Greater Portland & Casco Bay

1633 is the year that the first permanent British settlement was established on the southern coast of Maine in what would come to be called Portland. By then the Casco Bay area was already trending for its fishing and trading. Zip forward a few centuries and the trending continues – fishing and trading (in updated forms), with a lot more diversity - commercial and cultural.

Light Houses

Portland Head Light (picture above)

The Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth is the oldest lighthouse in Maine and is adjacent to 90-acre Fort Williams Park and its great ocean views and recreation. Fort Williams Park has nice walking trails, gardens and a children's garden area. The former keepers' house is now home to The Museum at Portland Head Light. (picture above)

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse

Just two miles north of Portland Head is Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse standing atop a 900-foot granite breakwater, with a view of the entire Portland skyline across the waves. (picture above)

Cape Elizabeth Light

At Cape Elizabeth Light, also known as "Two Lights," the eastern tower is still active and the western tower, while not publically accessible, still stands tall and proud. (picture below center)

Portland Breakwater Lighthouse (Bug Light)

And then there’s the cute one, Portland Breakwater Lighthouse. It’s known, affectionately, as Bug Light because it’s short and as cute as a – well, you know. Diminutive though it may be, Bug’s Light played a huge role in protecting Portland Harbor beginning with its construction in 1875. (picture below right)

Food and Drinks

Watch the "Eat your fill in Portland, Maine" video here

Declared "America's Foodiest Small Town" in 2016 by Bon Appétit, Portland Maine has restaurants and chefs that can compete with any other major city. Portland, Maine, takes the prize thanks to its fresh seafood, local beers, artisan bakeries, and the best breakfasts in country.

The Lobster Shack

There are good places to eat in Southern Maine. Other restaurants have nice views…But nothing compares with The Lobster Shack at Two Lights. Located at the end of Two Lights Road on the rocky shores of Cape Elizabeth, Maine–The Lobster Shack is an award-winning restaurant that has been a local landmark since the 1920s. This is the hands-down winner for best ocean view of any shack anywhere. Situated between the crashing surf on ocean rocks, a working foghorn, and two decommissioned lighthouses, Two Lights provides a dramatic backdrop for enjoying some fine Maine seafood.

Coffee

Coffee roasting and brewing taken more seriously than it is in Portland. Both the two Arabica Coffee and the two Tandem Coffee Roasters locations are all run by roasters with years of expertise. Bard Coffee in Old Port has quickly become another favorite by offering a total coffee experience—carefully sourced, roasted coffees prepared by friendly baristas who can tell you the story behind the beans. Coffee by Design seeks out only the best beans, hand-roasts them in small batches and painstakingly trains the baristas at their four Portland locations in order to serve some of the best coffee in the country. Speckled Ax Wood Roasted Coffee takes it a step further, only using local hardwood gathered from Maine’s forests to roast its coffee.

Mead

Founded among the heart of a true craft brewing city in 2007, Maine Mead Works continues the mission of re-introducing to the world the oldest of all fermented beverages - Mead. With the magic of wildflower honey, water and their own proprietary yeast strain. In collaboration with South African scholar Dr. Garth Cambray, Maine Mead Works developed a state-of-the-art continuous fermentation system, bringing mead making into the 21st century.

America's Brewing Capital

Craft breweries and distilleries flourish in Portland, each adding their own flavor to the city, and tours allow visitors to experience local mainstays as well as some new arrivals. Those interested in craft beer culture can do so by taking one of the city’s popular "brew” buses where knowledgeable guides provide the stops, and local breweries and distilleries provide the tastings and behind-the-scenes activity. Portland, Maine has 17 breweries and just over 66,000 residents, making it the city with the highest per capital craft breweries in the U.S..

Tours

Maine Lobstering Tours

Learn more.......

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