A Little Bit About Our Host City
Portland has grown from a small colonial seaport to Maine’s largest metropolitan area – and one of the hippest towns on the East Coast – over the past 400 years. In the last few decades, urban renewal projects breathed new life into the historic waterfront and downtown areas, where trendy restaurants and galleries sit side by side with handsome heritage landmarks. Despite this city’s cultural and culinary flair, it’s still a thriving fishing port offering a bit of grit alongside its graciousness.
Things To Do!
Bud Light Park
Also known as Portland Breakwater Light, Bug Light (nicknamed for its small size) sits on the cusp of Portland Harbor and affords sweeping views of the city skyline. The expansive view of Portland and its working harbor dominates, with Munjoy Hill, Fort Gorges, and a handful of Casco Bay islands in the background. It's set against about nine acres of maintained and manicured parkland, which residents use for picnics, boating, fishing, and kiting. Lighthouse lovers could easily spend hours just examining the 1875 structure's decorative Corinthian columns alone.
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Old Port
When visitors think of Portland, it's Old Port's salty-aired, cobblestone streets and wharves that come to mind. Lined with boutiques and art galleries that alternate between posh and funky, 19th-century brick buildings, and some of the city's best restaurants and bars, it's a neighborhood that melds the cool and the quaint. In summer, Old Port is packed with tourists here for a sail with Portland Schooner Co., to check out the shops and world-famous restaurants, to visit the neighboring Casco Bay islands, or stroll the working harbor. Crowds thin out in the fall and become all but nonexistent in the winter, which is when locals reclaim the streets, and come out to dine and bar-hop themselves every evening.
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Portland Head Light
Dating back to 1791, this is the oldest lighthouse in Maine and arguably the most beautiful in New England. It contains an excellent museum (in the former Keepers' Quarters) delving into its history, as well as a gift shop. Just outside is Fort Williams Park, made up of 90 acres filled with coastal hiking paths and picnic tables, gardens, and a beach. Note that the park is open year round from sunrise to sunset, but the museum and shop are open daily in the summer, and weekends only during the off-season.
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