Needing Suggestions for Portland

I have rented a car for our port stop in Portland. We will drive and see the six lighthouses within 20 minutes of portland. We plan to go visit the Observation Tower. We are not interested in shopping.

Looking for additional suggestions. We are very active and looking to fill our day! Please tell me any Must See or DO places.

Thank you

You will find suggestions in this recent thread titled - Portland.

SBtS

Stop for a delicious lobster lunch. :)

Kennebunkport and Kennebunkport are about 20 minutes south of Portland with a lovely ocean drive an old sea captains' homes. Ogunquit has a lovely cliff walk.

There are also small ferries that go out of Portland to local islands that have great hiking or you can just stay on the boats and sightseeing. You can rent sea kayaks and tour the coast. You could go deep sea fishing. The Portland Museum of Art has lovely collections of Homers and Wyeths. The Old Port section of Portland has beautiful 1800s architecture along cobblestones streets as well as amazing restaurants. There is a very interesting restored house called the Victorian Mansion.

I think the lighthouses will take you a few hours, because many of them are in great settings with nice hikes.

Freeport, which is 25 minutes north of Portland, has Wolf's Neck State Park, a very rustic park with hiking trails along the water. Lots of eagles nest there. There is also a very short hike up Bradbury Mountain just outside of Freeport. Pineland Farms has walking trails, gardens and a working farm.

You can rent bikes and take miles of bike trails through the Portland area. You could take surfing lessons off Higgins Beach.

If you are interested in Civil War history, there are many museums and sites from Portland to Brunswick.

Then there are the antique stores, Boothbay Harbor for the quintessential combination of tourist town and working harbor which also has a wonderful botanical garden, Bath for the Maritime Museum, a treasure of 1700 and 1800 maritime history in the same town that still builds Naval combatants.

New Gloucester has one of the last Shaker settlements. While you are there, you could go 10 miles further down the road to Maine's only real casino.

Every town has a golf course or two, homemade ice cream stands, picture perfect New England church spires, working farms.

I have lived here 41 years and feel like there is so much left to do!

Andys Old Port Pub. Best Blueberry Pie I have ever eaten!

B. Portland, Maine

7:00am - 3:00pm. We berthed at Portland Ocean Gateway Terminal at 50 Commercial Street (near Franklin). It is an easy walk to town. We considered a narrated tour from Portland Discovery Tours (formerly Mainly Tours). They run a Land Tour and a Sea Tour. Cost is $18 pp or $33 pp for Land and Sea. Each runs 90 minutes. We opted instead for Portland's $5 "Peak At Portland Metro Bus", Route 8A Metro, with hop-on and hop-off privileges. The METRO typically provides "Peek at Portland" bus service to larger cruise ships with 1000 or more passengers. Self-guided tour maps can be found at the Greater Portland Landmarks site.

The town's $5 Metro bus is a narrated route that runs through most of town. It goes past several landmarks and has stops close to the Shipyard Brewery, L.L. Bean Outlet Store, and the Museum of Art. We bought tickets at a booth inside the protected pier area. At a welcome booth we were handed a "Maine Passport" which is a coupon book with discounts at many of the stores in the downtown region (including LL Bean's factory outlet). If you dock at the Visitor's Center, come out and turn left. You'll find a ticket booth and Metro stop about a block away.

We took the Metro bus and got off at the L.L. Bean Outlet at 9:00am. This was a good sized store packed with clothing. (However I understand it pales in comparison to their flagship store in Freeport). We bought two "Mad Bomber" winter hats lined with rabbit fur. This turned out to be one of our best purchases on the cruise as there were very comfortable, kept us warm, and generated numerous complements at every port.

We walked around town, which has lots of historic buildings scattered about, and then headed for The Portland Museum of Art (a AAA Gem) which opens at 10:00 --- but it was closed. It closes on Mondays after Columbus Day. So we hopped back on the Metro bus and got off close to the Shipyard Brewery for a tour. Tours are free and run on the hour starting at 11:00am. They also have an extensive gift shop. The tour consists of a 10-minute movie, a visit to the bottling floor, and finishes with a tasting of all of their beers and a couple of sodas. Their Eli's brand Root Beer, made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup, was really good. We bought a 4-pack to enjoy on the ship. The Maine Bear Cafe in town serves Eli's Root Beer on tap for under $2.

We enjoyed a bowl of clam chowder and a lobster roll for lunch at Gilbert's Chowder House. I recommend the clam chowder. The lobster roll, while fresh and good, was dry. We prefer our lobster rolls moistened with mayonnaise and bits of celery and onion.

Following lunch, we visited the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum. It's interesting for about 10 minutes unless you are a real enthusiast. It's worth the $2 price of admission.

Ship Hint: be sure to be on the starboard side of the ship as you leave Portland. You will go right by Portland Head Light which is the oldest and among the most photographed lighthouses in the world.

thank you everyone for sharing Portland ideas. We are excited about our Sept 23 Canada/ New England Cruise. This will be our first time visiting this area.

Bull Feeney's for their deep fried lobster! (Really). Becky's Diner for the best lobster roll in town. Grill Room for the best steaks in town. The Great Lost Bear has the best and largest selection of micro brews in New England. All JMHO. Crescent Beach or the adjacent Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth are nice walks. The Tate House museum is the home of the British governor from colonial days, and many houses in Stroudwater date from the colonial days. The Portland Observatory on Munjoy Hill gives a wonderful view of Casco Bay and the Calendar islands.

B. Portland, Maine

7:00am - 3:00pm. We berthed at Portland Ocean Gateway Terminal at 50 Commercial Street (near Franklin). It is an easy walk to town. We considered a narrated tour from Portland Discovery Tours (formerly Mainly Tours). They run a Land Tour and a Sea Tour. Cost is $18 pp or $33 pp for Land and Sea. Each runs 90 minutes. We opted instead for Portland's $5 "Peak At Portland Metro Bus", Route 8A Metro, with hop-on and hop-off privileges. The METRO typically provides "Peek at Portland" bus service to larger cruise ships with 1000 or more passengers. Self-guided tour maps can be found at the Greater Portland Landmarks site.

 

The town's $5 Metro bus is a narrated route that runs through most of town. It goes past several landmarks and has stops close to the Shipyard Brewery, L.L. Bean Outlet Store, and the Museum of Art. We bought tickets at a booth inside the protected pier area. At a welcome booth we were handed a "Maine Passport" which is a coupon book with discounts at many of the stores in the downtown region (including LL Bean's factory outlet). If you dock at the Visitor's Center, come out and turn left. You'll find a ticket booth and Metro stop about a block away.

 

We took the Metro bus and got off at the L.L. Bean Outlet at 9:00am. This was a good sized store packed with clothing. (However I understand it pales in comparison to their flagship store in Freeport). We bought two "Mad Bomber" winter hats lined with rabbit fur. This turned out to be one of our best purchases on the cruise as there were very comfortable, kept us warm, and generated numerous complements at every port.

 

We walked around town, which has lots of historic buildings scattered about, and then headed for The Portland Museum of Art (a AAA Gem) which opens at 10:00 --- but it was closed. It closes on Mondays after Columbus Day. So we hopped back on the Metro bus and got off close to the Shipyard Brewery for a tour. Tours are free and run on the hour starting at 11:00am. They also have an extensive gift shop. The tour consists of a 10-minute movie, a visit to the bottling floor, and finishes with a tasting of all of their beers and a couple of sodas. Their Eli's brand Root Beer, made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup, was really good. We bought a 4-pack to enjoy on the ship. The Maine Bear Cafe in town serves Eli's Root Beer on tap for under $2.

 

We enjoyed a bowl of clam chowder and a lobster roll for lunch at Gilbert's Chowder House. I recommend the clam chowder. The lobster roll, while fresh and good, was dry. We prefer our lobster rolls moistened with mayonnaise and bits of celery and onion.

 

Following lunch, we visited the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum. It's interesting for about 10 minutes unless you are a real enthusiast. It's worth the $2 price of admission.

 

Ship Hint: be sure to be on the starboard side of the ship as you leave Portland. You will go right by Portland Head Light which is the oldest and among the most photographed lighthouses in the world.

I believe the LL Bean Outlet Store in Portland has been closed for some time.

I believe the LL Bean Outlet Store in Portland has been closed for some time.

Yep, but OP wasn't interested in shopping anyway.

Since you already have the car rented, I would opt for a drive to Boothbay harbor. It is about an hour or so away and a wonderful drive to a wonderful place.

http://exploreportlandmaine.com/places-to-go/day-trips/boothbay-harbor/

We spent a few days in and around Boothbay harbor and loved it.

Cheers

Len

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I have taking notes!!