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Recreation

Biddeford-Saco hosts a wide variety of activities and sites to visit. We have activities for all four seasons. Visitors may choose from several beaches for sun bathing, swimming, river or ocean kayaking, and other water activities. Hikers and nature watchers can enjoy several hiking trails and nature preserves. Golfers may choose from four local golf courses, and the area and surrounding cities host lighthouses and rocky shores. Area water parks and amusement park offer swimming, rides, picnicking, arcades and Maine’s only wooden roller coaster.

In the spring, visit a farm that makes maple syrup. You will love watching the transition from boiling sap to sweet, sticky syrup. Sampling the syrup, maple sugar candy and pancakes smothered in Maine maple syrup will reawaken your spirit and herald you into spring. In the autumn, take a scenic drive along country roads to enjoy the stunning and brilliant colors of the fall foliage. Along the way, stop at an apple orchard to pick some crisp, delicious apples and take a hayride to the pumpkin patch.

There are well-maintained cross-country skiing trails; a local snowmobile club and riding trails; and indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks for everyone’s winter enjoyment. The area also hosts indoor facilities for swimming, bowling or indoor sports.

Golfing
Professionals to amateurs will enjoy the many challenging golf courses: Dutch Elm Country Club, Arundel; Deep Brook Golf Course & Biddeford-Saco Country Club in Saco; Dunegrass Country Club, Old Orchard Beach. Mini Golf: Schooner Mini Golf & Batting Cages, Saco. Driving Range & Golf Lessons: Cascade Golf Center, Saco.

Walking & Hiking
Nature lovers will want to experience the sights, smells and sounds of the many trails and paths for bicycling, hiking, cross-country skiing or snow-shoeing. Hiking Trails: Sylvan Trail; Atlantic Way Trail; Laurel Hill Cemetery; Saco Bay Trail; Ferry Beach/State Park; Great Saco Heath Sanctuary; and East Point Sanctuary to name a few. Saco Bay Trails, a non-profit organization, promotes and maintains many of the trails, building a network of publicly accessible trails throughout the Saco Bay Area.

Enjoy two miles of nature walks along boardwalks and wooded trails that meander past a pond and marsh area in the 100-acre Ferry Beach State Park. The park also features a wonderful, sandy swimming beach, bathhouses, and picnic areas.

Biking enthusiasts can travel throughout the area of country roads or make a 48-mile loop on the Saco River Tour through rural farmlands.

Preserves
All within a few minutes ride – Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve; Waterboro Barrens; Mount Agamenticus; Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge; Scarborough Marsh Nature Center; Saco Heath Preserve; Kennebunk Plains.

Beaches
In Saco: Camp Ellis is a 2,000-foot sandy beach area. Bay View Beach and Kinney Shores have small sandy beaches. Ferry Beach State Park is a sheltered sandy beach with natural sand dunes.

In Biddeford: Beach Cove is a small sandy beach. Biddeford Pool is a two-mile sandy beach with lifeguards, gentle surf, and bird watching. Fortunes Rocks is a small sandy beach with lifeguards; parking permits are required. Hills Beach is a small swimming beach with bird watching and limited parking. Rotary Park Beach has a sandy bank on the Saco River and includes lifeguards and free parking. They also have youth activities including a skateboard park.

Looking for something more serene? Try canoeing down the Saco River or sailing along the lovely Saco Bay. Kayaking has become the newest venue for touring the river and ocean shore. Take a trip with a professional Maine Guide for saltwater angling.

Area Lighthouses
Wood Island Lighthouse (Biddeford Pool) – 1808-1858 – The history of Wood Island Lighthouse, located at the entrance of the Saco River, is full of ghosts, murder, dramatic rescues, and even a famous dog. The ghost of a murdered lobsterman is claimed to be responsible for many strange events occurring on the island. Thomas Orcutt, a former sea captain, served there for 19 years. His dog, Sailor, became famous for ringing the station’s fog bell with his mouth.

Goat Island Lighthouse (Kennebunkport) – 1822-1859 – The dangerous Goat Island rocks continued to claim vessels, 46 between 1865 and 1920. However, due to the keepers at Goat Island picking up survivors, there was not one death. In 1990, Goat Island became the next to the last lighthouse in the U.S. to be automated. For a time during the presidency of George Bush Sr., secret service agents lived at Goat Island, which offers a good vantage point on Bush’s estate at Walker’s Point.

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse (South Portland) – 1897 – Site of Portland Harbor Museum. Located on the campus of Southern Maine Technical College, South Portland.

Two Lights Lighthouse/State Park; Portland Headlight (Cape Elizabeth) – 1791 – One of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. Located in Fort Williams Park.

Museums
Saco Museum -The third oldest museum in Maine, located at 371 Main Street, Saco, (formerly York Institute) has played a significant role in the cultural history of southern Maine since 1866. The museum’s distinctive red-brick Colonial Revival building was designed by the noted Maine architect John Calvin Stevens in 1926 as fire-proof gallery space for their extensive collections. The museum houses an exceptional collection from the Federal period (1780-1820), as well as paintings and decorative arts associated with local history from the 17th century to the 20th century. The galleries feature furniture, paintings, textiles, glass, silver and other objects from 18th and 19th century families. An exciting schedule of programming accompanies each exhibit, including art classes, craft demonstrations, movies, lectures and concerts.

Seashore Trolley Museum - A living history of public transportation houses the national collection of American streetcars. Ride by rail through the Maine countryside aboard one of our restored early 1900s electric streetcars. Witness the sights and sounds of a very important bygone era in American transportation history. Learn how streetcars moved the people who built our major cities and how they helped develop the suburbs surrounding them.

Antique Radio Collection - Visit a private, unique collection of radio memorabilia. Call (207) 282-3013 to view.

Locations on the National Register of Historical Places

Biddeford City Hall
205 Main St., Biddeford

Royal Brewster House
Buxton Lower Corner, Buxton

Buxton Power House
Rte. 22, Buxton Center

J.G. Deering House (Dyer Library)
371 Main St., Saco

Dudley Block
28-34 Water St., Biddeford

Elden’s Store,
Rte. 22, Buxton

Elder Grey Meetinghouse
North Waterboro

First Baptist Church
Jct. West Rd. & Federal St., Waterboro

First Congregational Church of Buxton
(Tory Hill Meeting House)
Rte. 112, Buxton

First Parish Meetinghouse
Old Pool Rd., Biddeford

James Montgomery Flagg House
St. Martin’s Ln., Biddeford

Fletcher’s Neck Lifesaving Station
Ocean Ave., Biddeford Pool

Levi Foss House
Rte. 35, Goodwins Mills

Nearby Attractions/ Day Trip Ideas

Beech Ridge Speedway
Holmes Rd., Scarborough

Casco Bay Lines
Portland www.cascobaylines.com

Elk Farm
Ross Rd., Scarborough

Fireworks every Thursday evening
Old Orchard Beach

Gray Wildlife Park
Gray

Longfellow House
Downtown Portland

Portland Headlight Fort Williams Park
Cape Elizabeth

Portland Museum of Art Downtown
Portland

Portland Observatory Downtown
Portland

Portland Pirates Hockey
Portland

Rachel Carson Preserve
Wells

Scarborough Downs Horse Racing
Rte. 1, Scarborough

Scarborough Marsh Nature Center
Rte. 9, Scarborough

Sea Dogs Baseball Team
Portland

Seashore Trolley Museum
Kennebunk

Two Lights State Park
Rte. 77, Cape Elizabeth

Victoria Mansion
Downtown Portland

Willowbrook, Living Museum
Newfield