1. Biddeford-Saco Country Club
City: Saco, ME
Category: Golf
Telephone: (207) 282-5883
Address: 101 Old Orchard Rd.
Description: Back in 1987 the Biddeford-Saco club added a back nine to the nine holes that were originally built here in 1922 on a design by Donald Ross. Golfers here tend to be of the hardy variety, playing from April into mid-November, and it’s not usually too difficult to get tee times despite the fact that these par 71 links are considered to be among the best in southern Maine. Pay your greens fee and you’re a member for the day and get access to all the amenities, which are impressive. They include a full pro shop, a driving range, a practice green and bunker, cart and club rental, instruction, a locker room, and a restaurant and lounge. Find out why Golf Digest ranked these bluegrass fairways among the best in Maine in 1996.
2. Ferry Beach State Park
City: Saco, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 283-0067
Address: Bay View Rd.
Description: Maine’s state parks sit on some prime real estate, and this preserve named for the old ferry across the nearby Saco River is perhaps the best example. Its 1,700 yards of white-sand waterfront and 117 acres of property sit in booming southern Maine, where houses are going for millions these days. The views out to sea are fantastic, the sands warm. There are a bunch of trails through unique woodlands (where you’ll find tupelo trees, which are rare this far north), and there’s even a freshwater pond for fishing. And it’s all yours to use. There are restrooms, changing rooms, and picnic areas. The rangers even provide guided nature tours. Open from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.
3. Saco Heath
City: Saco, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 729-5181
Address: Buxton Rd.
Description: One of the biggest bogs in Maine—and the southernmost raised peat bog in North America—this 1,000-acre wetland has a lot to recommend it. First, it’s simply a bit of open space in a part of the state where that is increasingly difficult to find. Second, it’s home to a bunch of rare and endangered species. This is the only place where Atlantic cedar is known to grow in a domed heath, and it’s home to the Hessel’s hairstreak, an uncommon butterfly, a bunch of cool shrubs and carnivorous plants, and even moose, which are usually found much farther north in Maine. Finally, a mile-long boardwalk makes it all accessible in a way that it never used to be, and the Nature Conservancy, which owns the property, provides maps for a self-guided tour that is worth doing. Autumn is a particularly good time to visit, thanks to glowing expanses of mountain holly and highbush blueberries.
4. Rapid Ray’S
City: Saco, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 282-1847
Address: 179 Main St.
Description: Everything about Rapid Ray’s feels classic, from the diner exterior to the simple menu of burgers, dogs, lobster rolls, onion rings, and similar fare. The place has been at it for more than four decades and is still going strong. You walk in, make your selections from the list near the ordering window, get your chili dog or clam cake burger with fries in a little box, and eat it at the thin, wraparound counters. Best of all, most items on the menu will set you back only a few bucks—even the seafood. The lobster roll is great, and it costs half of what you’d pay just up the road in Kennebunk.
5. Wardwell Retirement Neighborhood
City: Saco, ME
Category: Retirement
Telephone: (207) 284-7061
Address: 43 Middle St.
Description: One of Maine’s oldest retirement communities, Wardwell was built in 1890 and now consists of 41 independent apartments and 46 assisted-living units right in downtown Saco. About 100 residents live here, and they enjoy three meals a day, an exercise program, a library, and a hair salon on the premises. Units are rented for $300 to $3,200 a month, and housekeeping and transportation are available.
6. Stone Soup Artisans
City: Saco, ME
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (207) 283-4715
Address: 228 Main St.
Description: Not to be confused with the Portland restaurant of the same name, Stone Soup is a co-op gallery sponsored by the Society of Southern Maine Crafstmen. More than 30 artisans—including potters, jewelers, and glass and fabric artists—consign their work to be sold here, and they staff the place as well. New material goes through a juried selection process so you know there’s quality involved.
7. Saco Museum
City: Saco, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 283-3861
Address: 371 Main St.
Description: A distinctive brick building downtown, this colonial revival place looks like a library from the street, but it’s actually a little-known gem of a museum. (The building was designed by noted architect John Calvin Stevens in 1926 to house Maine’s third-oldest museum, which dates back to 1866.) Five period rooms serve as the backdrop for a fine collection of early American furnishings, artworks, and artifacts. Some of the more notable pieces are the 850-foot-long Panorama of Pilgrim’s Progress, one of few surviving 19th-century panoramas, and paintings by John Brewster Jr., Charles H. Granger, and Gideon Bradbury, as well as a daguerreotype camera that was the first of its kind in the country and a re-created colonial revival kitchen. The museum frequently hosts lectures, workshops, classes, and walking tours. Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. year-round and weekends in summer.
8. Aquaboggan Water Park
City: Saco, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 282-3112
Address: 980 Portland Rd.
Description: The state’s biggest water park, Aquaboggan is an endless source of fun for kids. Besides the waterslides, tubular slides, and suislides (dual high-speed cannonball runs), the facility offers an Olympic-size swimming pool, a wave pool, bumper boats, minigolf, water wars, paddle-boats, go-karts, an arcade, and the Aquasaucer, a half dome of bouncy fun. Little people can—and do—spend days here before they get bored. Many of the activities, though, require that participants be over 4 feet tall. Rates vary, depending upon which rides and slides you want to try. Open daily from mid-June through Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
9. Funtown Usa
City: Saco, ME
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (207) 284-5139
Address: 774 Portland Rd. (Route 1)
Description: Not far from Aquaboggan, this amusement park has been voted Maine’s number one tourist attraction, which makes one wonder who’s doing the voting (people under the age of 14?). There is no end to the activities. They include the state’s largest and tallest roller coaster, the Excalibur Wooden Roller Coast; the Dragon’s Descent, a free-fall ride that drops you from 220 feet; the Thunder Falls Log Flume ride; go-kart rides; the water park of Splashtown; a whole slate of games; and enough food to keep you and yours going all day. The park opens in mid-May and runs through mid-September, with hours that vary upon the day of the week (basically 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in July and most of August). Rates vary, too, and are based on height rather than age.