Portland Maine was an excellent choice for a girls get away weekend. It was easy for us coming from Philadelphia, we actually all drove up in a van together, then some of us flew home for a faster return. Portland has its own airport, so it is easily accessible. This beautiful and charming city had a ton to offer, especially for seafood and beer lovers. Even though I only really fit half of that criteria, it was a fantastic time.
Where to Stay
Coming here with a group of girls, we weighed the decision between staying in a house or staying in a hotel. In the end, the hotel won, and here is why. It was all a numbers game for us. Traveling with 9 girls, we didn’t want to have to keep getting in and out of a vehicle, especially when one vehicle (even an UberXL) couldn’t hold all of us. It made more sense to book a few hotel rooms and be within walking distance of almost all of the action.
We stayed at the Portland Harbour Hotel, which was perfectly located in the center of everything. Besides a few breweries, we could walk to everything that we did. We could stroll the town, go for morning runs, and make it out at night all without hopping in a car. It had a nice garden area outside where we could all congregate, hang out, and sip drinks before and after activities, and nice little fire pits for the evenings.
Notes about Beer in Portland
I have to start off by saying that I’m not a beer drinker. I often wish I was, and I love the idea of beer, but you wont often catch me drinking one. So, as you could likely guess, the idea of touring around a bunch of breweries in Portland didn’t thrill me at first, although the idea of spending time literally anywhere with my girlfriends is always worth it.
Breweries We Enjoyed
I was pleasantly surprised by many of the breweries we visited during our time in Portland. We started out with Maine Beer Company. I really liked the vibe of this spot, it was big and open and had lots of indoor and outdoor seating. They did have a small selection of wine, which was great for me, and I enjoyed tasting a few sips of my friends beers as well.
Austin Street Brewery was one of my favorites. I liked how bright and open it was, so much so that it felt like you were outside, there were beautiful plants and they had some seltzers and other options to go along with their beers.
We also checked out Bissell Brothers, which our beer loving friends really enjoyed! The wine and seltzer selection here wasn’t as thrilling, but the place was big and open and decorated nicely. The beer lovers of the group were very happy here and also bought a lot of cool merch.
Lobster Fishing
The bride wanted to go lobster fishing, so we took a lobster fishing boat tour with Lucky Catch. We had an absolute blast and were able to bring beverages with us on the boat. We got a nice tour of the water around Portland and were able to get a pretty look back at the city. We checked out a few lobster traps, which were mostly filled with crabs. We learned about what size lobsters need to be in order to keep them, and tons of other rules of lobster fishing (of which there are many). We got to hold some lobsters for the camera to show off our fishing skills. We had a great time laughing with the captain and learning about lobster fishing on the water. Overall it was a fun experience I would recommend.
Lunch at Portland Lobster Co
Before lobster fishing, we had lunch at Portland Lobster Co, which was awesome. It was right on the dock and was “grab a picnic table” style dining, which is one of the great things about Maine. One thing nobody ever told me until my first trip to Maine was how amazing their clams are! Everyone knows it’s all about the lobster in Maine, but I must say that the best clams of my life have also been in Maine. This place had some of the best! They were so large and buttery. We had a great rose here, too, and loved everything about hanging out on the dock in the sunshine and eating great seafood.
Scales Restaurant
Our fancy dinner of the trip was at Scales restaurant. It did not disappoint. The place is huge and so beautiful. Right when you walk in, you can see all of the available fresh seafood on display sitting on ice. We made reservations in advance for dinner, and it is highly recommend that you do so if you want to eat here. This was the most expensive dinner of the trip, but it was worth the price, the food and drinks were excellent and we loved everything about it.
Maine Oyster Company
My favorite part of the trip was attending an Oyster Shucking Lesson at Maine Oyster Company. We did this as a brunch type activity and it was so much fun. We ordered up wine, champagne, and some beers and learned how to shuck our own oysters. We then got to eat all of the oysters that we shucked! They also had some other small bites to eat while you worked, as well. We had so much fun here and really enjoyed the chill atmosphere, awesome staff, and activity of the lesson. I definitely became a much bigger fan of oysters on this trip and would go back to do this again.
Blyth & Burrows
Blyth and Burrows was an awesome cocktail bar in the main town. It was a great place for all of the girls in our group. They made some really incredible cocktails and we loved the energy of the place. The bartenders were so kind and fun and the interior was beautifully decorated. Big thumbs up to making a stop at this bar during your time in Portland.
Highroller Lobster co
Highroller lobster Co was our first meal in Portland and it was great! I had a lobster lollipop (which was really just a lobster on a stick) dipped in butter that was incredibly delicious. Many had lobster rolls, we had wine and beers, and tried all kinds of things. It was a very casual place with a lighthearted vibe and we were able to just walk in dressed casually after a brewery and enjoy some great food and hang out!
Strolling the streets
Walking around Portland itself is also a great activity. Many of us woke up each morning and just strolled around the town popping in and out of all the little shops and cafes. There were so many different types of cute boutique shops and the town itself is so charming. I enjoyed waking up to run by the water and all throughout the town seeing the sights.
There are some great outlet stores up in this part of Maine that many of the girls were excited about. Right near Maine Brewing Company, we found the Patagonia outlet. I know some of the girls could have spent half a day in there! They really had some amazing things at very good prices. If you’re interested in that kind of thing, it is WELL worth a stop.
SKIP: Bubbas Silky Lounge
One thing we did in Portland that for me was a bust, was going to Bubbas Silky Lounge in the evening. We had read some information that this was a cool place to go, and some people around town told us it was, too. I also read aloud some terrible reviews from trip advisor to the girls at our dinner, but I was overruled and to Bubbas we went.
It was wild. It was a giant, dive type bar with all kinds of weird things everywhere. The decor was all kinds of weird chairs from doctors offices or strange old places, there was taxidermy on the walls, it was the kind of place where you stick to everything you touch, and I wasn’t thrilled. However, to be fair, some of the girls I was with absolutely LOVED it. They danced the night away on the dance floor with some interesting characters, and had a great time! Overall, I would not recommend this place. I would have rather found somewhere fun in the area near our hotel, but if you’re coming to Portland and this sounds like your vibe, hit it up.
If you’re on the hunt for more tours or activities to do in Portland you can check these two sites. These are affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you book through these links. This helps to keep my blog ad free. It also helps to support all of the time and effort I put into this blog and is FREE for you!