5 Best Things to Do in Portland, Maine
Only have a day or two? From restaurant crawls to ocean cruises, here are five of the very best things to do in Portland, Maine.
Portland is the largest city in the state of Maine located on a penninsula extended into the scenic Casco Bay. Portland is known for its maritime services, boutique shops,cobbleston streets, fishing piers, vibrant art district and fine dining
Photo Credit : Denis Tangney Jr./iStockStroll past the art galleries, award-winning restaurants, and vibrant independent shops of downtown Portland, ME, and it’s hard to believe that this waterfront city of about 66,000 people is one of New England’s biggest comeback stories. Established as a port in 1632, it’s been rebuilt physically and economically several times over the decades, following war, a trade embargo, a devastating fire, and urban decay. Today its property values are booming and its dining scene rivals — and even sometimes surpasses — that of Boston, but Portland still retains its character, thanks in large part to its working waterfront and preserved historic buildings.
You could easily spend a week or more exploring this intimate and affable city on Casco Bay. But if you have just a day or two, here are the five best things to do in Portland, Maine.
5 Best Things to Do in Portland, Maine
Portland Museum of Art
The largest and oldest public art institution in Maine, the Portland Museum of Art offers highlights from three centuries of art in its trio of downtown buildings. There’s a top-flight collection of paintings by American realist and impressionist masters (Rockwell Kent, Andrew Wyeth, and Marsden Hartley, to name a few), a treasure trove of fine and decorative arts, and the largest holding of European art north of Boston.
Dine Around Town
By many people’s estimations, Portland is the best food town in New England, thanks to a lucky combination of local sourcing from land and sea, reasonable rents (relative to downtown Boston), and a proud and scrappy community of chefs. The list of worthy eateries is long, but if you have just a few days, we recommend Eventide Oyster Co., a seafood haven with an impressive raw bar stocked with Maine’s growing roster of oyster varieties; Slab, serving Sicilian-style pizzas with a tender and lofty crust; Duckfat, famed for its Belgian-style frites; and the Holy Donut, whose sinful handmade pastries have even been Yankee cover models.
Portland Head Light
In Cape Elizabeth’s Fort Williams Park, just four miles from downtown Portland, Maine’s oldest lighthouse, commissioned by George Washington, guards the harbor. After visiting the seasonal museum and gift shop in the former keeper’s house, you can picnic in the park or stroll the stunning cliff walk.
Sample Suds on Industrial Way
With 20-plus breweries — the most per capita in the U.S. — spread throughout a collection of distinctive neighborhoods, Portland shines as the state’s beer mecca. Industrial Way is the epicenter, crowned by Allagash Brewing Company (whose founder, Rob Tod, received a 2019 James Beard Award). The area has served as a nursery of sorts for the city’s fledgling breweries, and today Foundation Brewing Company, Austin Street, Battery Steele, and the latest arrival, Definitive Brewing Company, are all continuing the tradition.
Get Out on the Water
One of the best ways to get a feel for this part of Maine is to head out into Casco Bay. Portland’s long-running island ferry service, Casco Bay Lines, is a perennial favorite, but there are a number of specialty operators as well. Among them isLucky Catch Cruises, which invites passengers to take in the sights of Casco Bay while hauling up lobster traps and learning about one of Maine’s favorite crustaceans (read about one editor’s firsthand experience). Another is Portland Schooner Co., where you can hop aboard an early-1900s windjammer and cruise past lighthouses, forts, and islands on a two-hour sail.
Have your own list of the very best things to do in Portland, Maine? Leave your picks in the comments below!
This post was first published in 2020 and has been updated.
