From salt marshes to sandy beaches, this southern Maine town located on Saco Bay is a naturally beautiful spot with an equally charming downtown area.
Experience the rugged beauty of Maine in Scarborough. The coastal town is the home of famed artist Winslow Homer. As you explore its beaches, parks and rocky coastline, see firsthand the scenes his paintbrush made famous.
Check out Scarborough’s many beaches. At Scarborough Beach State Park, stroll along the coastline or watch piping plovers nesting in the dunes. View the shipwreck at Higgins Beach, which dates back to 1897. Watch the waves in Saco Bay at Pine Point Beach.
Explore Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, one of the state’s largest salt marshes. Go on a guided tour through the center, led by a naturalist, or take a self-guided tour on foot or by canoe or kayak. Try bird-watching and be alert for the mink, otter, deer and other animals that live here. In the center, investigate interactive exhibits or purchase a Maine-themed souvenir.
Discover Prouts Neck, a peninsula that juts out from Scarborough. Visit Winslow Homer Studio, where the celebrated landscape artist lived and worked between 1883 to 1910. Look out toward an outcropping of rocks which Homer immortalized in the painting Cannon Rock.
Scarborough also has a number of entertainment venues. Cheer on the horses and riders at Scarborough Downs, Maine’s largest race track. Watch a car race at the NASCAR-sanctioned Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
Enjoy the small-town charm of Scarborough. Sample fresh seafood at one of the many local restaurants or browse its boutiques. For a wider selection of shopping and dining options, venture to nearby Portland.
Before it was named Scarborough, Native Americans referred to the area as Owascoag, or “the place of much grass.” Despite being only 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of the large city of Portland, the town still deserves its bucolic name. Enjoy the many different experiences it offers throughout the year, from warm summers to snowy winters.
