Review of Portland Head Light: The most photographed lighthouse in Maine and the USA!

 

Portland Head Light, Maine

Our (my wife and myself’s) 2 months long stay in the beautiful state of Maine was coming to a close by the end of July.  By then, we had already seen famous attractions like Acadia National Park, Colby Museum of Art, as well as several waterfalls in the state, and we had ventured out to other places like Wolfeboro (New Hampshire), and to Quebec City (Canada), thanks to our rental’s proximity to both places.  

After coming back from our trip to Quebec City the previous week, we were hoping to visit one more place in Maine, to wrap up our very first trip to the “Pine Tree State”.  To that end, we decided to visit Portland near the southern coast along the Casco Bay, a city known as the center of economy, tourism, and growth in the region.

On one of the many Maine tourism brochures we picked up from one of the Maine welcome centers/information centers, Portland was named as one of the top destinations to visit in Maine.  Besides, we always love scenic cities by the coast, especially if it has a vibrant downtown and famous attractions nearby.

Portland has both in spades.  We were excited to visit the city, so we left on a sunny Saturday morning in late July for the city.  The drive would take us south for about 3 hours(!), as there are no main highways near where we were staying in northwest corner of Maine.  

Our first destination would be to eat some seafood at a restaurant in downtown.  We found one right on the waterfront and in the center of downtown, called Portland Lobster Company.

Portland Lobster Co.

Napkin holder at the Portland Lobster Co.

Before we can eat lunch at the restaurant however, we needed to first find parking.  We knew parking situation would be difficult, and we knew based on online reviews that some parking lots near the waterfront charges an arm and a leg to park.  Both assumptions were proven correct.

As we pulled onto the main thoroughfare, Commercial St., we saw that the place was packed with visitors and cars.  The street was packed with cars waiting for other cars to pull out of a spot, a scene familiar to us, from our time living in New York City.

We decided to park in one of the lots adjacent to the restaurant, hoping the city run parking app, Parking Passport, would be valid.  We asked a parking lot attendant, but it was not.  We then asked for the cost to park at that particular lot, and it was astronomical, at $40 per day!!!

We thanked the attendant, then pulled out of the lot, to try a different parking lot.  We went across the street to another lot, but we quickly found out that that one was also a private lot, costing $44(!!!) to park. Ouch…

We gave up on that lot as well, then headed out on Commercial St. yet again.  On our second pass along Commercial St., we hit the jackpot!  We found a spot, empty and inviting, for us to pull right in.  After parking, we paid via credit card for about an hour and a half.  That cost us a measly $3.75(!), much less than $40 or $44 in those private lots.  Tip:  Street parking is so much cheaper if you can find one.  If not, look for city run parking garages, and not private lots, to save serious amount of money.

We walked across the street to the restaurant, then ordered food from the order counter, including a haddock sandwich and a shrimp platter.  We found an empty, shaded picnic table towards the far end of the dock, and sat down, waiting for our lunch.

The restaurant was packed as well.  We saw plenty of families with little ones, enjoying a beautiful summer day in Maine, savoring local seafood, as well as couples sitting on barstools in the bar section.  The views weren’t bad either!

View from Portland Lobster Co.

We waited not more than 10 minutes before our food arrived.  We were really hungry after about a 3 hour drive (add another 15 min for parking), so we gulped our food.  We ate the food in less than 10 minutes.  I finished mine, but my wife decided to take leftovers home.  

I’m disappointed to report that my haddock sandwich wasn’t anything special.  I’ve had better ones elsewhere at Bar Harbor, Rangeley, and Kennebec River restaurants.  My wife’s shrimp platter was slightly better than average, but it certainly wasn’t anything to write home about.  It was a meal…

After finishing our meal, we headed out for Portland Head Light lighthouse, which was really the main reason for our visit to Portland.  Portland Head Light is Maine’s oldest lighthouse, and it is the most photographed lighthouse in Maine, as well as the United States.  Located in the town of Cape Elizabeth, the lighthouse has been in operation since 1791, and it is perhaps one of the most picturesque lighthouses in all of US.

From the restaurant, it took less than 15 minutes to get to the lighthouse.  We pulled into the parking area, and found a spot nearby.  We saw another parking meter system, so we paid $5 to park for 2 hours at the parking kiosk.  

As we walked on top of the old remaining fort, we saw why the lighthouse was so popular.  The views were breathtaking…

We walked along Fort Williams Park, drawn to the lighthouse as if we were hummingbirds drawn to the sweet nectar of a flower.  We moved ever closer and closer to the lighthouse with each footstep, mesmerized by the incredible and the indescribably beautiful views of the lighthouse and the coastline.  We understood why this place is the most popular lighthouse in the US!  

We walked closer to the lighthouse, checking out the unique rocky coastline surrounding it.  There were beautiful sailboats near the coast, enjoying a leisurely sail on a nice New England summer day.

Portland Head Light, Maine

The famous lighthouse!

Sailboat along the coast

One of the most unique things we noticed during our time up in Maine was how beautiful and fluffy the clouds looked.  It was not unlike our visit to Quebec City (first trip and our recent trip), where we noticed the same thing.  Maybe it’s the latitude.  They just seemed so low, low enough for us to actually touch it…

We decided to walk the Cliff Walk trail, which hugs the coastline and then to go down the rocky cliffs to encounter the ocean a bit closer.  It was just a perfect summer day, with views for miles out, and that unmistakable lighthouse.

Where we walked down, to see the ocean a bit closer

We sat on one of the huge boulders to experience the sound of waves breaking over the rocky coast, and of water mist spraying far up the rocks.  We saw tiny crabs busily moving from one rock to another, as if they’re humans late for work on a Monday morning.  We heard loud cackles and excited screams of people playing along the shore.  Like I said, a perfect New England summer day…

After about 10 minutes, we got off the rocky coastline, then headed back for the trail, so we can finish it.  The trail is nicely maintained and has plenty of benches to sit down on.  Many overlooks entice visitors to stop for a moment to immerse oneself to the scenery.  

We made it to the end of the trail, where the abandoned Fort Williams Bunker was.  We climbed the bunker, to see the ocean again.  On top of the bunker, the wind was howling, and it was blowing dust/sand everywhere.  We got down from the top of the bunker, to head back to our car.

Walking towards the Abandoned Fort Williams Bunker

Day was getting hot and humid.  By the time we made it back to the lighthouse, we were sweating.  We needed to cool off, and to our pleasant surprise, we found an ice cream truck/refreshment stand.  My wife ordered a lemon gelato and I ordered an iced coffee.  We were relieved!

We found a shaded staircase near the parking lot which we took full advantage of.  We sat down, cooling off, and enjoying some simple pleasures of life…We sat for good 10 minutes before deciding to head back home, to our AirBnB rental in Stratton, Maine.

In conclusion:

I’m glad the tourist brochure recommended Portland Head Light.  It was an absolutely incredible place, with majestic views.  Had we not visited this place during our two months long stay in Maine, we would’ve really, really regretted it.

We highly recommend this place when planning a trip to the state of Maine.  It is located right on the coast, near famous attractions/destinations like Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.  Be sure to try some local seafood, like a haddock sandwich, lobsters (of course!), and clams.  Eating delicious local foods is one of the best things about traveling, and it is no exception in Maine.

We thank you all for reading and happy trails!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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