6 Best Sights in Riverton, Stroudwater, and Parkside, Portland

Most visitors stumble on this stunning performance venue thanks to its national and international musical acts—and indeed, it's an ideal size and structure for that with a 3,000- to 8,000-person capacity; it's spacious but not too big to enjoy the show. But that's just the beginning of what the peninsular, waterfront spot offers, from ice skating in the winter to local craft fairs throughout the year. And on select Thursdays and Fridays from 4 pm till sunset in the summer, entry is free, dogs are welcome, and live music and lawn games are on offer with some of the city's best food trucks lining up to feed the happy crowd.

The latest addition to the warehouse on Industrial Way filled with three quite-good breweries, Battery Steele started in an old barn in South Portland and has since moved to these well-trafficked digs. The tasting room offers a roster of rotating brews on tap—usually 10 or so. Highlights include pours like the double IPA, Avalon, and sours (if it’s available, try a glass of Enjoy The Ride).

Kids can pretend they are lobstermen, veterinarians, shopkeepers, or actors in a play at Portland's small but fun Children's Museum. Most exhibits, many of which have a Maine theme, are hands-on and best for kids 10 and younger. Have a Ball! teaches about the science of motion, letting kids build ramps that make balls speed up, slow down, and leap across tracks. Don't miss the life-size inflatable humpback whale rising to the ceiling at the whale exhibit. The outdoor pirate-ship play area is a great place for a picnic lunch. Camera Obscura, an exhibit about optics, provides fascinating panoramic views of the city; it's aimed at adults and older children, and admission is therefore separate.

A lovely 55-acre space designed by the Olmsted Brothers, Deering Oaks is frequented for its sparkling pond, playground, and games at its baseball diamond. It’s also the summer home of the Portland Farmer’s Market, and you’ll find its playground and water features enjoyed by kids on any warm day. A well-kept rose garden and wide clusters of native trees are draws for gardeners and botanists.

Baseball doesn't get much more authentic, close up, or old school than at Hadlock, home to The minor league Portland Sea Dogs. Whether you've come for the excellent sight lines, to watch a specific player (the team is a feeder for The Boston Red Sox, after all), or just to soak up the old school thrill of watching a mascot throw prizes to kids in the crowd, you're in for a few hours of smiles and vintage Americana. 

Astride rose-granite steps and a period herb garden overlooking the Stroudwater River on the outskirts of Portland, this magnificent 1755 house was built by Captain George Tate. Tate had been commissioned by the English Crown to organize "the King's Broad Arrow"—marking and cutting down gigantic trees, which were shipped to England to be fashioned as masts for the British Royal Navy. The house has several period rooms, including a sitting room with some fine English Restoration chairs. With its clapboard siding still gloriously unpainted, its impressive Palladian doorway, dogleg stairway, unusual clerestory, and gambrel roof, this house will delight all lovers of Early American decorative arts.