Brunswick is the main city in Casco Bay. Bowdoin College serves as a pillar to the community. The 110-acre campus was the alma mater of many great Americans including President Franklin Pierce, Robert Peary (Arctic explorer), and Nathaniel Hawthorne (author).
Bowdoin College Museum of Art has a collection of pieces dated from the 19th Century to the present and is open to the public. Stories of Arctic life and exploration are displayed in The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum. Other points of interest include Jashua Lawrence Chamberlain Museum (Brunswick), and the Pejepscot Museum / Skolfield-Whittier House (Brunswick).
In 1820, papers were signed in Freeport to release Maine from its parent, Massachusetts, and to establish a new state. Thus, Freeport is called the "Birthplace of Maine." Folks who spend a lot of time outdoors will probably recognize Freeport as the home of L.L. Bean sportswear. This world-famous outlet is a major pulse in the area (and it's always open).
An unusual region of dunes began forming in Freeport during the early 1900s and remain as a major draw to the area. Once farmland, this "Desert of Maine" is now a bed of dunes, some as high as 70 feet. The area is marked by a museum and nature trails.
Golf and sportsfishing are popular here. Fly fishing is favorable for striped bass, bluefish and shark. Camping and swimming are available at Thomas Point Beach, a manicured 85-acre park. Seasonal ice skating is found at Freeport Middle School Field.
The Brunswick Golf Club has been giving golfers a challenge since 1888 with its beautiful 18-hole course. For excitement, sea kayaking is available in the area. Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park in Freeport has five miles of hiking trails along Casco Bay through woodlands that offers precious views of nesting osprey. And biking along the 2.5 mile Androscoggin River Bicycle Path makes for a pleasurable outing.
Freeport and Brunswick, the origins of Maine, are located in the southeastern corner of the state.
