Leta

Under a previous post regarding what to do in Boston, someone wrote: ...If you take a short drive to Kittery, Maine, known for outlet shopping... My question: how far a drive is it from Boston to Kittery and does it have outlet shopping worth the drive? Thanks.

bennie

Kittery is about 75-90 minutes north of Boston. Go north on Rt 1 to Rt. 95. After the bridge in Portsmouth take the second exit.

The outlets are pretty good. There are china shops like Lenox, Royal Doulton, Ross Simon, Crate and Barrel, and Mikasa. Childrens clothing like Heartstrings (my personal favorite). STride Rite has an outlet. There is a Big Dog outlet, the Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place. J Crew and Timberland too. There are many other adult apparel stores but the names escape me at the moment. Probably 90 or more stores altogether.

The bargains vary from store to store. Some stores are not true outlets but may have a good bargain anyway. Some places have amazing bargains particularly for something that is out of season. ie childrens bathing suits for 50 cents at the Children's Place in October. Kids shoes in Sept for $15 per pair less than the mall (in season) The Crate and Barrel store is pretty good. $200 for a very large Waterford lamp that retailed for about $450.

There is sales tax on clothing in Maine so add 6%(I think) to the price. No such tax in Massachusetts. I shop here often but mostly for convenience (its one of the largest shopping areas close to my home).

If you take the drive once you are through shopping continue up RT 1 to York Harbor - its a beautiful Maine coastal town.

If you are driving back on a Sunday afternoon don't be surprised if there is a backup of a mile or so at the Hampton tolls.

bennie

Kittery is about 75-90 minutes north of Boston. Go north on Rt 1 to Rt. 95. After the bridge in Portsmouth take the second exit.

The outlets are pretty good. There are china shops like Lenox, Royal Doulton, Ross Simon, Crate and Barrel, and Mikasa. Childrens clothing like Heartstrings (my personal favorite). STride Rite has an outlet. There is a Big Dog outlet, the Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place. J Crew and Timberland too. There are many other adult apparel stores but the names escape me at the moment. Probably 90 or more stores altogether.

The bargains vary from store to store. Some stores are not true outlets but may have a good bargain anyway. Some places have amazing bargains particularly for something that is out of season. ie childrens bathing suits for 50 cents at the Children's Place in October. Kids shoes in Sept for $15 per pair less than the mall (in season) The Crate and Barrel store is pretty good. $200 for a very large Waterford lamp that retailed for about $450.

There is sales tax on clothing in Maine so add 6%(I think) to the price. No such tax in Massachusetts. I shop here often but mostly for convenience (its one of the largest shopping areas close to my home).

If you take the drive once you are through shopping continue up RT 1 to York Harbor - its a beautiful Maine coastal town.

If you are driving back on a Sunday afternoon don't be surprised if there is a backup of a mile or so at the Hampton tolls.

Leta

Thanks. I'm just not used to being able to jump from state to state so easily. I live in Tulsa and the next closest large city (not state) is 2 hours away.
I have another question but I'll make a new post.

bennie

Leta - by the way I didn't mean to imply that I bought the Waterford lamp at Crate and Barrel. Waterford has its own outlet there too. The Crate and Barrel store has good prices too.

I know what you mean about it being funny to go so quickly from state to state. My kids get a kick out of telling their Alabama cousins that they had breakfast in Massachusetts, lunch in New Hampshire and dinner in Maine when we didn't drive more than 30 minutes.

I'll be looking for your other post. Hope I can help.

gail

When I went to Boston I was told about Filene's Basement.There has been mixed review on this board about it (do a text search if interested). I really enjoyed rummaging around.It's not the same experience as outlet malls (which I really don't ususally like), but I got some nice things on sale.It is right downtown Boston near Freedom Trail.

Parrot Mom

As a shopping maven (we were there a week ago on Thursday)..let me tell you Kittery is funkier than most new "outlet malls"..You drive and park...check out the shops, and then go on to some of the others.. Most important is that there is a Weathervane for lunch.. some of the best seafood at reasonable cost. Yes, there are shops there you will find in a regular "outlet mall", but there are a few shops you won't find anywhere else....yet!!... There is a Big and Tall man shop, a Ross Simons (jewelry and home decorations), a shop being opened in a few weeks that will feature Maine gifts and items (in the same area as Royal Doulton and Ross-Simons)..in another there is a Dansk, Florsheim for men's shoes.. There is a Crate and Barrel with a Tumi luggage next door.. Best of all and there are only three in the US a Brookstone Outlet in the outlet center that has Mikasa.. Brookstone is heaven for all those gadgets and items from their catalog.. I personally just bought a cream colored wire plant stand for 50% off, a holder for lap top computers and a foot brush..on this trip alone.. It is a must store for men..Yes, there is a Wedgewood, Mikasa, Lenox and many others you wil find in other malls, but you must shop carefully.. Will be glad to tell you what other shops..if you write.. If you really want to shop outlets.. There is the Wrentham Premium Outlet stores right off Route 495.....well worth a ride there..about an hour from Boston and a destination that the hotels in Boston recommend for real "shoppers".. One of the newest outlets there is William Sonoma/Pottery Barn.. Life is good for shoppers!! Both places are worthwhile..trust me...

lois

I found Kittery to be alet down. Granted, I was there once about eight years ago, but I found the traffic awful and the bargains not all that terrific (I kept thinking, I could find this at Filene's Basement for the same price without the hassle of driving up here). Perhaps it has changed since, but I doubt it.

If you are in Boston, you would probably be better served going to the outlets at Wrentham (Mass) which is about 30-40 minutes south of Boston on I-495.

Parrot Mom

Kittery is not a "mega mall" type area..just little separate areas..of course the big draw is the sports store there which was the first..at this point I'm having a senior moment and don't remember.. It's not a mega area..all shopping is within one or two miles the maximum..Where as Wrentham (only 30 minutes from here..is huge, shop after shop after shop...many the same as you would see in other outlet areas.. To avoid traffic during the summer..go in the middle of the week on a hot day when everybody else is at the beach..don't go anywhere near it on a rainy day.. What many people do is park their car and walk from area to area..it can be done.. Wrentham can be boring trying to find the shops you want even though there are directories There is a Birkenstock store there, a Barneys New York Outlet, Joseph Abboud...at Xmas time there wre over 100 stores opened..there are many more now...now that's shopping..

Cathy

I really enjoy going further north to Freeport, Maine to outlet shop. You can park your car and walk everywhere. They have great outlet stores: Polo, Coach, Gap and of course are home to LLBean which is open 24 hours a day! There are some nice little places for lunch also and it is a very quaint downtown. I have shopped in Kittery and felt the traffic was heavy and we needed to keep driving to other parts yet many people love it! It depends what type of shopping you enjoy.

mimi taylor

Kittery was great in the beginning. I could buy beautiful samples of Calvin Klein and Lauren but they don't sent the samples anymore. Ifound a Calvin dress on sale at Neiman Marcus less expensive than the outlet. Buyer also beware, there some shoddy lines made especially for the outlet, using cheaper materials. I favor Filene's basement when their feachering some chic stores end of season sale

anncat

I also suggest going to Freeport which is a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive from Boston.
Kittery is outlet territory but as far as being quaint that it is not and as for dining I have eaten at the Weathervane and the food was awful! There are some really nice place to dine in Freeport and it might be worth it to stay overnight there and go to a nearby beach of which there are plenty.

Parrot Mom

Freeport is much too far from Boston and is not only yuppy, but very spread out..We have rarely and I mean rarely in more years than I can think of had a bad meal at Weathervane.. granted it's not a white table cloth type with high prices..last Thursday we had onion nuggets, chowder, and great fried clams.. If you haven't been there in eight years then your missing alot...It's not the perfect outlet, but neither are the stores the exact same as you will find else where.. instead of Coach you will find Tumi luggage..I hate the sameness of the other type malls including Wrentham.. and you just know in most of these outlets the clothes are not the quality as in the stores... let the buyers beware..