University of Southern Maine
Want to escape a while? Need a place to take the parents? Here are 10 cool adventures to check out. And they’re so close, you can get to them faster than you can say, “There’s nothing to do.”
Not quite. But you get the point.
1. Hit the trail. Portland Trails is one of the city’s secret jewels. Explore grassy riverbanks, follow the coastline from the serene edge of Back Bay to the bustling waterfront of Commercial Street. And that’s only the beginning. With a goal of connecting 50 miles of trails in the Greater Portland area, Portland Trails has created a system of byways that’s sure to reveal things you’ve never seen before, and a few things you won’t see again.
2. Hop aboard. Catch a ferry on Casco Bay Lines and explore one of the idyllic Casco Bay Islands, from the ever-popular Peaks to the white sands of Long. Need some time alone to think, maybe write? Spend the day on the mail boat run, with stops at exotic-sounding ports of call: Peaks, Great Diamond, Little Diamond, Diamond Cove, Cliff, Long, and Chebeague. Come home relaxed, refreshed, and with a taste of sea salt on your lips.
3. Grab a stool. Becky’s Diner is a real snapshot of the city and its people. The place is so hip, you’d never know it. Great food, in a greasy-spoon sort of way, with hard-working, straight-forward people slinging it. If you do nothing else today, visit the Web site.
4. Lactose up. More ice cream is consumed in New England than in any other part of the country. Time to belly up. Or time again, as the case may be. The longtime local favorite is Beal’s Gourmet Ice Cream, and across the Casco Bay Bridge in South Portland is the venerable Red’s. Relatively new on the scene, and at the heart of the Old Port, is the pricey-but-worth-it Cold Stone Creamery.
5. Take it outside. Fort Williams Park is home to rolling fields great for ultimate or kite flying. A stomach-fluttering cliff walk. Battlement ruins to explore. And a stunning view of Portland Head Light, Casco Bay, and the occasional passing cruise ship or freighter. If this place doesn’t move you, even a little, check your pulse.
6. Surf’s up. In season or not, there’s something special about Maine’s beaches. In Greater Portland, you have one for every taste. Monster waves and pounding surf? Check Scarborough or Higgins Beach in South Portland. Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth is a little quieter, with more parking and more modern facilities. A bit more to the south, you have Old Orchard Beach, which you’ll just have to see for yourelf.
7. Retail therapy. Living here and not knowing your way around the Freeport outlets and LL Bean is a little like living in Memphis and not knowing Beale Street or Graceland. It’s just something you must know about. You can shop til you drop, kick around the Bean “mother ship” and its sundry of camping rig, outerwear and adventure gear, or find a middle path. A trip there is something to do sooner rather than later.
8. Catch a game. You’ll find big-league entertainment at minor-league prices with the Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field and the Portland Pirates at the Cumberland County Civic Center. In 2007 alone, players who started the season in Portland ended up wearing a World Series ring with the Red Sox, and hoisting pro hockey’s Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks.
9. Enter, stage left. Enjoy some of the finest stage performances north of Boston right here in Portland. Choose from the Portland Stage Company, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Portland Opera Repertory Theatre, and the Portland Ballet Company. More than a few programs feature USM faculty, alumni and students.
10. Climb back in time. The Portland Observatory is not a lighthouse, and it has nothing to do with astronomy. Head over to Munjoy Hill. Mount the steps and learn the building’s unusual story – a mix of history, entrepreneurial spirit, and good old Yankee ingenuity, all set in the later days of the Age of Sail.
