Fly Fishing with L.L. Bean
by Everett Potter

In spring, many a young man’s fancy turns to fly fishing. The same could be said of many young women I know. Who better to ask about the appeal of flying fishing than LL Bean fishing expert Mac McKeever. McKeever works for Bean's department of Public Affairs and used to head up the marketing, advertising and public relations activities for L.L.Bean's Outdoor Discovery Schools.

An avid outdoorsman, Mac spends as much time as he can hunting and especially fishing in Maine, Florida and the Caribbean. He currently serves on the Boards of the Coastal Conservation Association of Maine, the Maine Tourism Association and the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland. He is also a United States Coast Guard licensed captain. He lives in Portland, Maine with his wife Jill and their dog Tim. We spoke before the season began, when he had time to talk.

So Mac, what ....

Casco by Kayak
by Kay Douglas

Thinking of Maine conjures up images of rugged coastal scenery and deep mossy woods. It summons the haunting cry of a loon and the plop of a fat lake trout surfacing on a quiet lake. Put the words "Maine" and "outdoors" together, and you have the stuff of sultry late-summer fantasies. It takes very little to get me up to Maine, usually just the prospect of some blueberry pie or a lobster roll will do, so when the opportunity came to spend a long weekend kayaking on Casco Bay, I was packed before you could say "L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools."

As an occasional recreational kayaker, I had no illusions of setting off on such a jaunt solo. Not only was there the matter of equipment, but my navigational skills are rudimentary at best. How convenient, then, that I could sign up for a three-day trip organized by the L.L. Bean Discovery Schools. For the very reasonable price of $750, all ....

Fall Leaf Lovers Enjoy Nature’s Splendor: A complete guide to the best places in the U.S. to watch the leaves turn.
by Bobby Hickman and Joni Strandquest

There's a special crispness in the air as the days grow shorter and summer begins to fade. Maybe it's because we both have October birthdays, but autumn is our favorite time of year—time for crunching apples, walking through corn mazes and watching the kids trick-or-treat.

But our favorite fall activity by far—aside from snuggling underneath a blanket and drinking hot chocolate—is traveling out of town to watch the leaves turn. And we're not the only ones. Popular tourist areas such as the Adirondacks and the Great Smoky Mountains are packed with cars, RVs and campers as everyone wants a first-hand view of fall's spectacular colors.

Still, there are plenty of places where you can see spectacular autumn views without sharing your experience with ....

L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools were mentioned as an alternative to camping on one's own in a complimentary article about camping on Long Island.
by Tom Schlichter

. . . 

PROFESSIONAL CAMPING PACKAGES
Search the Internet and you'll find several outfitters offering organized camping packages. L.L.Bean, for example, has a series of "Outdoor Discovery Schools" including a weekend kayak-camping trip on Casco Bay in Maine ($475) and a camping-bike tour in Freeport, Maine ($299, llbean.com).

. . . 
PICK THE BEST SITE
If you relish solitude, choose an end site or get off the beaten track (read: away from the water). Shoreline sites come with extra mosquitoes and gnats, so pack plenty of insect repellent. Avoid sites adjacent to restrooms (noisy), visitor centers (busy) or sewage treatment areas (phew!). Shade is almost always a plus.

Depending on where you c ....

Next Weekend: Instant Adventure
by Robert Earle Howells

Check out the season's best weekend trips near you:

MAINE
Kayaking: Find the Essential East
What’s more quintessentially Maine than lobster, L.L.Bean, and a placid, fog-drenched bay dotted with islands? Just bring Thoreau’s Walden and you’ll reach nor’east nirvana on L.L.Bean’s Casco Bay paddling expeditions. The inlet’s uninhabited, pine-clad isles host a series of three-day, two-night camping trips in August and September ($475; llbean.com). By day, paddle slaloms in tandem kayaks around frisky seals and lobster buoys while ospreys and gulls soar overhead. First stop is Eagle Island, once owned by ....

Summer Getaways: 15 Great American Islands for a Close-to-home Escape
Coast-to-coast, Islands' staff highlighted US islands that promise a relaxing vibe and authentic experiences yet without the need to necessarily hop on a plane or even plan ahead. From biking on Jekyll Island in Georgia to basking in the greenery of Orcas Island in Washington, you'll find an island right for you this summer. And they just added L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery School's Maine's Casco Bay Island Hopping Trip, which they named "literally the coolest island getaway of the summer."

Casco Bay, Maine
A new island-hopping trip explores this beautiful bay.
Maine’s famously rocky coastline boasts some 7,000 islands. One great way to explore a section of them is the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School based in Freeport. [Adrienne at Islands] had the opportunity recently to take part in the inaugural Casco Bay Island Hopping trip. ....

Patrol with Buzz Lightyear or try lobstering
by Richard P. Carpenter

Journalist Richard P. Carpenter was hoping for a time machine to bring back the days of the great family vacation — "to travel back to a time when my children, wife, and I would vacation together. I want to recapture the laughter, the excitement, the family camaraderie, even if a modicum of griping and whining is part of the package." And an L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools adventure made the list of places where families can make their own indelible memories.

...
New England Inns & Resorts Association has a variety of offers for families, such as the Not Just for Grown-ups! package at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Featured are two nights in an oceanview two-bedroom suite with a kitchen and private boardwalk beach access, plus the family's choice of adventure: Haul lobster with the crew of a real l ....

The Maine Event: Maine Road Trip

Cabin fever got everybody down? Step away from the Lincoln Logs and bundle up baby. Outdoor fun is only a state away.

At The Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, there’s a kid-friendly indoor swimming pool. Or try a Walk-on Adventure at the L.L.Bean Flagship Store, where kids and adults alike can learn to snowshoe or cross-country ski for just $15.

For more variety, visit New Gloucester’s 5,000-acre Pineland Farms, where kids can ski, ice-skate, and sled to their hearts’ content. And animal lovers can even take a dogsledd ....

Tangier Island, Virginia

Escape life and head to the Chesapeake Bay island of Tangier, an hour-and-half ferry ride from Onancock, Virginia. There are no stoplights, not ATMs, few cars and locals who speak a dialect based on Elizabethan English, a holdover from the original island settlers who came in 1608 from Cornwall, England. The biggest distractions include a one-room museum of fishing artifacts in the back of Sandy's Place gift shop, the beach and the soft-shell crabs. Crabbing is a big industry on island and shellfish will be an integral part of your diet (along with Virginia ham). Lodging is limited to only a couple of choices, including the Bay View Inn (tangierisland.net). Or overnight on island as part of a three-day kayak adventure through Tangier Sound (llbean.com/ods). ....

What's In Store

There's so much to see and do at these shops that buying stuff is almost beside the point.

L.L. Bean Fly-fishing and kayaking clinics, weekend concerts. 95 Main St., Freeport, Maine, 800/599-0747 ext. 37222.

  ....

Summer School
by Jacquelyne Froeber

L.L.Bean, coastal Maine-based clothing and accessories company, encourages you to excercise your alfresco privilege this season. Sign up for Outdoor Discovery Schools, which begin in late May and offer courses such as basic kayaking, open-water paddling, and distance fly-fishing techniques. Choose an excursion for the whole family — such as coastal camping bike tours — or tackle one solo. Classes range from half-day to weekend tours in Maine, Maryland, and Virginia. You might also want to take advantage of Walk-On Adventures at several East Coast L.L.Bean retail locations. For about $12, you can join a featured class and learn to flycast or kayak. Equipment is provided, so all you have to do is bring your sense of adventure! Call 888/552-3261 or visit

An Island A Day

Off the coast of Maine in Casco Bay is a year's worth of islands: about 365 spits of land known as the Calendar Islands. Kayak a few of them on a three-day adventure accompanied by two guides who will point out bald eagles, blue herons and seals. Launch from Freeport and set up base camp on a private island. Oh, and enjoy the Maine surf-and-turf lobster bake. No experience or gear is required for this L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery School trip. Rates are $450 per person. ....

Never camped? Pack up the kids and let these travel companies show you the ropes
by Jacky Runice

Although I think I know a lot, there are some pretty basic things that I still don't know how to do.

I can't dive — I chalk that up to watching a bad diving accident at the local pool when I was a kid. I can't change a tire and I have an excuse for L.L.Bean that, too. Living in the city, I didn't have a car until I was in my late 20s and then kids came along and ... well, you know.

I also don't know a darn thing about camping — how to pitch a tent, gather the right kind of firewood, use a compass — so we've never really experienced the great outdoors in that way. I'm a little long in the tooth to join the Girl Scouts, so I have to rely on intrepid travel concerns that won't laugh showing me how to start a campfire or run from a raccoon.

Who doesn't love to learn while h ....

At L.L.Bean, Classes that Fit its Rugged Clothing
By Beth D'Addono

FREEPORT, Maine—It all started with a boot.

Leon Leonwood Bean, who was born in Greenwood in 1872, was an avid hunter, fisherman, and all-around outdoors guy. While trying to come up with ways to take the sogginess out of his own trekking, Bean came up with a design for waterproof boots that seemed to do the trick. The lightweight leather uppers and rubber bottoms kept his feet warm and dry, and being the enterprising type that he was, he figured his footwear could do the same for other hunters he knew.

That shoe, a version of which is on display in the flagship L.L.Bean store here, was the start of an outfitting empire that is more than just about rugged clothing and sporting goods. The name L.L.Bean embraces the great outdoors, a bridge between commerce and activity that was first made by Bean himself.

Since the b ....