8 New & Noteworthy in Portland for Maine Camp Families

By Laurie, the Campcierge™ One of the best parts of sending your kids to camp in Maine is getting to enjoy everything “Vacationland” has to offer including the great city of Portland.  Located on the waterfront, Portland has a vibrant downtown with wonderful restaurants, shops, and attractions. At a recent gathering, I got to connect and reconnect with colleagues to hear about what’s new and noteworthy in Portland.  I’m happy to share these with you, our Maine Camp Experience community, as these could be of interest when you’re in Maine for Visiting Day, camp tours, and beyond. AC Marriott, the new AC Portland Waterfront hotel opening in April 2018, is located on Fore Street on the site of the Grand Trunk Station on Portland’s waterfront.  The hotel boasts 178 stylish modern guest rooms, a library, fitness center and extensive water views. Guests can unwind at the 1786 Lounge complete with outdoor waterfront seating, unique tapas menu and signature cocktails. Blyth & Burrows is a cool cocktail bar on Exchange Street that offers creative craft cocktails and tasty small plates.  There’s great ambience in all three areas: the front room with a beautiful bar, the speakeasy in the back, and the cozy downstairs lounge. The CAT ferry to Nova Scotia is the fastest way to get from Maine to Nova Scotia for those looking to expand their travel horizons to enjoy Canada’s scenic beauty and outdoor adventures. The new high-speed ferry service runs from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. With onboard amenities and knowledgeable staff and crew, The CAT offers passengers an enjoyable ride to their destination May through October. Lucky Catch Cruises provide up-close and personal Maine lobstering experiences for guests who climb aboard for a boat ride excursion on the waters of Casco Bay.  Highlights include guidance through the daily routines of a Maine Lobsterman such as hauling up the traps, and taking in sights like picturesque lighthouses, historic civil war forts and “Seal Rocks” on cruises that run May through October. Maine Brew Bus tours provide a behind-the-scenes look at Maine’s booming craft scene. The all-inclusive experiences feature stops at craft breweries, distilleries, and wineries for tours, tasters, flights, snacks.  Best of all … a designated driver! Maine Foodie Tours are a highly interactive, entertaining and educational way to taste your way through Portland.  Guests meet artisans, chefs, mixologists, bakers, and other experts to learn about and taste delicious treats.  Tours in Southern Maine, the Mid-coast,  and Acadia include walking, boating, and even touring with your pet dogs. Press Hotel, an Autograph Collection property, is Maine’s first lifestyle boutique hotel located in the former Portland Press Herald building. It’s a chic, luxury hotel with a great location. It houses UNION Restaurant, which serves delicious cuisine made from ingredients from the best local farms. Sunday River is a ski resort and year-round vacation destination in the mountains of Maine.  It features hotel, lodging and lift ticket deals and savings plus the best skiing, snowboarding and golf in New England.  Many campers and camp families visit in the summer for zipline tours, mountain biking, hiking, disc golf and the bungee trampoline. For more information about these and other great attractions in Portland, go to Visit Portland.com or contact Laurie the Maine Camp Experience Campcierge™ – . Photo Courtesy of VisitPortland.com _ Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools  

Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child?  Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks).  It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates.  Then you can research these camps in more depth.

Next, be sure to  to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.

 You can share your own Maine camps __memories & expressions of gratitude __on our Memories of Camp section of our website.