At the base of the Old Port is Portland Harbor and the city's thriving working waterfront, a hodgepodge of condos, fish markets, and ferry docks, and a jumping-off spot for cruises to several of Casco Bay's hundreds of islands. Relaxing dinner, sunset, or whale-watching cruises are also popular, or for a more active experience, you can take a sail training or sport fishing cruise.
Like the rest of Portland, the Old Port is very walkable. Most of Portland's best attractions are within a ten-minute walk. The Portland Museum of Art, housing a permanent collection of paintings by Winslow Homer, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Picasso, and other masters, is only five blocks away. Next door is the Children's Museum of Maine. The State Theater and the Portland Performing Arts Center, offering concerts and other events, are in the same neighborhood.
Two blocks from the Old Port is the Cumberland Civic Center, Portland's entertainment complex, which is home to the Portland Pirates professional hockey team. Top name concerts, trade shows, and other events take place here on a regular basis. Concerts can also be enjoyed at the Portland Symphony Orchestra in Merrill Auditorium at beautiful Portland City Hall at the top of the Old Port.
One block west of the Old Port, on Danforth Street, is the Victoria Mansion, one of the best examples of Italianate architecture in the country. The mansion is open May 1st through October 31st and is well worth a visit. Famed poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's childhood home, with original furniture, decorative art, and fixtures, and beautifully restored gardens, is nearby at 489 Congress Street (open June through October, Tuesday through Sunday 10 - 4. Open the rest of the year by appointment).
Old Port Pubs and Clubs | Parking | Restrooms |Art Galleries | Clothing Boutiques | Gift Shops