Things to Do in West Scarborough

Surrounding Kennebunkport Marina is a town awash in centuries of nautical history; the community also boasts a spot on AOL Travel's list of the 10 Best Beach Towns in America. The marina contributes to its pristine environs with new docks, an outdoor fireplace, and a riverside courtyard where guests can lounge on adirondack chairs. From the docks, which have hookups for water and 30- and 50-amp service, boaters can captain their vessels down the Kennebunk River or travel one-quarter mile to open ocean waters. Year-round storage keeps ships protected during winter or transatlantic spitball wars, and spring engine commissions by certified technicians prep boats for the sailing season.

Those without their own watercraft can join the Kennebunkport Boat Club, which grants members of any skill level access to a quartet of boats that range from 15 to 26 feet. Additionally, the store offers powerboat, canoe, and kayak rentals, and reservations of the Captain's Cottage make lodgers feel more nautical than tying their shoelaces in bowline knots.

A coach at the first Equine Special Olympics in 1999 and again in 2011, North American Riding for the Handicapped–certified trainer Kathleen Gallant possesses a deep, long-lasting love for horses and their ability to help others. After attending equestrian vocational school as a teenager and working at several race tracks, Kathleen developed her passion for jumping and dressage and began teaching others, which she has been doing for more than two decades. Today, English riding lessons are the focus at Chiron Equestrian Services, as well as therapeutic riding for children and adults with special needs. Both private and group lessons begin with the establishment of a balanced, centered riding style and, once these basics are mastered, move on to more advanced riding techniques such as hunt seat, jumping, and dressage.

Throughout the skating season from July to April, more than 60,000 people visit Portland Ice Arena for open-skate sessions, to play hockey, or watch an event. Public sessions during those months send skaters of all ages gliding across the rink. The arena also plays host to a number of other icy scenes, including learn-to-skate classes and practices for the AHL's Portland Pirates. Away from the 750-seat arena, the facility provides sharpening services, rentals, and a concession area.

Merriland Farm's par 3 course winds through fields of blueberry and raspberry, adding color and character to the 200-year-old working farm. At just 841 yards, the short course presents holes that range in distance from the 63-yard seventh up to the 119-yard third. Farm owner and course designer Jim Morrison makes up for the lack of overall distance by punishing errant shots with such hidden hazards as a brush-filled gully on hole two and a pond on hole eight, which players must avoid by selecting the right club or waiting for the next drought. The bucolic landscape also features a driving range with flagstick markers for golfers to warm up at.

Lauded by Yankee Magazine and featured on the Food Network, the on-site café got its start as a roadside stand from which Julie Morrison sold her delicious pies and jams. Visitors relax amid the comfy environs of the dining room or breathe in the fresh farm air on the outdoor patio.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 27 course
• Total length of 841 yards
• One tee box per hole

Built between 1858 and 1860 as a summer home for hotelier Ruggles Sylvester Moore, the Victoria Mansion continues to dazzle visitors more than 150 years later with its Italian villa-style low-pitched roofs and soaring architecture made from locally sourced Connecticut brownstone. After a hurricane swept through the region in 1938 and badly damaged the mansion, it was scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt as a gas station until a retired educator, Dr. William Holmes, rescued the property. He turned it over to the Society of Maine Women of Achievement, which now operates it as an historic house museum and National Historic Landmark.

Conservation efforts have gradually restored the mansion’s brownstone front steps, balusters, and decorative carved finials; the Islamic-inspired paintings in its Turkish Room; and the Pompeian-style painted walls of its preserved mid-19th-century water closet. Elsewhere, palatial gilded surfaces and stained glass add color to the interior, juxtaposed by modern conveniences such as hot and cold running water, central heating, and robot janitors.

When Peter Joyce realized how many Maine civilians and law-enforcement officers could benefit from learning fundamental firearm skills that would protect them in life-threatening scenarios, he decided to start Weaponcraft. Since its founding in 1993, Weaponcraft’s staff of Special Response Team and SWAT operators and instructors have imbued novice and expert pupils with the same training that military personnel receive. From an introductory firearms class to courses specializing in advanced tactical techniques, each small class includes plenty of individual attention to ensure each student leaves with improved firearm comfort, knowledge, and skills.