2 Best Sights in Portland, Maine

One of the city's most relaxing outdoor spaces, Back Cove Trail is a 3.6-mile paved loop with gorgeous views of the Cove, harbor, and downtown. It's a favorite route for walking, running, biking, and dog walking. Several benches and seasonal water fountains can be found along the trail.

Developed beginning in 1836 and landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers, this 18-acre park is one Portland's oldest preserved spaces. It offers wonderful sunset views in spots, as well as a network of wooded trails, places to sit and people-watch, and paths that pass by the neighborhood's historic homes.

A good place to start is at the head of the Western Promenade, which has benches and a nice view. From the Old Port, take Danforth Street all the way up to Vaughn Street; take a right on Vaughn and then an immediate left onto Western Promenade. Pass by the Western Cemetery, Portland's second official burial ground, laid out in 1829—inside is the ancestral plot of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow—and look for street parking.