16. Portland Schooner Company
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 766-2500, 87-SCHOONER
Description: The Portland Schooner Company runs public and private charter trips on its 72-foot wooden schooner, the Bagheera, and its 88-foot schooner, Wendameen. Both were designed in the early 20th century by renowned yacht designer John Alden. The Bagheera features an interior that has been meticulously maintained since the ship was launched in 1924, and the Wendameen is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Portland Schooner’s tours of Casco Bay are perfect for passengers of all ages. Most tours last two hours; the crew encourage you to bring a bagged lunch. Wine and beer are also allowed on the ship. The cost is $35 for adults, $15 for children. Be sure to check out the daily sunset cruise, which costs $40 per person.
17. School Of Ocean Sailing
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 321-9249
Description: This school teaches offshore ocean sailing and navigation through a series of live-aboard trips from Portland up the coast to Canada during the summer and off the coast of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands during the winter. Classes are conducted on the Samana, a 52-foot steel sailing ketch. Several courses are offered for both the beginner and advanced sailor. Courses cost between $1,600 and $2,200 per student and run for roughly a week. The instructors are often on the water and away from the phone, so e-mail via the Web site is the preferred method of inquiry.
18. Baxter Woods Park
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: Given to the city by former governor Percival Baxter and maintained by the Portland Parks and Recreation Department, Baxter Woods is a nature reserve and bird sanctuary that sprawls over 30 acres of forest. Percival Baxter decreed that the land would forever remain a public park. Here, you can meander amid towering oak and pine trees that, sadly, are rarely seen these days elsewhere on the peninsula. You’ll find wide hiking trails as well as an off-leash area for dogs and a pond with beautiful lily pads blooming in the warmer months. Most people park on the street on Stevens Avenue or Forest Avenue, but there is also a small parking lot at the end of Percival Road right off Stevens Avenue.
19. Deering Oaks
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: Deering Oaks is Portland’s largest and most visited park. Sprawling over roughly 55 acres, this park was designed more than a century ago by the same man who created New York City’s famous Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted. Deering Oaks is home to tennis and basketball courts, a sand volleyball court, a baseball diamond, a duck pond for paddle boating during the summer and ice-skating during the winter, and a playground. There’s also a new man-made spring for wading during the hotter months. Deering Oaks is the perfect spot for a romantic stroll, a picnic, or a game of Frisbee with the family. Parking is available in a small lot off Deering Avenue as well as on-street.
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
23. Casco Bay Sports
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 221-0203
Address: 51 Alton Street
Description: Casco Bay Sports, a sports event management company, was founded in 2007 and sponsors a handful of co-ed, competitive team sports, including dodgeball, basketball, and flag football. The league also organizes regular happy hour meet-ups for members and special events, such as rock climbing trips.
24. Port Sports Social Club
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 541-9109
Address: 159 Grant Street, Apt. 5
Description: As its name suggests, Port Sports Social Club is as much a social outlet as it is a sporty enterprise. Port Sports runs a handful of co-ed, intramural sports year-round with an emphasis on fun rather than competition. Activities include kick ball, ultimate Frisbee, and tennis, as well as special events like whitewater rafting and capture the flag. Port Sports also maintains an active Web site where members can interact and plan their own sports leagues and events. After each game, Port Sporters meet in an area bar for some all-important mingling. Membership fees range from around $35 to $50, depending on the season.
25. Portland Velo Club
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: The largest cycling club in the state, Portland Velo Club runs races around New England for road, mountain, and cyclocross cyclists. During the summer season, the club sponsors five local rides a week, in addition to its races. The club includes junior, women’s, master’s, and elite teams.
26. Community Cycling Club Of Portland (207) 773-6906
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: CCCP, as it’s known to Portlanders, is an accessible, fun cycling group that also offers fast rides for more advanced cyclists. Operated out of the Back Bay Cycle shop in Portland, CCCP was founded in 1992 and today sponsors several rides a week categorized by speed, including one exclusively for women riders. Organizers are happy to teach newbies the ways of the road, and experienced cyclists can stay busy with fast night or day rides. Membership costs $20 per year.
27. Skillful Billiards And Barstools
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 775-3000, (800) 662-4500
Description: Skillful Billiards and Barstools has provided homes and businesses with all things billiard since 1978. Located in the Bayside neighborhood of Portland, the store features a variety of pool tables and supplies; other games, such as foosball, darts, pinball, and air hockey; and every accessory imaginable for your home game room or business. Skillful Billiards is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
28. The Portland Pirates
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 775-3458 (tickets)
Address: 531 Congress Street
Description: The Portland Pirates, the local hockey team, are based at the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland. The Pirates were founded in the early 1990s and replaced the previous amateur hockey team, the Maine Mariners. The Pirates belong to the American Hockey League and are the minor league affiliates of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. They play home games nearly every week during the winter. If you enjoy fast-paced action with tons of cheering and yelling for blood from the audience, the Pirates’ games are the place to be. Tickets range in price from $6.00 to $19.50 for adults, depending on the location of the seats. Season tickets are also available.
29. East End Beach
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: Eastern Promenade
Description: This small beach is the city’s only public strand, and it’s located—you guessed it—on the eastern edge of the Portland Peninsula underneath the Eastern Prom. On the rocky side, it affords a spectacular gander at the myriad delights of Casco Bay—forts, islands, lighthouses, and boats galore. Trails connect with the fine network laid out by Portland Trails, and there is a boat launching area for getting out onto the bay. Changing areas and restrooms are available.
30. Bayview Cruises
City: Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 761-0496
Address: 184 Commercial St.
Description: Seal cruises, harbor lunch cruises, lighthouse cruises, sunset cruises, even “attitude adjustment” cruises—BayView Cruises of Portland offers them all on a daily basis, June through September. The tours vary in length from an hour to two hours, but they all take you out onto the waters of Casco Bay, giving you a look at Portland Harbor and all its boats, forts, and nearby islands. You can also charter the 117-foot sightseeing vessel if you need more time than that and want to bring along 89 friends. Look into the lobster bake option, which can be added to any of these trips at a moment’s notice.