Visitor's Guide 2023-2024

TO-DO LIST Maine’s largest metro area serves up the classic coast— lighthouses, lobsters, and surf crashing on the rocky shore—plus a vibrant arts scene, gourmet cuisine, and fabulous shopping and out door recreation. Here are our top recommendations for what to do on your visit.

UNCOVER THE PAST

Portland, with a consistent attention to landmark preservation, has kept a down-to earth charm and wears its history openly. Five centuries of historical impact have shaped Portland and its surrounding towns into a vibrant destination with deep-planted roots, from the Colonial-era through the wealth and opulence of the industrial age. Museum homes and maritime museums chronicle the emergence of the region from a trading and fishing settlement into one of the nation’s most active seaports. And despite the competing interests of non-marine-related development, Portland has kept its working waterfront a functioning port that welcomes visitors to witness one of the integral and thriving parts of the local economy. (More on pages 22–24 .)

PHOTOS, FROM LEFT: CORY TEMPLETON; DREW FORTIN

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