Off Season in Maine

Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine

So what do you do in the off-season in Maine?  Well, when the weather is unseasonably mild in November and December, you can take a little walk around one of Maine's icons, Portland Head Light.

The Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine maintains the park for it's residents and visitors alike.  The lighthouse his situated on a piece of land that was once home to Fort Williams, a 90-acre fort that protected Portland Harbor up through World War II.  It still has some of the old batteries that my son liked climbing on and the park itself has a lot of open space for many different outdoor recreational activities.

For a couple bucks per adult and a dollar for children, you can visit the Portland Head Light Museum located in the Keeper's House.  It includes various lighthouse memorabilia including models of the lighthouse throughout the years.   There's also a small gift shop to browse.

My son liked exploring the passageways around one of the batteries.  It is best done with a flashlight, but you can do it without, just watch your footing as there was a small pipe on the floor in one of the passages.

My son investigating one of the passages at Portland Head Light

Portland Head Light Battery with the passage to explore (See photo above).

They started building the lighthouse in 1787, that same year my alma mater, Castleton State College in Vermont, was founded (How's that for an interesting fact?)

There are more than 60 lighthouses that dot the coast of Maine.  These historic structures are an important part of Maine's culture and heritage.  You can tour the grounds at many of them and there are a few in which you can actually spend the night.  A good place to learn more about lighthouses is on the Maine Office of Tourism's web site.