This is a great park that hosts events and a space for community interaction as well as a…read moreplayground space for the community. Also as you may see from my photos posted they have an incredible portion of the Christmas/Holiday lights for the town of Westbrook. You can either treat it as a drive thru or a walk around but either way observe and admire the display of lights! You'll find plenty of animal designs, trees fully decked out, and more. Besides the holiday display this is a park you can enjoy all year long. During the warmer months find yourself parking and walking along the water and seeing ducks and other wildlife. Also a spot you could bring your kids to and enjoy the playground area. Also of note, not that I have played it in a long while it is a solid spot to play Pokemon Go. If you are a local and or visiting the area make time to stop here. Lots of local food and drink spots nearby you could stop at to grab and enjoy your meal at Riverbank Park!

Nice community park with swings and a couple jungle gym sets. Good for kids 2-5 and there're also…read morean ice cream shop across the street. There's a trail along the river I'd like to explore. Moderately busy on a Saturday afternoon but not too bad at all.

One of the many wonderful things about Portland is how much of the lovely outdoors we have right in…read morethe city! If you want to go for a walk in the woods but don't have time to trek to points north or west, Baxter Woods is a wonderful little escape. The woods are located in the Deering neighborhood, between Forest and Stevens Avenues. The main trail is less than a mile walk around, but you're surrounded by trees--right now, at peak leaf season, gloriously ablaze in red and orange and yellow--and it'll feel like you're miles away. Practicalities: the main entrance is on Stevens, and there's plenty of street parking; it can get busy on weekends, but I've never had trouble nabbing a spot. (That's a bit trickier on the Forest Ave. side.) I've also parked on Hartley (the residential street on the south side of the woods), and there's an entrance to the trail around the middle of that block. The trail is flat but be on the lookout for roots and rocks; there are also plenty of benches and tables and logs and other places to sit and rest or just chill out and get your forest bathing on. And since you're in the neighborhood already, I highly recommend stopping by Norimoto Bakery or Rwanda Bean coffee on the way there or back!

I feel similar to Baxter Woods Park as I do Thorncrag in Lewiston (see here:…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz/thorncrag-bird-sanctuary-lewiston). What an absolutely lovely spot right in the middle of the city! It's like an unexpected, secluded oasis ("a pleasant or peaceful area") of nature. I've lived nearby for years and I only recently discovered it! I can walk from my house, across Forest Ave (definitely the scariest part), through Baxter Woods, across Stevens Ave (much less scary), and then into Evergreen Cemetery! I don't know why it took me sooooooooo long to come here; I think it's because it presents as a little sketchy. There's graffiti on the trashcan/information board and a lot of loiterers smoking at the entrance of the park/trailhead. But once you get past that, it's charming really! Baxter Woods is a 30ish acre nature preserve with loads of big, beautiful pine trees that offer shaded mostly easily accessible/walkable well maintained trails, a little pond, some streams, a meadow with wildflowers, an area that looks like it could be an outdoor stage/presentation area (there's a line-up of log benches), and lots of bird watching/bird listening opportunities! This is not a destination for tourists; this is really cool spot for locals to stretch their legs, let their dogs and kiddos play, and immerse themselves in nature. I'm excited to walk through here again to see what it looks like in autumn AND winter! Stay tuned!

We were passing through and needed a bathroom. And this parks bathrooms were very nice and CLEAN!!…read moreI would recommend!!

Update: I love this…read morepark and I love that people bring there well behaved dogs here so they can walk and have fun. Just an FYI there is an overweight boomer woman who has a small white dog who was at the park yesterday giving people hell for having their dog off leash. She picked up her dog and as her dog was wagging its tail and clearly wanted to get down and play began, she began a slue of micro aggressions about how her dog was "reacting" and she was having "panic attack" lady, don't bring your dog here if you can't be around other dogs. Also, this park is only "on leash" for the first 100 feet and then dogs are allowed off leash. She is a miserable, mean and nasty boomer who needs to chill and stay away from Clifford park with that attitude. Her dog was cute though but I feel bad for it.

Who knew this little park existed?…read more Locals. Hyper locals. That's who. Tucked away in the corner of Knightville (where Waterman curves into/becomes Ocean), this little park under the Casco Bay Bridge might not look like much upon first glance. But park nearby, walkover, and explore something beautiful and unexpected. Just past the no-longer-used railroad tracks are benches and stationary game tables. Beyond that (and down the hill) are beautiful views of Portland's working harbor and a plethora of sailboats. And just beyond that is a wooden pier straight out of some watercolor painting of the smaller fishing villages along Downeast Maine where floating docks are available for boats. So if you're looking for a new spot to take a walk, walk your dog, or hide in plain sight (which isn't such a bad thing... sometimes we all need to escape without escaping [which is incredibly hard to do in Greater Portland], so if you see me sitting on the wooden pier reading and drinking a coffee, do you mind not interrupting? I'm seeking peace of some kind.), the delightful Thomas Knight Park might just surprise you.

After demolishing the Million Dollar Bridge and re routing the flow of traffic with the new Casco…read moreBay Bridge years ago the city has done a great job with making this little nest park on Waterman Drive. (I wish the Farmer's Market was still here!) This park doesn't look like much from the road (which has 2 hour parking and ample spaces around) however, soon after walking in to the park you discover that it is bigger on the inside than you thought, kinda like a Tardis. The cobblestone path will lead you to the access ramp to the sidewalk on the bridge as well as some of those stationary binoculars to take in the sights like the Portland waterfront. There is also a small path down to a tiny beach. The paved path will take you under the bridge where you will pass the game tables. Go down the hill and discover some more grass and access to water (over rocks) as well as a bridge that leads to public docking. There is a small outbuilding with cushioned outdoor furniture. What you get now is sweeping views on both sides of you out across the South Portland and Portland sides of the Fore River/Casco Bay. Granted... There is a sewer treatment plant nearby but down here you wouldn't know it. People bring dogs and kids here to walk and play. Don't forget to bring bags and clean up since SoPo no longer provides bags. So one day... Drive past Shaws and McDonald's and the Ford Dealership and find a little oasis under one of the busiest roadways connecting these cities. You won't be sorry. Then... Instead of driving back toward Shaws, go around the other corner and discover the little shops that are no longer on the main track since the traffic pattern change.

Fountains fields and…read moreskates Memorial Park is a sprawling park located right behind the municipal building in the center of Scarborough. It certainly is a lovely place that has a whole lot of things to do. The park has a nice pond with two fountains, some athletic fields, benches, a gazebo, some walking trails, and a very well designed and pretty elaborate skate board park. Lots of weddings and other ceremonies take place here and they even hold musical events in the warm months. A nice park to do a whole bunch of different things or just relax on a bench and do a whole lot of nothing,

This park is located in an area behind the Chicago Dogs on Route 1 in Scarborough, the Municipal…read moreBuilding and the High School. It is also across the side street from the new Mercy Complex on route 1. There is a small parking lot that has a concession stand (I assume open when events are taking place) and restrooms. The park itself is nice and open with paved walkways skirting around the edge of the grounds. There is small pond with many bullfrogs and even a family of ducks. Two fountains, a small amphitheater and a gazebo along with well manicured grounds make this very picturesque. Trees and benches dot the area and almost all have a plaque dedicated to a loved one. ( we saw people laying flowers for a former cheer leading coach) There are also dedication stones honoring the men and women who lost lives in war. There are playing fields and a skate park as well. I am excited to spend time sitting or laying out in the sun on the beautiful grass and reading this summer. We have begun taking our dogs here to walk. This is an on leash area for dogs, however, we have seen some dogs walking off leash but people seem to be respectful and have dogs under voice control. There are plenty of garbage cans and two dog bag stations. This has to be one of the cleanest parks I have ever been to.

We wanted to get one last hike in before heading back to Florida. Wolf's Neck was just a few…read moreminutes from our hotel in south Portland and it was awesome. We wanted to get great views of Casco Bay and were so happy we could go right down to the beach area. Beautiful! The trails throughout the park were outstanding and we walked them all. Great ending to an amazing Maine trip.

Beautiful state park with great views on many trails. The trails are pretty flat and not difficult,…read moreand they are very shaded, so it's a very relaxing set of hikes. Looks like a great spot for a picnic as well.

Our family visited Portland Head Light (in Fort William Park) to take photos around 6pm in July…read more2026. It's about a 10 minute drive from South Portland and well worth the trip! First, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine (which was completed in 1791 and authorized by George Washington). Second, it's easily accessible - just a short walk from the parking lot. Third, you have the option to buy lobster rolls if it's lunch or dinner time or bring your own picnic to spread out on the spacious grounds. Parking is only $3 per hour. Since the WiFi connection for Verizon was weak, I paid for a printed paper ticket (minimum of $6 for 2 hours). Would strongly recommend coming here within 2 hours of sunset for the best lighting of photos. Also, be sure to spend some time walking along the coast for stunning views of the rocks below.

Locals said this is the most photographed and most painted lighthouse in the world! I think it's…read morealso the most beautiful! It's fairly easy to get to, and parking is easy as well. There are easy trails all around the lighthouse so you can walk to different directions and take photos from different angles. On a clear day it is beautiful beyond words. Though not that easy to get to, Portland is a beautiful town, worth a serious visit. This lighthouse just makes it so much more spectacular!!

Lovely visit to the Portland Observatory…read more We had intended on a self-tour but were told that self tours would start at 4:30pm...and that before that time, you would have to take a toured guide up the tower. As there was a scheduled guide about to start soon...we opted to take the guided tour. At that time (mid-week in late August around 12pm) there were only four of us on that tour. Our tour guide, an older woman, was wonderful. As we ascended the tower during the 45-minute tour, we stopped off at each floor and she explained a bit about the tower and its history. Lots of interesting facts! We made it to the top to take in some amazing views of the area. Tours are $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-16 and free for those 5 and under. The stairs (there are about 100) throughout the tower are spiral-ish...so be careful of your foot placement on the narrowed parts of each step while ascending and descending. Street parking signs can be a bit tricky in the area reading "...no parking on the 1st/2nd/3rd/4th ___day of the month..." Be sure to properly read those signs and park accordingly.

My plans only have me in town for two days, so I asked my local coworker one sight I had to see…read morewith a short time frame, and was sent here. Just a fun little local tip. The history itself is cool enough: this was a lookout for ships coming into the harbor before radio, and is the oldest currently standing in the USA. But I really appreciated the elevation for getting a good look of the downtown and harbor area, walking around the tower in the breeze and seeing the ocean peaking through the islands in the harbor. Worth the $10 to the top. (Note: the stairs are steep and there's no room inside for an elevator. We're talking large curving internal staircases. Maybe not for those with mobility issues.)