Why Cruise Here

Portland, Maine, is all About Lobster…

It’s hard to imagine this crustacean was once deemed poor man’s food, but it’s true — lobsters would wash up on Portland’s shores after a storm and be used primarily as fertilizer and bait. But with the advent of land transportation, lobsters were brought inland by the mid-1800’s, and as the demand for lobsters increased so did the price. Today, the city boasts numerous restaurants — all of which feature lobster (in some form) on their menus.

Or is it?

But Portland has more to offer than a bunch of crustaceans. The coastal New England port boasts a vibrant working waterfront, an abundance of Victorian-era architecture and numerous historic lighthouses. Nestled on a picturesque seascape, the city is perched on a peninsula jutting out into the island-studded Casco Bay, protected from the Atlantic Ocean. The romantic movie “Message in a Bottle” was filmed in this seaside town and even the famous Portland-born poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called Portland a “Jewel by the Sea” in one of his poems. The city welcomes close to 50,000 cruise ship passengers annually.

The historic port was once a major shipbuilding center, as well as one of the busiest fishing ports on the Atlantic as far back as the 18th century. Its success as a port made it a prime target for the British during the War of 1812 and also for the Confederates during the Civil War. The coastline and islands are still dotted with forts that were built to protect the city. Ironically, during an Independence Day celebration in 1866, a firecracker ignited a fire that quickly spread across the city’s east end, destroying 1,800 buildings.

The city quickly rebuilt, resulting in lovely Victorian-era architecture, and today the Old Port (sometimes referred to as the Old Port Exchange) is a bustling seaport with a high concentration of quality eating and drinking establishments. With less than 65,000 residents, Portland is compact enough for visitors to explore the town thoroughly — tourists can stroll along the working waterfront of Commercial Street, walk the cobblestone streets of the restored Old Port district, or visit a historic building or two.

What will you remember most from a visit to Portland?

Will it be the lobster traps piled on the wharf, the smell of sea air combined with the chatter of seagulls or a visit to a historic attraction? If you’re like the majority of visitors, a succulent lobster lunch may be your most savory memory of this New England port.