"Must See" in Portland?
 

We will be spending a couple of days in Portland and I'm looking to here about any places that we must not miss while we are in the area for such a short time. Our family enjoys food, the outdoors, the culture and history of an area, etc. Thanks so much.

oops! I mean "hear about places". I guess I should have previewed!

The Columbia River Gorge was unquestionably the highlight of my visit to Portland; starts about 20 miles outside of the city. There's a Gray Line tour that was very well-done starting at 8:45am if you don't happen to have your own wheels.

The International Rose Test Garden is really lovely and free if you're there during rose season. The Japanese Garden right nearby is beautiful too, but one does have to pay to access it. The Portland Art Museum downtown was well done, especially the section on Pacific Northwest First Nations.

Maine, not Oregon;)

oops! haha

The Old Port at the center of town is fun for strolling. You can take ferries from there out to islands like Peaks Island, which I did once (for a wedding). If you have nice weather, it's beautiful out there.

There's also a lighthouse at Fort Williams Park near Portland.

There are some nice towns south of Portland like Kennebunkport you could explore.

The Portland Museum of Art is nice, if you like art. Portland is a small city, and easily walkable around the Port area.

Agree with Andrew re PI and his other suggestions. Depending on time of year, weather, and your time frame...you might like Ogunquit (gorgeous beach, Perkins Cove, Marginal Way), York (3 separate beaches), Freeport (for shopping...think LLBean).

If it is a warm day, take one of the mail boat rides. Many people live on islands, and the mailboat ferries visit them all on one route or another carrying people, mail, groceries, building materials, and even -- rarely -- cars. Take a picnic or you can go all the way to Bailey's Island and eat lobster before it returns.

These boats are an incredible bargain.

Great, thanks for all your suggestions.

- Portland Head Ligh - commisioned by George Washington and beautiful! Great park and playground for the kids. (http://thefreelanceadventurer.blogsp...ead-light.html)

- Portland's Old Port - restaurants, shops, etc

- Peak's Island - take a ferry trip, ride bikes, and play on the beach. Grab an ice cream in a local shop before leaving! (http://thefreelanceadventurer.blogsp...aksisland.html)

- Take a drive to one of the local beaches like Kennebunk or Ogunquit. (http://thefreelanceadventurer.blogsp...uit-maine.html)

You can take a picnic lunch or buy a lobster roll from the Bite Into Maine food truck that parks at Fort Williams park. There is a wonderful view looking out on Casco Bay. It's wonderful to see so many people enjoying the park.

Do a search on Chowhound for restaurant recommendations. Two Fat Cats Bakery might have the best whoopie pies. Within walking distance is DuckFat for great French fries. Also in the Old Port Area is MDI ice cream which has some really strange flavors. If it's not busy, they'll give you some free tastes. Best deal is to buy the sampler. Loved Blackstrap Banana but Wasabi Chocolate was a little too strange for me.

Portland is considered one of the foodiest cities in the US. We have not visited the Portland farmers market but have enjoyed some of the other farmers markets in Maine. Bring some picnic utensils with you. If the season is right, you can buy local berries to put on top of local yogurt.