Portland’s Seaside Park – Eastern Promenade Trail & East End Beach

Portland is a popular stop on anyone’s travel plans to Maine. It is a vibrant city that blends historic charm, and cobblestone streets in Old Port with a creative arts scene and what has become a renowned food destination.

The city is a “peninsula”  only three miles long, making it a super walkable city. There’s cafes, restaurants and shops in all the neighborhoods, so explore! Portland’s busy tourist season is the warm summer months, and the September and October is foliage season. But if you can plan your visit for the shoulder season, it’s easier to get into popular dining spots without a reservation, and enjoy lower prices at hotels. Weekdays in September and October are also a great time to visit!

The trip we’re covering today isn’t a conventional beach trip, but a park that’s a favorite spot of ours when we are in Portland – and there is a beach! It’s a place to be on the water, to enjoy the beautiful view of Casco Bay and the islands, away from the streets of the city, yet less than a mile from Old Port. There’s plenty of room to find a spot, stretch your legs and just enjoy being outside. Perfect for an afternoon picnic. And a great place to get in some exercise – walk, bike, kayak. In season, at lunch time, food trucks are available in the lower parking lot. 

Eastern Promenade park is a sprawling 78 acres, situated on Casco Bay, and features the Eastern Promenade Trail, a paved trail approximately  2 miles long, East End beach, and a public boat launch and area for kayaking.  Within the park, there’s also a playground, public boating ramp, and a community garden. There are picnic areas and benches throughout the park. Celebrations, concerts and events take place here. Fort Allen Park, on Fore Street, sits above the trail with sweeping views of the bay, historical monuments and a quaint gazebo/bandstand. 

Drive into the park from Fore Street, and the access road leads to the Trail, waterfront, beach, boat launch, and kayak center. The park has an expansive lawn, plenty of area to spread out with picnic tables along the waterfron and around the park.

The Eastern Promenade Trail, built on an old rail corridor, is a paved road that runs along the water, beginning at the top of Eastern Promenade road and ends near the beginning of Old Port, Commercial street (near the Ferry Terminal). Many benches and seating areas are along the way, and towards the south end is Bard’s coffee pop-up trailer. In addition to the paved Trail, there’s unpaved dirt trails within the park, and connector trails with steps that lead up the slope. 

East End Beach is the only public beach in Portland. It’s a small beach, with pebbly-sand, and while maybe not a beach destination, it’s a spot to walk, sit by the water; or dip your toes in the water!  

Fort Allen Park, sits at the top with spectacular views of Casco Bay. In the summer, there’s a Community Concert Series, held in the gazebo/historic bandstand on Thursdays. Follow ‘Friends of the Eastern Promenade’ on Facebook and Instagram for schedule. There’s also wide stone stairs to connect to the Eastern Prom trail below (note parts of this trail are steep).

For an additional hike, the connector trail at the north end of the Trail leads to the Loring Memorial. It faces the Back Cove, great for viewing the sunset.

More to know…

In season, there are food trucks in the Park.

Ramona’s sandwiches deserves a special call-out. It’s a tiny shop located on busy Washington Street- recommend you call ahead to order as parking can be challenging. The sandwiches are a bit pricier here, but they are worth it – we keep coming back!We’ve tried so many, all good, but favorites are the Italian, Market Street, Apollo, and Asbury.

Traveler’s Tip – Parking is at a premium in town. But Portland is a walkable town, so park your car and uber, explore on foot, bike or scooter. The Bike Share

Hungry?

Portland’s has a serious food scene! There’s so many reasons it was awarded “Restaurant City of the Year” by Bon Appétit in 2018. Choose from restaurants, cafe’s food trucks, serving the classic lobster roll, and farm-to-table, vegan, and everything in between – casual, upscale, something for every mood. In-season, and on weekends off -season as well, just be sure to plan ahead and make a reservation.

There’s so many online sites to research reviews. Here’s a few of our recs from recent stops, more on the casual side.

Tipo is a favorite in our family of foodies, an Italian restaurant located in a residential neighborhood in Back Bay, off the tourist track. It’s a creative menu, a modern spin on Italian focused on fresh ingredients. No standard chicken parm here. The waitstaff is knowledgeable and perfectly attentive. They feature Italian wines, and on our last visit, our server was super helpful and provided a few tastes based on our interest – we each had the most perfect fine for our meal. We’ve had so many of the menu items – each was delicious! They also change the menu selection frequently.
Old Port: Flatbread Company – in the heart of Commercial street, this is a popular spot so expect a long wait in the warm months. But the area is great to walk around, or sit by the water. It’s worth the wait! The flatbreads are terrific, salads equally fresh and delicious, and they serve great cocktails! Sit outside if you can. Lenora’s is in more of the downtown area, a short walk, but has good Mexican, and we like the outdoor seating area; there’s a nice bar and open indoor area as well.

Washington Street, off Congress : Terlingua specializes in Texas-inspired barbecue. Their popular Dinner Board is a one-pound assortment of house-smoked meat served with rotating nightly sides and a hefty helping of yummy cornbread. Cocktails .. ‘rit’as , as is the menu of spirit-free beverages. If you are craving a simple pizza, Otto’s has several shops around town; there’s one here on Congress Street.

Looking for the classic Lobster Roll? Go to Portland Lobster Company – Sit out on the deck of this casual restaurant and get the Maine Lobster experience – you won’t be dissapointed!

A few other popular spots on many “Best” lists:

• Eventide: popular Oyster bar. Expect long waits inthe warm months, the lines start at 11:30! But, it’s a classic.
• Duckfat: located across from Eventide, known for their cones of hot, crispy duck fat-fried Belgian frites, and the sauces are outstanding. We like the brussels sprouts, and the original milkshake is an unexpected menu item – but so good! They now have a “Shack” on Washington Ave, a take-out window with outdoor and indoor seating at Oxbow Brewery.

Ice Cream? Again.. so many options! With new shops opening every year. In Old Port, when I get a sundae craving, Beal’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream is my go-to. The battle of the Gelato’s is on Congress Street – the well-known Gelato Fiasco, and across the street Gorgeous Gelato (small but mighty.. my personal pick, it took me back to Italy! Try the cannoli’s).

What’s a trip to Portland without visiting a Lighthouse? Bug Lighthouse is a small lighthouse, but it’s worth a stop for the scenic views. It’s a short ride from Old Port, free parking. Its design is interesting in that the columns are based on Greece architecture.

The park has pretty views of Portland Harbor and skyline. Be sure to go around the back of the park to see the liberty ship memorial, an exhibit of Portland’s military ship building history during World War II, which was located in this area. An estimated 30,000 people were employed here from 1941-1945 building liberty ships for the New England Shipbuilding Corp. and the South Portland Shipbuilding Corp.

If you can, we highly recommend biking here from Portland . Going over the Casco Bay bridge is a cool experience, and once you are over, it’s a short way to the start of the Greenway bike path. Or, you can drive over the bridge, and park in the Shaw’s plaza, and join the bike ride from there – it’s a short flat 2 mile ride to Bug Park.

Experience the Casco Bay Islands! There’s several options for Windjammer Cruises, the sunset sail is a fun option, or, take the budget option –  the “Mail Run’ ferry! It’s a 3ish hour ferry rode around the Casco Bay islands. Note: it’s really a mail boat, so there’s no getting off! The ferry runs out of the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal. Another option is to visit Peak’s Island. It’s a 20 minute ferry ride, and the island has beautiful coastline views all over. It’s just under 4 miles around. We think the best way to experience it is by bike, it’s a fairly flat, with lots of scenic spots to stop and take in the ocean views. It’s a mostly residential island, but there’s a few shops and restaurants by the ferry landing.

Old Port and Downtown is a lively area to explore. There’s shops, restaurants, and bars lining the historic cobblestone streets. Allagash Brewery right in the Old Port, is a popular stop. It one of the 50 largest craft breweries in the U.S. (by sales volume), and hosts tastings and tours. Buy tickets through their website or The Cellars. There’s food trucks onsite.

Lodging – In addition to hotels, there’s many Inns, airbnb and vrbo listings. Portland is very popular in the summer months, and the hotels right in the city often book up, so plan accordingly!