If you read my guide to a summer New England Road trip you know my last stop was Portland Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine. This seaside town is full of fun and exciting things to do and has a blossoming foodie scene which I had a great time exploring! The city was even voted the 2018 restaurant city of the year by Bonappetit.com! I only had one day to take it all in but if you want to know what the can't miss spots are in the city you've come to the right place!
First we arrived in Portland and saw two lighthouses, the classic Portland Head light and the smaller but cuter "bug" light as locals affectionate dubbed it. The Portland Headlight is Maine's most visited lighthouse and also one of it's largest. Fun fact about this lighthouse, the 19th century poet Henry Longfellow was a frequent visitor and friend of the lightkeeper, and it is believed that his poem "The lighthouse" was inspired by Portland head light! Once you get to the lighthouse there is a little museum and giftshop as well as great views of the ocean and harbor. You can even just make out another lightohouse, an even older building set out on a small rock. That lighthouse was used before the Portland head light was completed. There are also some remains from the old Army base that you can view on your way back to the parking lot. There really aren't many places you can go in Portland that aren't filled with history! After getting some pics of the first lighthouse I headed over to the "bug light". This one is smaller and placed out on a jetty so you have to walk out a ways to get up close to it. The cute little building stands out once you get up close to it because it's not your typical lighthouse architecture. The building was actually inspired by an ancient Greek structure called Choragic Monument of Lysicrates located in Athens. This makes it unique to any other lighthouse in the world and I would recommend it as a must see! It was designed by Thomas Walter who also worked on the U.S. Capitol. The lighthouse is also surrounded by a cute little waterfront park which I would definitely recommend walking through for the full experience.
After seeing the sights on the water in South Portland we headed into the city. We drove to the neighborhood called Old Port which is a historic waterfront district as well as the heart of the Portland food scene. First we stopped in some of the cute little shops for souvenirs and gifts. I loved the Portland Dry Goods Co. store for their simple and high quality New England Style. They offered both men's and women's wear as well as some home goods. I also loved Lisa Marie's a Made in Maine shop that sold novelty items such as handmade soaps, sea salt scrubs, and more all Maine themed and locally made! Then I headed back down towards the water to find Old Port Candy Co. and pick up some Maine made sweet treats! I got some salt water taffy in blueberry flavor which is apparently a Maine signature and it turned out to be delicious. The locals recommended I stop in Bullfeeney's pub a charming little Irish pub on the main restaurant row for some aperatifs, so I did. Apparently the incredibly popular restaurant was once owned by Hollywood producer John Ford and it is the quintessential Portland experience and a must see according to Portland natives.
Next I headed up the road for dinner and despite having so many choices of every different kind of cuisine I chose the Corner Kitchen, a modern Italian kitchen that serves homemade pasta and amazing pizza. I had a hard time choosing betwen all the gourmet dishes but I ended up with a build your own pizza. The meal was delicious and I ordered a pepperoni, olive. and cheese pizza which turned out perfectly. Finally, I headed back to the Press hotel which is conveniently right across the street from the Corner kitchen. This boutique hotel housed in the old Portland Newspaper complex is the cutest thing. Inside it is decorated with old fashioned typewriters mixed with sleek modern decor. I love the theme since I am a blogger after all! You can even write your very own old fashioned letter on a classic typewriter right there in the lobby. There is free stationary provided as well in case you want to mail it. I saved my attempt although it did have some misspellings. It gave me some new appreciation for spellcheck! I would definitely recommend a stop in Portland to anybody traveling near Maine. Fitting everything in during one day can be tight but it is definitley do-able!
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