to 1950's. Really interesting, and worthwhile. Here's their website:

http://www.strawberybanke.org/

If you're into shopping at all, Kittery, Maine, right across the river from Portsmouth, has lots of outlet shopping.

Thanks so much to all of you who responded. We leave tomorrow and can't wait to try out your ideas.

Oh, and thanks, rizzuto, for the spell check on Biddeford.

In Portsmouth, Strawbery Banke will still be open through the end of October, but unfortunately the other individual historic houses in the town will have closed as the end of Columbus Day weekend (places like the John Paul Jones House, Warner House, Moffit-Ladd House, and Wentworth-Gardner House). Strawbery Banke is good sized and well worth seeing. The submarine USS Albacore should also be open (on somewhat more limited hours than in summer). The town itself has plenty of worthy coffee shops, eateries, and shops.

<b>bachslunch</b> gave me goosebumps by typing: <i>...the other individual historic houses in the town will have closed...</i>

Thank you for using the rarely seen, but much beloved, future perfect tense!