Visitor's Guide 2022-2023

COLD COMFORT As the weather gets cooler, Greater Portland warms up to the quieter season’s many delights. A s soon as the last leaves fall and the first frost glistens across windows, Maine’s largest metro area heats up with performing arts, award-winning cuisine, professional ice hockey, engaging exhibitions, and exhilarating winter festivals. And Portland offers great culture at a fraction of the cost found in other major cities. With our small-scale accessibility, visitors from other cities will be surprised at how much they can see and do over the course of a weekend in Greater Portland…then elated to discover spending far less! Portland Symphony Orchestra’s concert series, the Magic of Christmas, anchors a season of classical and pop music held in Merrill Auditorium, Portland’s grand 1912 concert hall. The historic Kotzschmar Organ, one of the most celebrated pipe organs in the world, is the crown jewel in the city’s auditorium where Portland Ovations brings Broadway shows and national headliners to the stage. Portland Ballet, Maine State Ballet, and Portland Stage present professional dance and theater performances throughout the winter season, at prices well below those in other cities. Go to town with dinner at a James Beard award winning restaurant followed by a show or live music at the Art Deco-style State Theatre or an intimate nightclub. From Portland to Freeport, Gorham to Boothbay, festive lights and outdoor fun are everywhere. The spectacular “Gardens Aglow” at Boothbay’s Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens wows with 650,000 LED bulbs—that’s nearly 60 miles of lights! Freeport’s “Sparkle” weekend and Portland’s nautical “Parade of Lights” on Casco Bay also ensure revelers get out and about. Traditional outdoor winter activities like ice-skating, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling can all be found right in Greater Portland while some of the best skiing in the East is a nearby day trip or overnight excursion. And outdoor ice-bars and fire-pits really let you cozy up to winter.

World-class arts and entertainment, fabulous food, sparkling snowscapes—for a surprisingly good getaway, let us show you how we do winter!

PHOTOS: TOP ACROSS BOTH PAGES, COREY TEMPLETON ; BOTTOM, CAPSHORE PHOTOGRAPHY

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