Cruise Diva Goes Ashore in Canada &
New England: the Northeast Passage
Sights to see & things to do
Portland, Maine
Quaint and brimming with Currier & Ives picture postcard charm, Portland is the cultural and commercial center of the state of Maine. Also the state’s largest city, Portland is the birthplace of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Diversions
Put on your walking shoes and head for the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Information Center at 305 Commercial Street, facing the harbor. A walking tour of downtown and the waterfront is the ideal way to discover the city’s rich architectural landmarks. An 1866 fire destroyed nearly all the downtown area and it was rebuilt in the beautiful (and fireproof) red brick you’ll see today. Of special interest are City Hall, the Customs House, Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Victoria Mansion, the Portland Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the Maine History Gallery, and the Maine Historical Society Library.
Guided tours and shore excursions are available to explore Portland and usually include a trip to Cape Elizabeth with a stop at Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in North America.
Forty-five minutes south of Portland is the coastal village of Kennebunkport. Federal and Victorian mansions built by wealthy sea captains in the 1700s and 1800s dot the approach to Kennebunkport, where the town square is a picturesque slice of Americana. One of the highlights of this classic fishing village is Walker’s Point, site of the summer home of former United States President George Herbert Walker Bush.
Shopping
The quaint Old Port district offers everything from furniture, crafts, and fashion items to marine supplies, gourmet cookware, and antiques in restored storefronts. Scattered among the shops located on Commercial Street and nearby Exchange Street are restaurants and pubs where you can enjoy the freshest local seafood and a local microbrew or latte.
Shop-a-holics recognize Freeport (twenty miles north of Portland) as a shopping Mecca and the home of L.L. Bean. This delightful town is Maine’s retail and factory outlet headquarters, boasting goods from London Fog, Benneton, Mikasa, Big Dog, GAP, Calvin Klein, Corbin, Donna Karan, J. Crew, Nautica, Polo, Ralph Lauren, Laura Ashley, Dansk, Cole-Haan (home store), and many many more. Rent a car to get there and shop ‘til you drop on Main Street.
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