What to do in Portland, Maine
 

Next month I will be in Portland Maine for a couple of days. What would you recommend to do, where to eat (decent price, not expensive but good food). What about cruises - is the sunset cruise worth the time and money? Where do the locals eat that would not be too far from the historic district? Could someone recommend a beach that is not too crowded, perhaps less known. Any additional info would be great!! Thanks for taking the time to write!

You will love Portland, one of my favorite places. We live about 2.5 hr. so can visit there anytime. Here is a website w/ a calendar of activities:

http://www.visitportland.com/calendar.aspx

Where are you going to stay in Portland? There are lots of things to do along the waterfront, shops to browse, restaurants, etc.

You can take a casco bay cruise:

http://cascobaylines.com/cruises/sce...FcTe4AodWgIkTA

http://www.mainethingstodo.com/mttd/2010/04/5333/

We did the 90 min. Portland Discovery Land and Tours on the above website. It was a great tour. You got a good overview of Portland. We also visited Henry Wadsworth Longfellow house, a short walk from the port. Very informative and reasonably priced.

If you have a car, you can drive further north to Acadia National Park or head south to Kennebunkport. You will find many things to do in Portland.

http://directory.portlandmaine.com/c...ortland-maine/
restaurants for you above link.

Have fun. Ask if you need anything else.

I'd definitely consult a guidebook -- both Frommer's and Fodor's cover this city well, and info can be found online at both websites. Depending on your interests, you could easily spend a couple days here seeing the various attractions. And there are many good places to eat as well.

How about writing back with both a draft itinerary and names of restaurants that sound interesting? We can better advise you if you do so.

Take the mailboat through the islands. A water tour at city bus prices. Go to the Museum of Art. Go out to Cape Elizabeth light. Duck Fat is popular with locals and out of town foodies.

We loved the Portland Museum of Art. French Impressionism and many more! Very well done.

If you like baseball, take in a Portland Seadogs game. Lots of fun!

Visit the Portland Observatory. It looks like a lighthouse, but it is the last maritime signal tower left in the US. The history is interesting, and the view is great.

http://portlandlandmarks.org/observatory/

We enjoyed the mailboat cruise last year. Several have recommended getting off and exploring Peak's Island. Chowhound.com (northern New England) is best place for local eating advice.

We enjoyed a cruise of the lighthouses out of Portland Harbor.

There are a few really good breweries in the area as well. I really liked Allagash Brewery. Then went to the Shipyard Brewery and Gritty McDuff's.

We spent one weekend a year ago in Portland and had TONS of fun and ate very well. We visited the art museum, took a cruise, and ate and ate and ate. Take a look at my trip report here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-june-2010.cfm

I was in Portland for a night a couple of days ago on my way to Camden. I absolutely loved this place for breakfast. It is unique, quaint, picturesque and seems genuinely authentic. Bring a camera if you have never been to New England. 4 of us loved our breakfasts! The zucchini bread grilled was fabulous.

http://www.portholemaine.com/

You say you're just here for a couple of days and have way too many suggestions. Give us some more info on what you like to do (shop vs. museums vs. outdoor stuff) and what type of food you enjoy. Then we'll be able to give more specific recommendations!

I am a local to portland. My husband and I have done the sunset cruise twice now. The first time was wonderful on the way out they gave history of the area and little bits of info. The way in you just get to enjoy and have a nice ride back. They let you bring food on and even though you are not suppose to bring beer or wine they do not check bags and i have always seen people with it on the boat. This past summer we did it again purely to get out of the city for a bit before our wedding. They did not do the history of the island this time which was fine for us but if that is what you are looking for make sure you double check before booking.

If you like shopping then going down to exchange street and commercial street are great places to be.

Port city Music all or the State theater have live music many nights of the week.

Lots of local theaters also in the area that can be lots of fun.

As for places to eat if you are looking for seafood the lobster company on commercial street (oldport/waterfront area) is great and will almost always have live local music. Best to go on a nice day/night limited inside seating.

Sillys is also a great local spot to eat inside/out side seating it is on Washington Ave. Good indoor/outdoor seating. Great if anyone is a not meat eater also many choice.

Norms on Congress st also a great place may be a wait depending what time of day you are going...

The place my husband and I most often go intown is Asylum. it is a sports bar/night club. The sport bar has some of the best pub food for a very very good price and good drinks again for good price. They have great lunch specials also. It is off of fore st by the civic center.

ttt