Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1A) runs along the waterfront through the Old Port, while the parallel Congress St is the
main thoroughfare through downtown.
Sights
Old Port
NEIGHBORHOOD
Handsome 19th-century brick buildings line the streets of the Old Port. Portland's most
enticing shops, pubs and restaurants are located within this five-square-block district. By
night, flickering gas lanterns add to the atmosphere. What to do here? Eat some wicked
fresh seafood, down a local microbrew, buy a nautical-themed T-shirt from an up-and-
coming designer, peruse the many tiny local art galleries. Don't forget to wander the au-
thentically stinky wharfs, ducking into a fishmongers to order some lobsters.
Portland Museum of Art
MUSEUM
( 207-775-6148;
www.portlandmuseum.org
; 7 Congress Sq; adult/child $12/6, 5-9pm Fri free;
10am-5pm Sat-Thu, to 9pm Fri, closed Mon mid-Oct-May)
Founded in 1882, this well-respected
museum houses an outstanding collection of American artists. Maine artists, including
Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Louise Nevelson and Andrew Wyeth, are particularly
well represented. You'll also find a few works by European masters, including Degas, Pi-
casso and Renoir. The collections are spread across three separate buildings. The major-
ity of works are found in the postmodern Charles Shipman Payson building, designed by
the firm of famed architect IM Pei. The 1911 beaux-arts-style LDM Sweat Memorial
Gallery and the 1801 Federal-style McLellan House hold the 19th-century American art
collection.
Fort Williams Park
LIGHTHOUSE
( sunrise-sunset)
Four miles southeast of Portland on Cape Elizabeth,
90-acre Fort Williams Park is worth visiting simply for the panoramas and picnic possib-
ilities. Stroll around the ruins of the fort, a late-19th-century artillery base, checking out
the WWII bunkers and gun emplacements (a German U-boat was spotted in Casco Bay
in 1942) that still dot the rolling lawns. Strange as it may seem, the fort actively guarded
the entrance to Casco Bay until 1964.
Adjacent to the fort stands the
Portland Head Light
, the oldest of Maine's 52 func-
tioning lighthouses. It was commissioned by George Washington in 1791 and staffed un-
til 1989, when machines took over. The keeper's house has been passed into service as
the
Museum at Portland Head Light
(
207-799-2661;
www.portlandheadlight.com
;
1000
