I was wondering what Lewingston is like and if there are things to do nearby. Also, how easy is it to get to Portland Freeport? How often do people go?
Lewiston is a gritty old mill town. The Lewiston-Auburn community is the second largest in the state behind Portland, although we’re talking Maine, so no one’s going to be comparing it to Chicago or New York. The downtown is within walking distance and has plenty to do although I think kids tend to stay on campus most of the time. My kids have their favorite restaurants in town but they don’t go into town to hang out.
Portland is about 40 minutes away, Freeport is 30. Bates has free weekend buses that go to the Old Port, Freeport, Brunswick, etc. Students are allowed to have cars so it’s also not hard to get a ride. There are vacation buses to the Portland airport (free) and Boston ($10). Personally, I love Portland. It’s an easy small city to walk around.
I’m a parent, so I’ll leave students to comment on how often they go and what they do.
My daughter and her friends go all over the place. They go out in Lewiston all the time, because there are a lot of good restaurants now. There is a shopping plaza near the college. There’s an indoor trampoline place, a bird sanctuary across the street for walking or running, hiking trails, and of course the places mentioned above. My daughter was in Freeport yesterday. The airport is forty minutes away. They go to Portland regularly. The college puts on a monthly shuttle to Boston, which is two hours away. The Outing Club offers really great hiking excursions. In short, no, Lewiston isn’t isolated.
I happen to like Lewiston and the vibrant subgroups. Bates wasn’t isolated for either of mine. One got very involved in state politics, both were routinely involved in different sorts of community service, some long term, some shorter, for all 4 years. Neither went to Portland,the mega malls, or Freeport much, except with us. Once they were there a few years, yes, they dined out more, but as friends getting together, not out of boredom. It’s so interesting to compare Sue’s, Linda’s and our experiences (and there are other parents who may pipe up,) as they show how well different sorts adapt. Their friends from college are still among their closest and most meaningful. And they came out wonderfully educated. I do include their experience in Lewiston as part of that education.
I definitely agree that the kids aren’t bored. There are a lot of great campus events. The college puts on campus-wide dances that are really popular, as well as movies, concerts, stage plays, and so on. My daughter spends a lot of her time on campus, especially in the library, where she studies most of the time.
I also like Lewiston. It’s scrappy:-)
Dittoing #1,2,3,4
My kid & friends also went to the beach south of Portland (during short term) and occasionally would go to Colby and Bowdoin for concerts/events.
My son just graduated in May and he never felt isolated. He found plenty to do on campus and nearby–from skiing to game events. He also took advantage of Outing Club trips on spring break. He’s not a city guy but felt comfortable in Lewiston. We live in the South; he also found it easy to either ride the shuttle or find a ride to the airport when it was time to come home.
My son liked Lewiston (and Bates!) a lot when he visited. I missed that trip since I was working that week so I cannot compare it, but…
I went to a much more ‘isolated’ college in a small mountain village. I never felt bored. Colleges provide tons of entertainment themselves. They bring in outside speakers and entertainers. Student performances, clubs and groups, intramurals, and activities provide entertainment. Colleges have their own museums. Add in dances and parties and trivia contests and who knows what else. There is always more to do on campus than you can possibly do.
Also at Bates, all the outdoor joys of hiking, biking, canoeing, skiing, etc., beckon.
If you love the clubs and malls of a big city or posh suburb, or something similar, maybe you would miss them. But there are always vacations and occasional road trips for that sort of thing.
My sophomore enjoys Lewiston. There are things to do in town but the school has so many activities on campus you don’t have to leave unless you want to. The weekly shuttles are great, you can get around Lewiston/Auburn and other shuttles run to different places around Maine. She has made use of the zipcar during the week if needed.
They have made travel slightly less convenient for students who are flying to campus. They stopped school sponsored shuttle service to the airport at breaks. (Found out about that this week!) There are still options to get to the airport but not as easy or cheap 
@Buster21 Sorry to hear about the shuttle discontinuation–that’s a real disadvantage for flying students. My son used it often his first two years, and then it didn’t fit the early flight times he had. But by then he was able to find rides with people he knew. He did take a cab once, and it was pricey. I do know there is an electronic “ride board” for students looking for rides or with an empty seat in their cars.
@Buster21, it looks like they’ve just gone with an outside provider to supply vacation buses to Boston, Hartford and NYC.
https://breakshuttle.com/products/thanksgiving-2017-bates-to-boston-hartford-nyc
Mine took the school arranged, outside bus, at Thanksgiving break. How I wish it landed in Newton.
There was also Greyhound, from Chase Hall, to Boston South Station or somesuch. Still is.
Thanks, there are plenty of options but not as convenient. We’ve got flights already purchased for Portland to North Carolina based on the assumption that the shuttle would work the same as last year. So now we either pay $50 to go directly to the airport or take a bus to the transportation center in Portland, then take a cab to the airport. I’m really missing the $10 shuttle.
We were never aware of a $10 shuttle to the airport (we also live in NC)! When he took it, it always cost S between $35 and $40 each way on the Mermaid Shuttle, which contracted with Bates to go to PWM. I wonder how we missed that!
@Buster21, Doesn’t he have friends who can give him a ride? I know my kid used to take friends who needed a ride or drop off his friends, on his way home for breaks.
There was definitely a shuttle for ten bucks each way to the airport. My daughter used it last year. I recommend contacting the office of student affairs, because I believe they arrange these things. If they hear from enough people it might be reinstated.
My daughter alos took the Greyhound, which picks up right on campus. She had to change in Boston to get another coach to Hartford, but it worked fine.
Yes, it is absolutely isolated.
Nothing whatsoever to do in Lewiston. And I do mean nothing.
@PeacefulOutlaw, do you live in Lewiston?
Eye of the beholder!
My son and husband enjoyed their trip to Lewiston very much when son was looking at colleges. They thought there were nice restaurants available, and they enjoyed a walk in a park and across the river. It is an interesting town with French Canadian and Somali immigrants; I understand that the students get involved in service projects for the town. Bates is a short drive from Portland and Freeport, two large and active towns. And the scenic beauty of Maine allows for lots of great outdoor activities nearby.
It depends, I guess, on what you like. It seemed much less “isolated” than the town in which the college my son chose is located! My son likes nice settings more than big cities.
Personally, I don’t think you need a college town that offers a ton of activities. Colleges provide tons of entertainment themselves. There are musical/theater/dance/etc. performances, art shows, speeches, and athletic events featuring fellow students. There are student organizations offering all kinds of fun activities. There are special events like carnivals. There are parties. Colleges bring in famous speakers and performers from outside the college. And you are surrounded by tons of smart young people. From a cultural perspective, living in a college is like living in a small city. The only problem is that there are too many choices of what to do and you cannot do it all!
EDIT: oops. Sorry for repetitious post. I did not recognize that I had already replied to this post.
I don’t think of Bates as isolated (Colby is more so) but it’s not right in a cute little Maine town like Bowdoin. My husband and I went to Bates back in the early 90’s and it was less the isolation and more the COLD. You really don’t want to walk very far in the winter in Maine so everything seems really distant.
There are a few walkable places to campus but they are a small store, a bar or two, a pizza joint and a coffee shop. If you go about a mile away there are more places and then a few miles and many more places. The town used to be very depressed but that has changed over the years and each time I go back from reunion it has more cute stuff. My younger daughter is interested in attending (she’s a freshman now) so I’m sure we’ll see even more activity by the time she’s looking at schools.
Bates is a great place!