Awesome Places to Visit: Portland, Maine
Awesome Places to Visit: Portland, Maine
This laid-back coastal town has an abundance of flavorful restaurants, fresh outdoor spaces, and ocean views. Here are a few of the great places to visit while in Portland.
The Inn at St. John
The Inn at St. John, constructed in 1897, is Portland’s
oldest continuously operating hotel. The inn is independently owned and
operated, making for a friendly and personalized experience. The inn offers
typical hotel rooms with bathrooms in the room as well as less expensive rooms with detached
private bathrooms accessible through the hallway. The staff keep an ample
supply of freshly baked cookies in the lobby as well as hot water for coffee,
tea, and hot chocolate. Complementary breakfast is served each morning. Portland,
Maine is a dog-friendly city and The Inn at St. John is no exception. Dogs can
stay for an additional $10 cleaning fee.
I opted to stay in one of the rooms with a detached private bathroom. The room featured a microwave, minifridge, full-size bed, dresser, table, and a bath robe that made the walk to my bathroom next door a little more comfortable. The room was cute and cozy, decorated with era-appropriate wallpaper and colorful bedding.
Saeng Thai House
My first stop after checking in was Saeng Thai House, just a
short walk from The Inn at St. John. Saeng is a tiny, family-operated
restaurant whose lobby is decorated with numerous local awards and press releases about its cuisine. I ordered
pad thai and fried tofu, both of which were delicious.
Andy’s Old Port Pub
Andy’s Old Port Pub is a cute restaurant and pub located on
Commercial Street, just a few blocks away from Casco Bay Ferry. Andy’s is a
local favorite with a full menu of seafood-laden pub food. I enjoyed the
food enough to eat here twice, adopting the mac and cheese as my favorite dish
with the quesadilla as a close runner-up.
Flatbread Company
Flatbread Company is also located on Commercial Street. This
place has a fresh, modern vibe and offers pizzas made with high-quality
ingredients. I opted for a vegan pie and finished off the meal with a brownie
sundae. The restaurant also offered Maine Root Sodas, including their amazing
non-alcoholic ginger root beer.
Eastern Promenade Trail
Eastern Promenade Trail is a paved multi-use pedestrian trail on the eastern end of Portland. The trail offers a view of the ocean and access to several green spaces, as well as access to the Mast of the USS Portland, a retired naval ship that participated in several notable battles before her retirement in 1946. Along the Eastern Promenade Trail are several off-leash areas for dogs, including one off-leash beach.
Ferry to Peaks Island
Peaks Island is about 3 miles from the mainland and is a part of the city of Portland. It hosts Battery Steele, a World War II
battery that is now abandoned and open to the public for exploration. The old
structure contains a 300-foot long hallway with several rooms along the hallway.
The windowless interior is completely dark, giving it an eerie vibe. The old abandoned battery once hosted a street
art festival and is now covered in vibrant street art made by visitors.
The Peaks Island Land Preserve includes the 140+ acre plot Battery
Steele sits upon and features several wooded hiking trails. The ferry to Peaks
Island runs several times a day and costs only $4 for a round-trip ticket. Learn more about Battery Steele here.
Baxter Woods Park
Baxter Woods Park is a cute wooded city park with an approximately 1 mile long hiking loop. This park is great for families and featured several outdoor classrooms, educational signs, and places to build with wood and sticks from the forest.
Overall, Portland, Maine was a relaxing place to visit with an abundance of great restaurants, parks, hiking trails, and ocean views. There are so many more cool parks and things to do in Portland that I did not have time to write about. I highly recommend Portland to anyone who is considering a visit to Maine.
Leslie Driskill is from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. When she isn’t on the road, you can find her volunteering, writing, or with her head buried in a book. You can follow her on Tumblr for daily motivational quotes or on Instagram for more travel photos.
