John Tarr House

The Ecology School is a non-profit environmental education program started in 1998 in Saco, Maine. The Ecology School, located in Saco, Maine, is an innovative school for students of all ages to learn by their natural inclinations—engaging all five senses to discover the inner workings of the world around them. Through hands-on, experiential programming students learn to become stewards of the environment as they explore local forests, coastal ecosystems, and food systems. In everything they do—leading single-day and residential programs; teaching outreach programs at schools; running camps; and publishing original curriculum and field guides—The Ecology School accentuates the magic, mystery, and wonder of nature so students can better understand and care for the environment. The Ecology School has hosted more than 185,000 students and teachers from across Maine and New England since its inception in 1998. Staff also travel to regional and national conferences and summits, presenting original workshops and training on everything from food systems education and sustainability to innovative teaching methodology. The Ecology School also published its own curriculum for educators and an ecosystem-based field guide in 2002.In 2019 The Ecology School will transition to a new home at River Bend Farm, a historic 105-acre farm located on a scenic bend in the Saco River. The move will propel educational initiatives by increasing program capacity and providing “live what you learn” opportunities for participants through hands-on exploration of Maine's ecosystems, sustainable living practices, direct connection to food systems and farming along with modelling conservation-in-action. A 7,000 square-foot dining commons and a 9,000 square-foot dormitory to be constructed on the River Bend Farm property will meet the most advanced measures of sustainability in the built environment through certifications with the Living Building Challenge. The Living Building Challenge aims to create buildings that generate more energy than they use, capture and treat all water on site, and are made using healthy materials.

The Rendezvous Point Burying Ground is a historic cemetery off Ferry Road in Saco, Maine. Probably established in 17th century, it is possibly the oldest surviving colonial cemetery in the state of Maine. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

Ferry Beach State Park is a public recreation area occupying 117 acres (47 ha) on Saco Bay north of the mouth of the Saco River in Saco, Maine. The state park encompasses a sandy Atlantic Ocean beach, inland hiking trails, and nature center. The inland portion of the park is noted for its pocket swamp and tupelo trees found at the northern limit of the species's range. The park is managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

The University of New England (UNE) is a private research university in Maine with campuses in Portland and Biddeford, as well as a study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco. During the 2020 academic year, 7,208 students were enrolled in UNE's campus-based and online programs. It traces it historical origins to 1831 when Westbrook Seminary opened on what is now the UNE Portland Campus. UNE is the largest private university in the state of Maine and the largest educator of healthcare professionals for Maine. It is organized into five colleges that combine to offer more than 70 undergraduate, graduate, online, and professional degrees. Known predominantly for its programs in the sciences and health sciences, UNE also offers degrees in the marine sciences, data science, environmental science, mathematics, business, education, the humanities, and many other subjects. Its College of Osteopathic Medicine is the only medical school in Maine and its College of Dental Medicine is the only dental college in northern New England. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM) is a private medical school in Biddeford, Maine. Founded in 1978, the college is part of the University of New England and grants two degrees: the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree and a Master of Medical Education Leadership. According to U.S. News & World Report, UNECOM graduates the 6th most physicians of any U.S. medical school that go on to practice in a primary care specialty.UNECOM is accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) and by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Commission of Higher Education.

The First Parish Meetinghouse is a historic colonial meeting house at Meeting House Road and Old Pool Road in Biddeford, Maine. Built in 1758, it is the oldest public building in the city, and is one of the oldest buildings of its type in the state. It served as a combined church and town hall until about 1840. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It is now owned by the Biddeford Historical Society.

Hills Beach is a seaside community in Biddeford, York County, Maine, United States, approximately 85 miles (140 km) north of Boston, Massachusetts. Hills Beach is a narrow stretch of sandy beach on the north side of Biddeford Pool near the mouth of the Saco River and near the Saco Bay. The beach is protected by a breakwater on the north side and the curve of the cove to the south. Access to Hills Beach is at the entrance to the University of New England. Hills Beach is located near Basket Island, Wood Island Light, Stage Island, and others.

The Temple is a historic octagon-shaped Baptist church building on Temple Avenue in the Ocean Park area of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Built in 1881, it is the centerpiece of the summer camp meeting established in 1880 by Free Will Baptists led by Bates College President Oren Cheney. It is the only known octagonal religious structure currently in use in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and included in the Ocean Park Historic Buildings district in 1982.

The Ocean Park Historic Buildings are a group of four religious community structures in the center of the Ocean Park area of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Also known as Temple Square, they form the heart of the summer camp meeting established in 1881. The buildings include The Temple, one of the only octagonal church buildings in the state. The buildings were listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Saco Bay is a small curved embayment of the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic coast of Maine in the United States. Saco Bay is approximately 10 mi (16 km) wide, running from the Fletcher Neck (the Biddeford Pool peninsula) and the mouth of the Saco River in York County north to the Scarborough River and Prouts Neck in Scarborough, Cumberland County, Maine, approximately 13 mi (19 km) southwest of Portland. The shoreline of the bay makes the largest sand beach and salt marsh system in Maine and contains the longest unbroken stretch of beach in the state.

Laurel Hill Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Saco, Maine, United States. Officially established in 1844, it was one of the first garden cemeteries in the United States. Inspired by Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the original cemetery was 25-acre (10 ha) in area and designed by Boston businessman Waldo Higginson.

The Saco River (Abenaki: Sαkóhki) is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of 1,703 square miles (4,410 km2) of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay, 136 miles (219 km) from its source. It supplies drinking water to roughly 250,000 people in thirty-five towns; and historically provided transportation and water power encouraging development of the cities of Biddeford and Saco and the towns of Fryeburg and Hiram.Samuel de Champlain sailed a portion of the river in 1605 and referred to it as Chouacoet, which he said was the name used by the Almouchiquois people. Various sources also give their name as "Sokoki" (a term also used for the Missiquoi people of western New England) and as being either the ancestors or close relatives of the Pequawket who lived along the river near present-day Fryeburg. William O. Bright attributed the origin of "Saco" to an Eastern Abenaki language word meaning "land where the river comes out", which he connected to similar place names like Saugus, said to come from the Pawtucket word for "outlet".