Are you going to Scarborough? A fair question if you want to add to your vacation fun. When you reach this breezy seacoast town you’ll find a wonderful collection of sights and sites for your entire family to enjoy.
Scarborough has five beaches, three oceanfront villages and a bustling commercial section along Route 1 that includes several vacation attractions.
Renowned artist Winslow Homer had his studio at Prouts Neck, one of Scarborough’s three villages. Prouts Neck, which juts out into Saco Bay, was the subject of many of his works and helped publicize its beaches and distinctive rocky coastline. Scarborough Beach Park, Ferry Beach and Western Beach are located here and offer great swimming and water sports.
Higgins Beach is another village with a sandy shoreline adjacent to the Spurwink River. Just off Route 77, it has rows of charming cottages that are ideal for family rentals.
The third village is at Pine Point with a fine-sand beach and protected boating facilities. You reach Pine Point by heading down Route 9 toward the ocean. On the way you’ll pass Scarborough Marsh, Maine’s largest saltwater marsh. It covers 3,100 acres of tidal flats with meandering channels for canoe trips and trails for hiking, bird watching and getting a glimpse of hundreds of wildlife species. There is also a Bird Sanctuary on Prouts Neck.
Fans flock to Scarborough for its world class harness and stock car racing along with a high energy go-cart track. You’ll find a great variety of seafood and specialty restaurants and a selection of comfortable accommodations ranging from motels, B&Bs, campsites and rental cottages. If you’re a chocolate lover, journey along Route 1 to visit a candy manufacturer with the world’s only life-size chocolate moose on display.
Scarborough had a challenging time establishing itself when it was first settled in the 1600s. Confrontations with Native Americans frustrated its growth and the area was abandoned several times before a new community flourished. A major battle took place on Prouts Neck and was commemorated by naming the site Massacre Pond.
Maine’s first governor, William King, was born in Scarborough at the family homestead in the Dunstan area near Route 1.
Scarborough’s convenient location near Portland’s jetport, the Amtrak rail center and Maine Turnpike make it an ideal residential community for commuters and visitors. Shopping areas along Route 1 and the Maine Mall, a few miles to the north, add to the pleasure of Scarborough as a great place to visit. And no shopping trip would be complete without a trip to Maine’s newest “outfitter” … Cabela’s.