From a Texan’s point of view, when visiting Portland Maine in May, you’re going to want to bring along an umbrella, a sweater, an empty stomach, and good walking shoes. Read on my friends!
My husband and I flew to Boston, received a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport to drive for our road trip to Portland. The minute we got on the highway, I felt as though we were going back in time. Going back into Fall, that is. The trees still had their beautiful fall colors. In Texas, spring has already sprung. Not a bad thing at all, just a little surprising to me because I hadn’t been to Maine in May before. We knew we were going to have some cold weather and enjoyed the drive and the scenery.
So, I went to Portland for the WITS19 Conference, and my husband went along to do some sightseeing and to eat good food! We were there for six incredible days.
If visiting Portland Maine in May you’re going to want to back a few things.
You know the month of May is unpredictable – it’s the month that’s so hard to plan for, no matter where you go. In some parts of the U.S., it’s the month of the year that seems to be the time when winter is over, and spring hasn’t started to show. I have visited some states where all winter sports are closed, and spring/summer sports & adventures hadn’t begun yet. However, when visiting Portland Maine in May, you can rest assured everything is operating. The weather might not be ideal, but there is undoubtedly a lot going on.
From what we saw, all the restaurants were operating and packed with locals & travelers. The hotels were thriving with guests, bus tours were abundant, and people were walking around town everywhere.
The hotel we stayed at (AC Hotel of Marriott) had a happy hour each day, and it seemed as though not only guests were indulging, but also locals. It’s one of Portland’s newest hotels with large windows facing the seaside where everyone looking in could see what was going on. It’s a gorgeous hotel, and I’m just sorry I didn’t get a photo of it.
Driving around Portland Maine
If driving to Portland, I hope you know how to parallel park. We didn’t particularly like that, because neither of us is good at parallel parking. We pretty much walked everywhere or had the hotel shuttle drive us to nearby places. There’s not a lot of free parking either. We also took advantage of the hotel’s valet parking for $28 a day, where we could come and go as we pleased. In some areas, you can park free AFTER 6 pm; however, you have to move your vehicle before 8 am the next day, or you will get ticketed. FYI.
Restaurants in Portland Maine
I mentioned above that Portland is known for its good food and excellent restaurants. Tracy and I visited many, including Duckfat, Hot Suppa for breakfast, Old Port Sea Grill, J’s Oyster Bar, but Scales stood out for both of us. The halibut and haddock were excellent, the service was awesome, and the view was spectacular. Scales is an upscale restaurant that our hotel recommended. So now, I recommend you go there when visiting Portland, whether it’s in May or not.
Things to do in Portland Maine
Besides what I’ve already mentioned above, one of the things we did was visit one of Portland’s parks. This park was right beside the beach. Now, remember, we are from North Texas, where there are no beaches. My favorite thing to watch was dogs and their owners having fun on the beach throwing sticks out in the water for the dogs to fetch. Everywhere you walked, there were owners with their dogs – big and small, but mostly big dogs.
If you visit there, tune into PortlandOldPort for all the latest news and activities going on in the city. They are up-to-date with all the fun stuff!
Wine & Beer Tours in Portland, ME
There are all kinds of tours offered here, such as food tours, wine tours, brewery tours, house tours, and more. While attending the WITS19 Conference, I was lucky enough to score a free bus tour on the Maine Brew Bus, where we visited a brewery, winery, and distillery. The Rising Tide Brewery has some homemade killer beers. Cellardoor Winery had the most precious room with pink couches, chairs, flowers, and beautiful chandeliers (my favorite), where we sampled some of their best wines. Stroudwater Distillery had some great spirits to taste and gave us a sample of their freshly made coffee liqueur.
Depending on what you’re going there for, visiting Portland Maine in May may not be the ideal time, but rest assured the town is opened for business. It’s a place I would travel to again with my family or solo.
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