Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shore Rd; adult/child $2/1;
10am-4pm Jun-Oct)
, which traces the maritime and military
history of the region.
Portland Observatory Museum
HISTORIC SITE
( 207-774-5561;
www.portlandlandmarks.org
;
138 Congress St; adult/child $8/5; 10am-5pm
late May-early Oct)
History buffs won't want to miss this hilltop museum, built in 1807 as a
maritime signal station to direct ships entering the bustling harbor. Its function was
roughly on a par with that of an airport traffic-control tower today. From the top of this
observatory, the last of its kind remaining in the USA, you'll be rewarded with a sweep-
ing view of Casco Bay.
Longfellow House
HISTORIC BUILDING
( 207-879-0427;
www.mainehistory.org
;
489 Congress St; adult/child $12/3; 10am-5pm Mon-
Sat, noon-5pm Sun May-Oct)
The revered American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
grew up in this Federal-style house, built in 1788 by his Revolutionary War hero grand-
father. The house has been impeccably restored to look like it did in the 1800s, complete
with original furniture and artifacts.
Children's Museum of Maine
MUSEUM
( 207-828-1234;
www.childrensmuseumofme.org
;
142 Free St; admission $9; 10am-5pm Mon-
Sat, noon-5pm Sun, closed Mon Sep-May; )
Kids aged zero to 10 shriek and squeal as they
haul traps aboard a replica lobster boat, milk a fake cow on a model farm, or monkey
around on an indoor rock-climbing wall. The highlight of this ultra-interactive museum
might be the 3rd-floor camera obscura, where a single pinhole projects a panoramic view
of downtown Portland.
Activities
For a whole different angle on Portland and Casco Bay, hop on one of the boats offering
narrated scenic cruises out of Portland Harbor.
Casco Bay Lines
CRUISE
( 207-774-7871;
www.cascobaylines.com
; 56 Commercial St; adult $13-24, child $7-11)
This outfit
cruises the Casco Bay islands delivering mail, freight and visitors. It also offers cruises to
Bailey Island (adult/child $25/12).
Maine Island Kayak Company
KAYAKING
