6 hours in Portland, Maine

As a Boston native, I take pride in being from the region of New England. Although recently it's come to my attention that I haven't done much exploring outside of Massachusetts. After reading a New York Times article titled "36 hours in Portland, Maine", I thought I'd better make use of these summer weekends to take a day trip. Hence my 6 hours in Portland, Maine.

Peaks Island

My first stop in the city was to Casco Bay Line's Ferry Terminal to catch the noon ferry from Portland to Peaks Island. Only a 20 minute ride across Casco Bay brings you to the quaint island, full of charming New England style homes, and scenic views.

Peaks Island ferry doc

The ferry will bring you to the eastern side of the island, just off of Island Ave. Following the road south will bring you to Il Leone, an outdoor pizza garden nestled in the woods. There you'll find hand-made, wood-fired pizzas with picnic area seating. The pizza's are made fresh to order in an 800° Italian wood oven, with doughs leavened from sourdough starter rather than traditional yeast. Many visitors make this their first stop when they arrive on the island, which can lead to some hefty wait-times. I recommend timing your visit around the ferry schedule and avoiding the lunch rush.

Il Leone

To the north of the ferry terminal, you'll find The Umbrella Cover Museum! A small museum where you can "celebrate the mundane" and view umbrella sleeves from over 71 different nations. If you're lucky, you'll get to meet the Director, and Curator Nancy 3. Hoffman and her trusty accordion.

Across the street from The Umbrella Cover Museum was the last stop on our venture to Peaks Island, Baba's Cafe. Inside of the cape-house-turned-cafe, the welcoming staff dish out fresh pastries, paninis, and coffee. You'll feel right at home in their dining area, which used to serve as a living room. There are plenty of games, and chess boards to play with as you enjoy your treats, and the view from the porch is quite breathtaking.

view from baba's cafe

Downtown Portland

Back on the mainland, you'll find a plethora of shops and boutiques. You could fill your time browsing local bookstores, or window shopping in the Old Port. If you'd like to fully immerse yourself in Maine culture, I recommend stopping by Print: a Bookstore and browsing their collections. They have dedicated shelves to highlight stories by local authors and ones that take place in the surrounding areas.

My personal favorite stop was at Zane, a woman-owned fashion boutique, where you are greeted by a friendly dog named Remy.

Lobster Rolls

Portland is known for it's world-famous lobster rolls, so it wouldn't be a complete trip without trying one! For fresh lobster on the water, look no further than Luke's Lobster. Though they have locations from San Francisco to Singapore, Luke's began as a family-owned lobster shack by third-generation lobsterman Luke Holden. The Portland location is located at the end of the Portland Pier, and has unbeatable views of Casco Bay.

dockside dining area at Luke's

With so many lobster roll variations to choose from, Luke's has graciously added a lobster roll flight to their menu. Included on the flight are their 3 most popular rolls: the lemon butter roll, truffle roll, and hot honey roll. All of which come on generously buttered and toasted hot dog buns.

The standout roll was the truffle roll, the flavor of the truffle paired nicely with fresh lobster and buttered bun. If you only get one lobster roll in Portland, make it this one.

Luke's lobster roll flight (left: lemon butter roll, middle: truffle butter roll, right: hot honey roll