It’s a 2 hour drive from where I live to the city of Portland. I was waiting until fall to explore because I wanted to see all of the lovely foliage and the drive down did not disappoint!🍁 It’s so pretty this time of year! I started my visit at The Head Light light house and then explored the Old Port along the water front. I also joined a food tour and got to eat lost of fresh seafood! 🦞

The Light House

The Portland Head Light was built at the directive of George Washington in 1791 and is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. It sits at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Whale oil lamps were originally used for illumination and it became automated in 1989.

There is a whole park associated with the light house, complete with pretty walking trails along the coast, a small beach with picnic tables and benches, and several food trucks featuring lobster rolls.

Old Town Portland

The Old Port in downtown Portland is a quaint historic district with cobblestone streets and brick buildings with shops, restaurants and bars. It was really fun to walk through the stores along the waterfront and see the lobster boats docked along the wharf. I used some hotel points to stay in a place right in down town!

On the food tour, we were told that some of the cobblestone walks were created with stones from Europe, which were placed in the base of British ships to help stabilized them in rough ocean waters. When settlers arrived via those ships, they would then use the stones to make roads in their new town!

Husker Bar!

Having gotten my bachelors degree from the University of Nebraska, I know the pride that it’s alums and natives have for their football team. Walking around down town Portland, I was surprised to see a Husker sign featured prominently in a pub window! I stepped inside to see more Husker gear and then later, looked it up and yay, the owner is from Nebraska! If you’re a ‘Sker, check out the Commercial St. Pub in Portland for some Nebraska love.

Food Tour! 🐠

On my last day in Portland I took a neat food tour through the Old Port. We started with delicious Maine blueberry bars and then walked to a restaurant on the wharf for fresh clam chowder. We got to sample several tasty beers, try fresh fish tacos, a yummy lobster roll, and then finished with decadent chocolate truffles. It was neat hearing about the history of downtown Portland while also eating delicious local dishes.

My travel adventures are definitely much more spread out now that I am back to working full time! 😂But I’m grateful to be in an area where there are so may fun destinations within driving distance. Hopefully more to come! Happy Fall everyone! ☀️