Just a quick ferry ride from Portland, Peaks Island is a perfect budget travel destination. Park your car at one of the many parking lots and garages around the Old Port area. The Casco Bay Lines has a list of parking lots and garages. Be warned; parking in the area can be very hard to come by on perfect summer days so plan ahead, the ferry waits for no one! If you live in Portland its much easier and much less expensive to take public transportation to the terminal (Route 8, Peninsula Loop stops right at the terminal). The trip to the island takes approximately 18 minutes. Cost is $7.70 round trip for adults and much less for seniors and children.
For today lets take a walk around part of the island. Walk up the hill from the ferry landing and turn right. Stop and check out the bulletin board of Island happenings for future reference. Keep walking past The Inn on Peaks Island and follow Island Ave as it turns into New Island Ave and then over to Seashore Ave past the 5th Maine Regiment Community center if you turn down Ryefield Street youll walk past the 8th Regiment Living Museum and Memorial. If youre in the mood for a tour they give them daily from 10-4. The building was designed in the classic Queen Anne style and was built in 1891 as a summer place for Civil War Veterans and their families.
Back up along Seashore Ave you walk past many fine examples of 19th century architecture. Many houses with gingerbread trim, long shady porches, and beautifully manicured lawns. You can easily see when walking past these homes how the Island became known the Coney Island of Maine. It was later an important WWII outpost. "The important to budget travel is to approach ahead. When it comes along to family trips, globetrotting, well-deserved vacations and/or going to see new spots we have never been before, the reality of cost and budgeting is generally in the back of our thoughts. Arranging and expending our travel budget carefully is a consideration for most families. Lowering expending and costs, while still enjoying your vacation to its fullest, is the key to certain achievement and fiscal obligation. Your pocketbook and family will thank you! The thought regarding saving money while touring is simple: Even if your personal finances is really limited, you can still take a break and enjoy life! Simply put, life is just too short to never step out of the door or leaving the homestead! Also thinking about that while traveling, no matter whether on a funds or not, even the smallest of things can all add op to a big vacation or travel charge!..". Its sometimes is hard to believe Peaks Island is considered part of the city of Portland - talk of seceding from the city happens on a near continual basis. Peaks had many fine hotels during its heyday. Unfortunately most of them were lost to fire. In June 1936, 17 structures on the island burned to the ground. The only remaining hotel structure from that era was turned into condominiums.
One notable summer resident was Hollywood director John Ford, a Cape Elizabeth native, who won seven Academy Awards for such notable work as The Grapes of Wrath (Best Director) and the Quiet Man (Best Picture and Director).
Keep strolling along and check out the spectacular views of Ryefield Cove. There are plenty of places to stop and take some great photos of the surf and the boats in the bay and plenty of places to sit and enjoy the sun.
You can continue walking on Seashore Ave to check out the Battery Steele which is also accessible from Florida Ave. Battery Steele was designed to protect Portland Harbor from enemy warships and was last used during WWII and is now listed on the National Register. It was the largest gun battery built on Peaks Island and perhaps one of the largest in the United States. It is now part of a 14 acre preserve and is stewarded by the Peaks Island Land Preserve. Be cautious around the battery as the drop from the top is approximately six feet.
If you decide to leave the exploring of Battery Steele for another day turn up Alderbrook Road and onto Dump Road until you reach Brackett Ave. Once on Brackett take a left and walk back into town. Youll walk by plenty of year-round and seasonal homes in a nicely settled neighborhood. People on Peaks are very friendly; just dont cut across private property without permission.
Youve made it back into town and this walk, at a leisurely pace will take you about 45 minutes to an hour. If youve packed a picnic and have yet to enjoy it or youre looking for a quick and inexpensive bite to eat, walk down Island Ave to Hannigans Market and pick up a few drinks and snacks to enjoy on Centennial Beach. This beach can be accessed in the area of the bike shop, about another half block down. Enjoy your lunch and watch the ferry boat, kayaks, and sailboats. Youll find public restrooms in the community center which also houses the library.
Once youve relaxed and enjoyed the view head back up to Island Ave and check out the Umbrella Cover Museum yes a museum for umbrella covers! Their mission statement says it all The Umbrella Cover Museum is dedicated to the appreciation of the mundane in everyday life. It is about finding wonder and beauty in the simplest of things, and about knowing that there is always a story behind the cover.
Now its time meet the ferry. Make sure you stop and pick up an ice cream and a postcard at Down Front. They dont have to know the Island is right in your backyard!
Lets explore more of Peaks Island in the next Budget Traveler. As always, happy travels!
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