Portland, ME

We are going in Sept. What to see in Portland? Is this a good port to just walk around?

Maine State Pier or Oceans Gateway are the two locations you might dock. Both are within easy walking distance of the "Old Port" and Commercial Street, which is the street right along the water. If you want to browse in shops and/or grab a bite to eat (seafood!) there are plenty of choices here. If you are active and want to take a longer walk you might wander up the Eastern Promenade and check out the Portland Observatory, or Fort Allen Park. In the opposite direction there is Portland Museum of Art, the Victorian Mansion and the Longfellow House if art or history is of interest! Enterprise car rental will also drop off a car at the pier if you want to wander further and perhaps check out LL Bean in Freeport, or do your own Lighthouse tour and bypass the more pricey cruise excursion. Lots of choices...just depends where your interests lie!

Thank you Sopome for the information, that helps a lot.

Has anyone done the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad?

Is that a good use of time?

I did it once on a trip to Portland. Was a good way to kill a little time.

I did it once on a trip to Portland. Was a good way to kill a little time.

You don't sound impressed. Were there good views from the train or was this mai9nly for railroad buffs?

Nice view of the harbor. Its more for train buffs. They don't go very far.

We did the duck tour in Portland and while not as good as the ones in some cities, it was still a good way to get a nice feel for the city in a relatively short amount of time. We got history of the city, saw the narrow gauge railway while waving at its passengers, learned about some of the forts on the islands, and enjoyed water views of a lighthouse or two. You could probably combine it with walking around town and have a nice day.