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/ visitportland.com
Institute of Contemporary Art presents innovative
works by influential national and international artists.
On the first Friday of each month in Portland, and the third
Friday in Freeport, artists open their studios to the public
and you can take a self-guided tour. Follow the Maine Art
Museum Trail to experience a magnificent array of works
at the state’s seven leading art museums.
PERFORMANCE ARTS
Performance arts also energize the Greater Portland region
year-round. The summer skies are filled with concerts and
the Old Port comes to life at night with an eclectic mix of
live music in its pubs and concert halls. Portland has its
own symphony orchestra, choral arts society, professional
theater and dance troupes, even a repertory opera com-
pany. In Freeport, free outdoor concerts in Discovery Park
offer an exciting musical evening. Greater Portland is the
perfect combination of small-town intimacy with a heavy
dose of large metropolitan culture.
OUTDOOR RECREAT ION
Casco Bay’s flourishing arts scene is complemented by
an abundant variety of outdoor recreational pursuits
so accessible that you can kayak, bike, golf, or swim all
day and still have time to take in dinner and a show in
the evening. Within 10 minutes of downtown Portland
you can glide in a canoe through an Audubon estuary,
swim at a state beach, bird watch on a nature sanctuary,
and photograph Portland Head Light, the oldest lighthouse
in Maine. Hike a wooded trail through autumn foliage to
discover a hidden waterfall. Ice-skate in Deering Oaks Park
or cross-country ski alongside the ocean in winter. Every
season of the year offers its unique pleasures and Maine
is lucky to have seasons that each delights the senses.
CUISINE
Visitors are now coming to Maine from around the world
for its great food and fantastic restaurant scene, as much
as for the unspoiled landscape and beautiful scenery that
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