You Could Easily Spend All Weekend At This Enormous Maine Outdoor Store

When out-of-staters think of Maine, one company comes to mind first: L.L. Bean. There’s no doubt that since its founding in 1912, L.L. Bean has done a lot to bolster Maine’s national reputation, but let’s not forget that Mainers have more opportunity than anyone to take advantage of its outdoor recreation products. The family-owned company operates 42 stores across the world, and most of them have become local attractions. But the biggest and best remains the one in Bean’s hometown of Freeport, Maine.

L.L. Bean's flagship store opened way back in 1917, and its entrance is marked with a giant replica of the company's signature Bean Boot.

The store clocks in at a staggering 220,000 square feet. That's the size of nearly four football fields.

OK, let's lay out a scenario here. It's 3 a.m. You're going duck hunting at sunrise. But you don't have a good pair of waders. What do you do? If you're near Freeport, the answer is easy: L.L. Bean is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Taxidermied animals are displayed throughout the store.

Don't miss the pièce de résistance, "The Final Charge." depicting two Bull Moose in battle. It uses a real pair of interlocked moose antlers that were found in New Sweden in 2006.

You can cancel that trip to the aquarium -- the L.L. Bean flagship store has its own.

The store even offers outdoor family movies and live performances such as concerts. Naturally, it's all free.

With the on-site 1912 Cafe serving three meals a day, you never have to leave.

Curious about the storied history of L.L. Bean? There's no separate museum -- it's all here.

Because four football fields apparently weren't enough to hold all of L.L. Bean's goodies, there are four separate stores clustered around the original: the Bike, Boat & Ski store; the Home store; the Hunting & Fishing store (which is attached to the original but has its own entrance); and the discount-packed Outlet. Like the flagship store, all but the Outlet never close.

The L.L. Bean flagship store has closed only three times since it went to a 24-hour schedule in 1951: after the deaths of L.L. Bean himself, John F. Kennedy and longtime CEO Leon Gorman. But if you want to make extra sure they’re open, or you want to see if they carry what you want (spoiler alert: they do), you can call (207) 552-7772. They’re located at 95 Main St., Freeport, ME 04033.

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You Could Easily Spend All Weekend At This Enormous Maine Outdoor Store

Michelle

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