2014 Visitor's Guide

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OUTDOOR RECREAT ION Casco Bay’s flourishing arts scene is complemented by an abundant variety of outdoor recreational pursuits so accessible that you can kayak, bike, golf, or swim all day and still have time to take in dinner and a show in the evening. Within 10 minutes of downtown Portland you can glide in a canoe through an Audubon estuary, swim at a state beach, bird watch on a nature sanctuary, and photograph Portland Head Light, the oldest lighthouse in Maine. Hike a wooded trail through autumn foliage to discover a hidden waterfall. Ice-skate in Deering Oaks Park or cross-country ski alongside the ocean in winter. Every season of the year offers its unique pleasures and Maine is lucky to have seasons that each delights the senses. CUISINE Visitors are now coming to Maine from around the world for its great food and fantastic restaurant scene, as much as for the unspoiled landscape and beautiful scenery that

Institute of Contemporary Art presents innovative works by influential national and international artists. On the first Friday of each month in Portland, and the third Friday in Freeport, artists open their studios to the public and you can take a self-guided tour. Follow the Maine Art Museum Trail to experience a magnificent array of works at the state’s seven leading art museums. PERFORMANCE ARTS Performance arts also energize the Greater Portland region year-round. The summer skies are filled with concerts and the Old Port comes to life at night with an eclectic mix of live music in its pubs and concert halls. Portland has its own symphony orchestra, choral arts society, professional theater and dance troupes, even a repertory opera com- pany. In Freeport, free outdoor concerts in Discovery Park offer an exciting musical evening. Greater Portland is the perfect combination of small-town intimacy with a heavy dose of large metropolitan culture.

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