Portland is Maine's largest city and its cultural capital. The Old Port — a compact grid of brick buildings along the waterfront — is packed with restaurants, bars, and independent shops. The food scene here punches well above its weight for a city this size, with a focus on local seafood and farm-to-table cooking.
Beyond the Old Port, the Arts District downtown is home to the Portland Museum of Art, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, and the lavish Victoria Mansion. The working waterfront is still active with fishing boats and the Casco Bay ferries to the islands; the Eastern Promenade and the Portland Observatory on Munjoy Hill give the best view of the bay. South of the city, the postcard-perfect Portland Head Light stands on the cliffs of Cape Elizabeth.