Visitor's Guide 2018

What s in a Name ? Portland’s “Maine Street” is steps from the Old Port and connects that neighborhood to both the Arts District to the west, and Munjoy Hill to the east. Recognized as one of the “10 Greatest Streets in the Nation,” city settlers simply named it Back Street, as it was once furthest from the waterfront. In Colonial days it was renamed Queen Street. It was changed to Congress Street in 1823 in honor of Maine having representation in Washington, D.C. shortly after becoming a state. Most downtown sites are within a 15-minute walk from the street’s Monument Square epicenter, so nothing is ever very far away. 10

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FRANKLIN ST.

FRANKLIN ST.

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CONGRESS STREET

WASHINGTON AVE.

CONGRESS STREET

EASTERN PROM

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK

INDIA ST.

On Congress Street, every first Friday of the month year-round, galleries, local artist studios, and performance spaces throw open their doors welcoming everyone to enjoy the Arts. Portland Museum of Art is even open for free to the public 5-9pm, as it is every Friday evening!

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PORTLAND HARBOR

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FIRST PARISH CHURCH

CITY HALL Built in 1909, City Hall was designed by Carrere & Hastings, the firm that designed New York’s Public Library. The elegant building houses Portland’s city offices. See shows, concerts, ballets, and opera performances in Merrill Auditorium, a 1,900-seat venue added in 1912. Also home to the Kotzschmar pipe organ.

LINCOLN PARK The city’s first publicly

EASTERN PROM Known for beautiful views, the Eastern Promenade is a grassy bluff defining the waterfront on Portland’s East End. Ideal for soaking in a sunrise, splashing at the beach with your dog, enjoying a free sunset concert on Thursdays, or just a breathtaking walk or run, this harborfront park sits on the east end of Congress Street.

EASTERN CEMETERY Established in 1668, this landmark is Portland’s oldest cemetery. Over 3,500 known graves–and 200 unknown–mark the resting places of Portlanders as far back as the colonial-era. Tours are arranged through Spirits Alive and especially fun around Halloween. Learn the tale of captains Blythe and Burrows, then toast them at their namesake bar in the Old Port.

PORTLAND OBSERVATORY

owned green space, it was purchased after the Great Fire of 1866 to serve as a firebreak and named after the recently slain President. The pocket park’s charming

View a nautical skyline from the last standing maritime signal tower in North America. The 86-foot tall lookout was built by Captain Lemuel Moody in 1807 to alert ship owners when their cargo arrived in port. It survived the Great Fire of 1866 because of the heroic efforts of those pouring water down the sides throughout the inferno.

The Unitarian-Universalist granite church was built in 1825. It memorialized a British cannonball from a Revolutionary War attack in its center chandelier, and the Wadsworth-Longfellow family pew still bears their name.

fountain and original design elements are a

lovely oasis for the majestic marble courthouses along its east side.

PHOTOS: (10-11) ROBERT WITKOWSKI; (12-14) COREY TEMPLETON; (15) EMILY DUDEK

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