A Guide to Free Activities in Portland, Maine
(Last updated: February 2024) Portland, Maine has so many options for eating, drinking, and shopping. But what if you’re looking for activities that don’t involve spending money or adding to your caloric intake? This post is just the resource you need!
When deciding what to feature in Maine’s largest city, I did some online searching. To my surprise, I discovered that most of the guides to Portland include places OUTSIDE of Portland. Not so with what you’re about to read. All of these locations are within the city limits. Best of all, you can enjoy each of these activities free of charge (aside from parking fees, if applicable). The information is written by a Mainer (that’s me). The photos are not stock images, but taken by me in my adventures around the city.
Whether you’re a local, or from “away,” here are some suggestions for enjoying Portland without spending a fortune…
TAKE A STROLL, OR A CLIMB, THROUGH A PARK
With over sixty parks and playgrounds, you have options! There are parks with beautiful views. Parks on the water’s edge. Parks in the woods. Parks that include rigorous hikes. Parks that welcome dogs.
All of them are fee-free. So check out the Portland Park website and take your pick.
Riverton Trolley Park
Along the Eastern Promenade Trail
WALK THE FREEDOM TRAIL
Take a self-guided tour of the Underground Railroad and abolitionist movement in Portland. Markers are set up with snippets of this important history.
The map with each of the sites is available here.
The beginning point can be located on Commercial Street at the entrance to the Maine State Pier.
OBSERVE THE WATERFRONT
Take a stroll down one of the piers. Portland Harbor is a busy place with many fascinating activities to watch. You may find a massive cruise ship has docked or a local fisherman is bringing in the day’s catch. It’s often a wonderful combination of our tourism and fishing industries.
VISIT THE BERLIN WALL (in part)
Pieces of the Berlin Wall which separated East and West Germany for almost 30 years are on display around the world — in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and beyond. Many local Mainers are unaware that Portland has several slabs of the wall on display. Go to 170 Commercial Street and start walking down the pier toward the Cushings Island Ferry. You’ll find this piece of history a few steps up on your left.
WALK DOWN A COBBLESTONE STREET
The following streets in the city’s Old Port district are made of actual cobblestones:
Fore Street (between Market & Pearl)
Silver St (between Fore & Commercial)
Moulton Street
Dana Street
Milk Street
Wharf Street
Watch your step, but enjoy the cobblestones.
VISIT A MUSEUM
If you are a lover of art and/or history, Portland has numerous such places that you can enjoy free of charge. Here are a couple of options:
The Osher Map Library is located on the first floor of the Glickman Library at the University of Southern Maine. Among many gems, they have a rare globe collection — the second largest of its kind in an American public institution. The reference room is full of map-related treasures, and new creative exhibits are regularly on display.
The Portland Museum of Art on Congress Street has an admission fee, but it’s waived on Fridays evenings from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. You can easily spend hours here as the museum has four floors of stunning and unique collections.
Portland Museum of Art
If you have a free-of-charge location you enjoy in Portland, send along a message with the details. I’d love to read about it.
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University of New England, Portland Campus
