MAINE - Greater Portland & Casco Bay

The Big Easy Blues Club on Market Street in Portland is a wonderful small venue, with a great view of the band from every seat. Lots of room at the bar, and also some tucked-away seating where you can relax and enjoy a drink and the music. Live (and excellent) music there virtually every night: blues, soul, some hip hop. Friendly bartenders and patrons send up a nice, relaxed vibe. There's even space to dance it it's not too crowded. Cover price is more than reasonable for what is offered.

Trail to 53,000 Works of Art The Maine Art Museum Trail offers more than 53,000 works of art, from ancient to contemporary, in a dazzling array of collections at seven leading art museums. Museums on the trail include Bates College Museum of Art (Lewiston), Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Brunswick), Colby College Museum of Art (Waterville), Farnsworth Art Museum (Rockland), Ogunquit Museum of American Art (Ogunquit), Portland Museum of Art (Portland), and University of Maine Museum of Art (Bangor). The museums’ permanent collections include works of art by the many artists who have vacationed or worked in Maine. They also feature masterpieces by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, and Pablo Picasso, Greek and Roman sculpture, early American silver and furniture, and contemporary textiles, prints, ceramics, and sculpture. Some museums also offer free admission during selected hours.

You cannot count on perfect beach weather for every vacation day. When chill or rain arrives during a family Peek-A-Boo Children’s Center at Dana Warp Mill, 90 Bridge Street in Westbrook provides an indoor play space that will keep young children happily occupied for hours. The 5,000-square-foot play space includes an indoor playground; pirate ship; reading nook; doll nursery; construction zone; music room; nature corner; doll house; play kitchen; large ball pit; nature room; art & science area; infants’ space; and many safe and clean toys Open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 207-854-3500.

Portland Museum of Art at 7 Congress Square in Portland displays more than 17,000 objects in three historic buildings showcasing three centuries of art and architecture. The collection contains fine and decorative works of art from the 18th century to the present, including paintings, sculpture, prints, photography, glass and ceramics, artists' books, furniture, and much more. Works by artists such as Frederic Edwin Church, Marsden Hartley, Winslow Homer, Rockwell Kent, Louise Nevelson, John Singer Sargent, Andrew Wyeth, and Marguerite Zorach showcase the artistic heritage of the United States and Maine. European art is represented by Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, René Magritte, Claude Monet, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, among others. Open year-round. Phone: 207-775-6148.

The Phoenix Studio, at 630 Forest Avenue in Portland, is a family-owned and -operated business that has been making fine stained glass art for more than 100 years. That alone is a clue that a visit here will turn up something of beauty that could make a great gift or a beautiful, custom-designed addition to your home. Stained and leaded glass windows serve a much greater function than just decoration. Rather than closing off a room with curtains or blinds, you can create an awesome view with a stained glass window. Drop in to the gallery in the historic Woodfords section of the city from Monday through Saturday. Hours vary seasonally. Phone: 207-733-4154.

People who are not skilled athletes or even very coordinated can have a blast in the snow by trying out snow tubing – the winter outdoor sport that is skyrocketing in popularity. Seacoast Snow Park at 932 Roosevelt Trail (Route 302) in Windham offers 12 lanes of intense snow tubing and Express lift to the top. Sledding is especially magical at night. The hillside is lit and music fills the air. All single riders must be over 48 inches tall. Riders between 36 and 48 inches tall must ride in a double tube with an adult. Snowmaking provides near-constant tubing. Arcade, snack bar. Phone: 207-892-5952.

Located in the Arts District of downtown Portland, the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine at 142 Free Street, features a wide variety of interactive exhibits and activities for children and families. Among the exhibits are What about Whales?, a replica of a diner, a dress-up theater, toddle park, a fire truck; a care repair shop; a farm, a space shuttle, a tide pool touch tank and much more. The Camera Obscura is a mystery and a delight. Open year-round, daily, but closed Mondays from Labor Day to Memorial Day. Phone: 207-828-1234.

Of course, the first thing you hear about Len Libby’s Chocolates in Scarborough is the notorious Lenny the Moose, a life-size chocolate moose sculpted form 1700 pounds of milk chocolate who stands at the entrance to greet visitors. Lenny has fans and admirers from all over the world, but the story of this business only begins with the giant maitre d’. The store opened in 1926, making fine chocolate by hand and serving it in many forms, from candies to ice cream to giant lollipops, and more. Guests are invited to tour the property and watch the chocolate-making in progress. There is a huge selection of tempting chocolate treats in the retail store for traveling and for gifts for friends back home. Phone: 207- 883-4897.

If external forces like rain or winter threaten to derail your outdoor fun on the Maine coast, turn to Maine Rock Gym, an indoor wall-climbing facility made for weather-neutral fun and physical exertion. The gym, at 127 Marginal Way in Portland, is highly controlled area that allows people of all ages to safely experience the sport of rock climbing and to take it to what ever level they desire. The climbing facility is made up of many different walls, with more than 5,000 square feet of rock like textured climbing surface. These walls have thousands of (holds) which provide grips for hands and stances for feet. Indoor climbing is a great thrill and challenge for people of all ages and abilities. Stop in and start climbing. Open daily, year-round, except for Mondays in the summer. Phone: 207-780-6370.

An unusual farm in Portland honors the craft of the common honeybee by harvesting honey and turning it into honey ale – or mead. Maine Mead Works at 51 Washington Street makes mead by hand using a continuous fermentation process and a proprietary yeast strain. It is barrel-aged with American oak giving it complexity and depth. After bulk aging, the mead is hand bottled and labeled and stored a few more weeks before leaving the factory. The public is invited to drop in at the factory, take a tour, and taste the mead from noon to 5 p.m. daily except Sundays. How often do you get an invitation to share a sweet meadieval treat? Phone: 207-773-6323.

When Gritty McDuff's Portland Brew Pub opened in 1988 at 396 Fore Street in Portland it became Maine's first brew pub since prohibition and a leader in the state's microbrew revolution. Since then, guests have been enjoying fine, small-batch ales brewed on the premises. The Fore Street location is in the heart of Portland’s historic district. Pull up a chair at the copper-topped bar or take in the street life on the cobblestones of Wharf Street from the basement Brewery Bar patio. Gritty's has become a Maine institution, garnering many awards for Best Bar, Best Brew Pub, and Best Beer.

The Portland Freedom Trail is a self-guided walking trail of 13 marked sites highlighting the people, places, and events associated with the Underground Railroad and anti-slavery movement in Portland. Among the sites on the trail are the Franklin Street Wharf, Barber Shop of Jacob C. Dickson at 243 Fore Street, Hack Stand of Charles H. L. Pierre at 29 Middle Street, Abyssinian Meeting House at 73 Newbury Street, Eastern Cemetery at Congress and Mountfort streets, Friends Meeting House at Federal and Pearl streets, Hack Stand at Federal and Temple streets, and Mariners' Church at Fore and Market streets. Phone: 207-91-9980.