Fort Williams Park
Four miles southeast of Portland on Cape Elizabeth, 90-acre Fort Williams Park is worth visiting simply for the panoramas and picnic possibilities. Stroll…
Portland
Seagulls scream, the smell of beer and fish fry flows through the streets like the fog off Casco Bay, and everywhere the salt wind licks your skin. Maine's largest city has capitalized on the gifts of its port history – the redbrick warehouse buildings, the narrow cobblestone streets – to become one of the hippest, most vibrant small cities in the Americas. You'll find excellent museums and galleries, abundant green space, and both a food culture and a brewing scene worthy of a town many times its size.
Set on a peninsula, Portland's always been a city of the sea. Today, the Old Port district is the town's historic heart, with handsomely restored brick buildings filled with cafes, shops and bars. There are more hipsters than fishmongers living here these days, but there's also genuine ethnic diversity – Portland boasts a large African population – generally lacking in the rest of Maine.
Explore Portland
- Fort Williams Park
Four miles southeast of Portland on Cape Elizabeth, 90-acre Fort Williams Park is worth visiting simply for the panoramas and picnic possibilities. Stroll…
- Portland Head Light
Fort Williams Park, on Cape Elizabeth, has rolling lawns dotted with bunkers and gun emplacements. Within the park stands the beloved, and much…
- Portland Museum of Art
Founded in 1882, this well-respected museum houses an outstanding collection of American artists. Maine artists, including Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper,…
- Portland Breakwater Light
Portland is graced by a handful of handsome lights, including the 1875 Portland Breakwater Light with its Corinthian columns. Dubbed the 'Bug Light'…
- VVictoria Mansion
This Italianate palace, whose exterior would work well in a Tim Burton movie, dates back to 1860. Inside it's sumptuously decorated with rich furniture,…
- CChildren's Museum & Theatre of Maine
Kids aged zero to 10 years shriek and squeal as they haul traps aboard a replica lobster boat, milk a fake cow on a model farm, operate a sound studio, or…
- TTate House Museum
This home preserves the Colonial residence of George Tate, Maine's last British 'mast agent' (mast agents procured New England white pine trees as…
- MMain Library
The main branch of the Portland Public Library is located within the 83,000-sq-ft Baxter Building, an architectural gem that cleverly utilizes vast glass…
- Longfellow House
The revered American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) grew up in this Federal-style house, built in 1785 by his Revolutionary War–hero…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Portland.
See
Fort Williams Park
Four miles southeast of Portland on Cape Elizabeth, 90-acre Fort Williams Park is worth visiting simply for the panoramas and picnic possibilities. Stroll…
See
Portland Head Light
Fort Williams Park, on Cape Elizabeth, has rolling lawns dotted with bunkers and gun emplacements. Within the park stands the beloved, and much…
See
Portland Museum of Art
Founded in 1882, this well-respected museum houses an outstanding collection of American artists. Maine artists, including Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper,…
See
Portland Breakwater Light
Portland is graced by a handful of handsome lights, including the 1875 Portland Breakwater Light with its Corinthian columns. Dubbed the 'Bug Light'…
See
Victoria Mansion
This Italianate palace, whose exterior would work well in a Tim Burton movie, dates back to 1860. Inside it's sumptuously decorated with rich furniture,…
See
Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine
Kids aged zero to 10 years shriek and squeal as they haul traps aboard a replica lobster boat, milk a fake cow on a model farm, operate a sound studio, or…
See
Tate House Museum
This home preserves the Colonial residence of George Tate, Maine's last British 'mast agent' (mast agents procured New England white pine trees as…
See
Main Library
The main branch of the Portland Public Library is located within the 83,000-sq-ft Baxter Building, an architectural gem that cleverly utilizes vast glass…
See
Longfellow House
The revered American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) grew up in this Federal-style house, built in 1785 by his Revolutionary War–hero…
Guidebooks
Learn more about Portland
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