2024 Event Planner's Guide

GO CAR FREE It’s easy to explore Greater Portland without a car. Trolleys offer narrated tours, and boats are lined up along Commercial Street ready to take you out on the bay. You can get between the Portland Transportation Center (train and bus), the Portland Jetport, The Maine Mall, and up to Freeport on the METRO bus, and the Amtrak Downeaster gets you north to Freeport and Brunswick and south to Old Orchard Beach, Saco, and Wells without the hassle of driving and parking. Several tour companies will customize an itinerary for a half to several days and take you where you most want to go. So don’t hesitate to extend your visit if you arrive without a car—Maine awaits.

STAY ONE MORE DAY Just off the coast of Portland, several Islands await your discovery. Hop a Casco Bay Lines ferry for an overnight stay on Peaks, Chebeague, or Great Diamond and enjoy the serenity of island life for a spell. As you relax in Adirondack chairs, you’ll find it hard to believe you’re only 30 minutes to an hour away from Maine’s largest city.

“Our delegates enjoyed Portland and all it has to offer! Many of them took the opportunity to stay longer and experience the wide range of adventures available in the mountains and on the trails, rivers and lakes beyond the city boundaries.” — Russell Walters, Adventure Travel Trade Assocation

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Amy Tolk; Alan LaValle; Tim Greeway; Capshore Photography/The Wanderer Cottages

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