This Friday kicks off what has become one of Maine’s most festive events — the Northern Lights Celebration at L.L.Bean. A forest of twinkling lights at the Freeport campus provides the perfect backdrop for photos, and if that weren’t enough, Santa and his reindeer make a cheery red barn their home on the weekends. When it gets too frosty outdoors, visitors can grab a complimentary hot chocolate and warm up in a yurt that’s decorated for the holidays. With this annual event, L.L.Bean has created a little bit of magic in the heart of Freeport.
Archive for the ‘Adventure’ Category
Northern Lights Celebration at L.L.Bean
Posted in Activities, Celebrations, Holidays, Shopping, tagged Christmas in Maine, cutepotato.com, december events in maine, family events in Maine, freeport maine events, Jen Hazard travel writer, L.L.Bean Freeport campus, L.L.Bean Northern Lights celebration, L.L.Bean tree lighting, maine, New England, new england holidays, november events in maine, winter fun in maine on November 21, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Pumpkin Picking at Spring Brook Farm
Posted in Events, Farms, Food, tagged cumberland maine, cutepotato.com, Fall at the Farm, farm market, jen hazard maine writer, maine farm stands, maine farms, maine pumpkins, October in Maine, pick your own pumpkins, pumpkin patch, pumpkin picking, Spring Brook Farm, Spring Brook Farm and Market on October 12, 2019| Leave a Comment »
One of our favorite new fall traditions is picking pumpkins in our hometown. Each October, Spring Brook Farm in Cumberland hosts a weekend Fall at the Farm event. For one price, families can take a horse-drawn wagon ride to to the pumpkin patch. It’s a short trip, but well worth taking. Even with the weather growing colder, the fields are a rich green, and the trees just beyond are beginning to show their colors.
Outdoor Play for All Ages at 33 Elmwood
Posted in Activities, Adventure, Food, Restaurants, tagged bocce in maine, bowling in maine, cornhole in maine, cutepotato.com, family travel, jen hazard maine writer, Jen Hazard travel writer, maine and family, maine family travel, outdoor play space in Maine, the garden spot at 33 elmwood, westbrook maine on June 17, 2019| Leave a Comment »
School break is finally here, and with the summer season comes plans for warm days and plenty of time outside! We love visiting 33 Elmwood for bowling and comfort food any time of year, but their new outdoor location, The Garden Spot, is the ideal place to enjoy a gorgeous summer day with family.

Photo courtesy Heid Kirn Photography
Ladies Adventure Club
Posted in Adventure, Trails, tagged alicia heyburn, jennifer hazard writer, ladies adventure club maine, maine outdoors writer, nature walks maine, outdoors clubs maine, rines forest cumberland, southern maine walks, spring peepers, the maine play book, women's groups maine on May 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »
While this mom loves adventuring with her kids, it’s essential to her spirit, and quite frankly, her sanity, to carve out time for herself. Over the years, she’s learned that getting outside is the best medicine. Whether it’s running, hiking, biking or simply walking with friends, time spent outdoors helps restore her mind and body.
You can imagine MP’s delight when Alicia Heyburn, co-leader of the Ladies Adventure Club, reached out to see if she might like to be a guest at an upcoming adventure! The club hosts weekly adventures just for women–ranging from island walks and hiking with goats to expert discussions on how to prepare for a backpacking trip or bicycle safety on the road.
Road Trip: The Mapparium Boston
Posted in Road Trips, Travel, tagged boston ma travel, Chester Lindsay Churchill, cutepotato.com, family trips boston, family trips massachusetts, February break trips, hidden boston, jen hazard maine writer, Jen Hazard travel writer, Mapparium, mary baker eddy library, neoclassical style building boston, New England, road trips from Maine, sightseeing in boston, stained glass globe, the christian science monitor, the world in 1935 on March 12, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Over February break, our family spent a few days in Boston. There were many highlights to the trip — a lively Boston College basketball game, a delicious tour of Tazo Chocolate Factory, and a visit to The Institute of Contemporary Art. Still, the favorite for all of us was seeing an incredible, three-story stained glass globe called The Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library.

Photo courtesy Mary Baker Eddy Library
Indoor Fun for Families in Maine
Posted in Activities, Food, tagged 33 elmwood, active indoor play maine, bolos kitchen cantina and candlepin, bowling in maine, brunswick maine, candlepin bowling in maine, caribou maine, Carrabassett Valley, cutepotato.com, family travel Maine, happy wheels south portland maine, indoor play maine, jen hazard maine writer, melody roller rink, oakland park bowling lanes, open gym maine, rockland maine, roller skating in maine, rollodrome auburn maine, south portland maine, sugarloaf anti-gravity complex, The Maine Pitch, the point indoor turf, warren maine, westbrook maine on January 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »
When it’s too cold to enjoy the outdoors, or the snow conditions are not quite up to snuff, we try to find active indoor spaces that have something for all of us. Following are a few new favorites and suggestions for where you can find similar locations throughout the state.