Heading there at the end of October. Just me and my wife. Looking for things to do around there. Might go to Acadia national park one day. Also interested in a light house tour. Any other recommendations?

aggiegolf86 said:

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Heading there at the end of October. Just me and my wife. Looking for things to do around there. Might go to Acadia national park one day. Also interested in a light house tour. Any other recommendations?

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Acadia is a haul from Portland. I would not plan to do it as a day trip. Better to stay somewhere up there for at least a night and explore some more.

following. i'm headed there in June.

Eventide is delicious. A few other spots we loved were Street & Co, Crispy Gai, and Blyth & Burrows for cocktails.

If you are a beer guy, Maine Beer is just 20 minutes or so outside of town

Was there October 22-28 in 2022 - you're going to get a lot of "Why are you here at this time?" Types of looks and questions - you're going right at the tail end of the season. There might even be some places shuttered down for the winter.

• Maine Beer Company - really good food and tasty beverages
• Coastal Maine Botanical (https://www.mainegardens.org/)
• Camden - really cute town you can shop and peruse through downtown
• Maine Booch (just looked it up - now closed)
• Visited Portland Head light, Owl's Head, and Rockland lighthouses. Didn't get to 'tour' them and get inside, per say - but got some great shots

I have a pretty good list of what I like doing there (eating). I got married there in 2019 and outside of 2020 I've been at least once a year since 2010. If you share your email I can forward my most recent iteration.

Already been said, but Acadia is too far for a day trip. Miles in Maine are not like interstate miles in Texas. Takes a long time to get places.

But, Portland is an amazing food and beer city. Eventide, Bite into Maine food truck, Central Provisions, Chavel, Scales, Fore St, Street and Co, Papi, all great. Every brewery I have been to there has been worth the time. Great town.

We went in January 2023 and loved being there in the off season.

There have been a lot of great suggestions so far. I cleaned up my list from a few years ago to reflect my last trip. I'm sure there are more things I've left off.

Good things to visit:

• Portland Headlight at Fort Williams Park is a good spot to have lunch and explore. There are usually food trucks in the summer or you can pack your own.
• Take the ferry to Peaks Island and rent a bike to ride around. Then get an overpriced lobster roll overlooking Casco Bay.
• Quick hike around Mackworth Island.
• Check out Higgins Beach. It's the most popular surf break in the area and a nice sandy beach. Other options are Ferry Beach, Pine Point and Scarborough Beach but Higgins is closest to Portland.
• Outlet Beach at Sabathday Pond. Can rent canoes and kayaks. Amazing homemade ice cream from Bresca and The Honey Bee. Very unique flavors. They owner has been James Beard nominated for her bakery.
• Babb's Bridge is a covered bridge in near Windham.
• Lighthouses - there are several accessible lighthouses near Portland.

Breakfast:

• Holy Donut Potato donuts. I recommend chocolate sea salt but you should get a half dozen and try more flavors.
• Tandem Bakery Best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had. Amazing breakfast sandwich. Nothing bad here. I suggest a sampler.
• Scratch Bakery has the best bagel, cinnamon roll and lots of treats. I like the short bread cookies, also. It's in South Portland.
• Forage good bagels and bagel sandwiches but I haven't been going recently because the staff is not super helpful.
• Bread and Friends - haven't been but my local friends say good things.

Lunch:

• I'd hit Eventide for lunch. Start early because during peak tourist season the line is long. Best drink there is the walking dead. The lobster roll is unlike any other. Everything is good. Don't skip on the tuna crudo. It's one of the best items on the menu. Eat oysters. I always try something from the specials because they're unique and always great. Ice cream sandwich is very good desert.
• The Shop oyster centric restaurant. There wasn't much on the menu other than oysters and I thought they had good quality fresh stuff when I went. Lower price for the same stuff as Eventide and much easier to get in the door.
• Amato's on India Street. Order to go. Italian sandwich extra pickle. Take it over to the Eastern Prom and have a picnic. This is a Maine staple.
• Otto's pizza for a quick meal.
• Cape Elizabeth to get a lobster roll at the Lobster Shack and enjoy the light houses and view. (could be seasonally closed)
• Maine Beer Co - Pizzas are awesome there.

Coffee:

• Bard Coffee order the dirty chai latte.
• Tandem Coffee
• Coffee By Design

Dinner:

• The Garrison - This restaurant is in Falmouth, ME just north of Portland. We went last summer and it was one of the best meals I've ever had in Maine. I'm hesitant to make a recommendation here because I don't want it to become difficult to get in the door.
• Street & Co is one of my favorite places to eat. Scallops in Pernod are my favorite item. Alternatives are Fore Street and Scales. All by the same chef.
• Via Vecchia upscale italian. Very nice setting and good cocktails.
• Honey Paw Asian fusion by the guys that did Eventide.
• Pai Men Miyake for something a little different.
• Cong tu Bot vietnamese/thai place. I thought it was delicious but around 4 am my intestines disagreed. It was very hot. Ownership is wishy washy about hours
• Local 188 - great risotto. Sit at the chef's bar.

Other notable mentions:

• Willard's Scoops - hands down the best ice cream I've ever had. My favorite is coffee Oreo. (South Portland)
• Front Room for brunch
• Becky's Diner for breakfast. Get the grilled muffin.
• Standard Bakery for snacks. They supply bread to all the Street restaurants.
• Big Sky Bread Company for snacks/sandwiches/bread.

Touristy or dive:

• DiMillo's - expensive and not great.
• The Porthole
• J's Oyster - Dive but fun for a stiff cocktail and oysters.

Drinks:

• Maine Beer Co Falmouth, ME Dinner IPA is great
• Freeport is now becoming a big craft beer hub so you can hit several breweries there now within a mile of each other.
• Blythe & Burrows makes a fantastic cocktail
• Papi also great cocktails
• Crispy Gai - great cocktails in addition to a really good dinner menu.
• Hunt & Alpine is great.
• LFK is great
• Bramhall is very cool. Basement bar. New ownership now since I've last been.
• Novare Res is beer only and will have lots of selection.

Streetfighter 02 said:

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I have a pretty good list of what I like doing there (eating). I got married there in 2019 and outside of 2020 I've been at least once a year since 2010. If you share your email I can forward my most recent iteration.

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aggie golfer 09 @yahoo. com

I shot you an email. Something to keep in mind when you travel outside the summer months is the small towns have many seasonal restaurants and shops so check ahead that they'll be open. This is less of an issue in Portland.

Streetfighter 02 said:

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I shot you an email. Something to keep in mind when you travel outside the summer months is the small towns have many seasonal restaurants and shops so check ahead that they'll be open. This is less of an issue in Portland.

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didnt get anything. make sure you take the spaces out of my post with my email

I'd like the itinerary as well. Usernamewithout "."@icloud.com

I'd like to also find the best whale watching tour and time to visit.

I pretty much posted my recommendations above. My email would be similar. If y'all want other insights just post here. There are always new restaurants popping up and I generally find out about them via social media but also through friends that live in Portland and surrounding areas.

Another spot that I thought was good but maybe overpriced was https://www.wanderatlongwoods.com/. Our plan was to sit outside and have pizzas but there was a rainstorm and they closed the patio. We sat inside and had the regular menu. It's a really nice setting.

I've done a few hikes that are within 1.5 hrs from Portland. Never taken the time to go to Acadia. I've gone backpacking in Baxter State Park twice. I really do recommend the hike up to the summit of Katahdin.

jh0400 said:

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Get a reservation for dinner at Eventide. Their take on a lobster roll will ruin traditional ones for you forever.

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Eventide is first come first serve but you can be on a waitlist and wander around nearby.

Eventide is on Resy.

https://resy.com/cities/portland-me/venues/eventide-oyster-co?date=2024-05-01&seats=2

Wild. I had not seen that before and they used to be strictly first come first serve. Good to know you don't have to get there when they open to get lunch before 3 pm.