July 19, 2009
Hugo’s Restaurant Experience
When walking the streets of Portland, Maine, in search of truly spectacular food there is no need to look any farther then Hugo’s restaurant in the Old Port. Chef Rob Evans has turned a simple restaurant into a worthwhile experience. Using local ingredients with a twist of innovation Evans has created a unique menu to electrify any taste buds.
![Hugos_Portland_Maine_497w[1]](http://allthingsportland.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/hugos_portland_maine_497w1.jpg?w=276&h=266 "Hugos_Portland_Maine_497w[1]")
There are many ways to enjoy a unique experience at Hugo’s. Trying out the snack menu is an experience all of its own with such choices as Bacon Dusted Pig Ear Cracklings, House Smoked Maple Pistachios and Shelburne Cheddar Parfait.
![1152898096_9311[1]](http://allthingsportland.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/1152898096_93111.jpg?w=164&h=173 "1152898096_9311[1]")
If you’re looking for a more substantial meal then look no further than the Mushroom Lasagna, Clam & Garlic Risotto, Beef Rib Eye and a plethora of other local flavors.
Mussel Risotto
![Hugos-Portland-Maine-Goat-Cheesecake800wLandscape[1]](http://allthingsportland.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/hugos-portland-maine-goat-cheesecake800wlandscape1.jpg?w=220&h=148 "Hugos-Portland-Maine-Goat-Cheesecake800wLandscape[1]")
If your mouth is watering now, don’t be shy to check out more on the Hugo’s web page to find the full menu and directions.
Happy Eating!
July 18, 2009
Windjamming Around the Casco Bay
Maine Sailing Adventures was created in the attempt to bring the windjammer era back to Portland. A windjammer is an engine-less sailing boat and at the Maine Sailing Adventures it can be used for a public day outing or even as a private charter within the Old Port. A two hour cruise will take you along Portland’s shoreline and the islands that are scattered nearby.
www.mainesailingadventures.net
Being on a windjammer can be an educational experience not just for children, but for adults as well. “Learn about the great lobster migration, the lifespan of a starfish, and the growth stages of hermit crabs as we sail around the bay!” You can even request a sail that allows you to pull the lines, tacking the jib, and hoisting the topsail.
L. Jaye Bell www.travelroads.com/article/id_1926
Feel free to visit the Maine Sailing Adventures website at MaineSailingAdventures.net or to call them to make reservations at (207)749-9169. If you come into Festiva Resorts for one of our 90 minute presentations, you could also be gifted with a couple of two hour cruises in a windjammer as well!!
www.oguinquitlodging.com/maine_windjammers.htm
July 17, 2009
Jimmy The Greeks
Jimmy The Greek’s is a brick oven restaurant, pub and event hall that has intriguing specials and a lot of fun. Located in Old Orchard Beach, it offers nights filled with riding a mechanical bull, karaoke, Irish singing, and free manicures to go with your five dollar martinis on Tuesdays. There are even theme nights including Trivia Night, Brewers Night, and Come Watch Football Night.
On top of all that fun, Jimmy The Greeks is also a beer lover’s paradise. There are over 120 beers that range from Blueberry flavored to a local White Beer from Allagash, Maine.
So when you come into Festiva Resorts to go on a tour, you might be gifted with a $30 Jimmy The Greeks gift card as thanks for learning more about our Adventure Club. You could buy a lot off beers and bull rides with that gift card!
For more information, you can call the Jimmy The Greeks location on Saco Ave in Old Orchard Beach at (207) 934-7499.
July 15, 2009
Bug Light
When looking for a spot that truly encompasses the picturesque scene of the Portland waterfront one need not look any further than the Portland Breakwater Light, known to locals as Bug Light. It is a small lighthouse nestled in the harbor, an ideal scene for a quintessential Maine experience for any weary traveler searching for a taste of local flavor. Completed in 1854 the notable light was erected as a beacon for arriving and departing ships as well as marking the historic breakwater.
![PBWR02[1]](http://allthingsportland.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/pbwr0211.jpg?w=300&h=102 "PBWR02[1]")
But for the average Joe who is just looking for a spectacular view this is your spot. A large grassy field to your left and the open ocean on your right leaves no room for complaints.
Out with the old and in with the new! Below is a recent picture taken of the lighthouse that shows the view into the bay, large tankers in the distances and the coastline on the horizon.
![6371_517001907467_59601284_30941141_2826338_s[1]](http://allthingsportland.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/6371_517001907467_59601284_30941141_2826338_s11.jpg?w=470 "6371_517001907467_59601284_30941141_2826338_s[1]")
For more information on Bug Light fallow the link to a main page; http://www.lighthouse.cc/portlandbreakwater/
Happy travels!
July 14, 2009
Experiencing Rangeley’s Sporting Heritage Museum
A new museum has popped up in Oquossoc, the very center of Maine’s fishing and hunting culture since the mid 1800s. The Rangeley Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum shows off Rangeley’s rich outdoor history of sporting and traditions that allows the past to come alive for guests. Their mission statement reads “…to discover, identify, collect, preserve and interpret artifacts, printed material and original historical records which document the history and traditions of the region and its people.”
www.riversedgesports.com
Once in the museum, the stories and adventures of famous Maine fishers such as Carrie Stevens, Herb Welch, Fly Rod Crosby, and Ed Grant speak out to today’s visitors and allow them to live through the experience of such things as catching a ten pound wild brook trout. Other inspiring attractions include the beauty of Carrie Steven’s Gray Ghost Streamer fly tier or the lifelike mounted brook trout from Herb Welch.
Kenya John www.worldclassflies.com
This sporting museum is perfect for anyone who enjoys the outdoors in a location that has been known as one of the best fishing spots in Maine, therefore making it legendary. While staying at Festiva Resorts‘ Rangeley Lake Resort, make sure to stop by and see what everyone is talking about!
luvamoose www.panoramio.com/photo/3846976
To learn more about this area, here is some more information that you can look into!
Website: www.rangeleyoutdoormuseum.org
Mailing address:
Rangeley Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum, PO Box 521, Rangeley Maine 04970
July 12, 2009
come float away…
Looking for the freshest seafood in Portland? You can’t get much fresher than on the water, literally.
Head over to DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant for lunch or dinner (located at 25 Long Warf, Portland). DiMillo’s is the only floating restaurant on the upper East Coast, and is currently one of the largest in America. They recently extended their hours, serving from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas. An outside deck is available, with a fantastic view of the Portland waterfront from all angles; even the indoor tables each have great atmosphere surrounding them.
According to their website, the restaurant itself is a converted car ferry that originally ran between New Castle, Delaware, and Pennsville, New Jersey, later running between Newport and Jamestown, Rhode Island. It was sold to Tony DiMillo in 1979, along with Long Wharf, and was converted to a restaurant and opened its doors in December, 1982. Though Tony passed away in 1999, his wife, sisters, and sons currently maintain the restaurant; there is always a DiMillo on board to ensure the standards Tony established over 40 years ago.
Famous for their seafood (especially lobster!) DiMillo’s also serves a wide variety of entrees including steak, pork chops, portabello mushrooms, and assorted Italian dishes. There is even a children’s menu for the youngsters, complete with grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese. I’ve heard, on numerous occasions, the hot chocolate served at DiMillo’s is nothing less than extraordinary, though I have yet to try it.
So come on down to the water and have a bite to eat! Reservations are only accepted for large parties, but you can call 30 minutes prior to when you want to eat and check the waiting list and add your name if necessary;
(207) 772-2216.
July 6, 2009
take a trip back in time…
Looking for something interesting, historical, and fun? Check out the Narrow Gauge Railroad on the Portland waterfront!
Just a short walk from the Old Port, at the foot of the Eastern Promenade, the Narrow Gauge Railroad (58 Fore Street, Portland) is a great place to spend a few hours between shopping and dinner reservations. The steam-powered train is set upon 2-foot gauge rails, hence the name Narrow Gauge, which “connected rural Maine with the rest of the world from 1879 until just before World War II. “ Currently, people are able to take a ride along the Casco Bay waterfront in an old-time locomotive or simply take a look through the museum (or both!)
The 35-minute train ride is spectacular, with amazing views of the Casco Bay and surrounding islands. Tickets for the train ride are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $6 for children ages 3-12 while children under the age of 2 get to ride for free. Tickets are good for the entire day, so if you ride in the morning and just have to go again before the day is over, feel free. Trains depart daily from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on the hour until late October when they only run on weekends.
The Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum is filled with old train cars, some of which you can walk through and see how it was to travel back-in-the-day. I found it interesting to see what was considered ”first class” at that time, and could only imagine what it would be like to snake through the hillsides rather than fly over them. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and there is a $2 admission fee ($1 for seniors and children ages 3-12).
For more information, visit their website or call (207)828-0814. Tickets for both the train and the museum can be purchased at the site, up to 5 minutes before the train departure. See you there!
July 5, 2009
who can say ‘no’ to a slingshot trampoline?
What is a better way to spend the sunny afternoon than going to Seacoast Fun Park? You can’t go wrong; fun is literally in the name!
There is so much to choose from once you get to Seacoast, which has two convenient locations – one in the Sebago Lakes region (Route 302 in Windham) and one in the Bar Harbor area (US Route 3 in Trenton). Whether you’re looking for some adrenaline-filled excitement or a relaxing game of mini-golf, one of the parks will have something for you.
Up in Trenton, on a hot day, take a ride on one of the water slides (the only ones in northern Maine, according to seacoastfunparks.com), man your battle station for a water balloon fight, or just relax in the pool. There is an 18-hole mini golf course, a go-kart track, and a 32-foot climbing wall, but I find the most exciting attraction to be the slingshot trampoline (which is actually at both locations). Trenton Seacoast is also the home to Maine’s only tented paintball arena, Pursuit Park Paintball. If Trenton isn’t a day trip for you, there are 50 acres of camping ground where the family can spend the night.
Windham houses most of the same attractions, excluding only the water portion of the park, plus a ferris wheel and bumper boats. Along with the slingshot trampoline, they have a 100-foot swing called the Giant Sky Swing. Make sure to grab an inner tube and check out their newest attraction, the hill slides, which, in the winter months, double as a snow tubing hill.
Parking and admission into both parks is free, just pay for the attractions you want to go on! For pricing, either visit their website, or call (207)892-5902 for Windham, (207)667-3573 for Trenton. If your children do not meet the height requirements for the go-karts, an adult can drive them for just $1 more, or on the bumper boats for no additional charge. Group rates are available, and birthday parties and school/youth groups are always welcomed.
If you end up at the Windham location, why not hop on over to The Landing Restaurant for dinner? It’s only 1.5 miles down the road, at 750 Roosevelt Trail, and has a “new, exciting menu” which is sure to please even the pickiest pallet. While there, keep an eye out for our Festiva Adventure Club display where you can enter for a chance to win a Seadoo GTI!
July 2, 2009
Happy (almost) 4th of July!
The time has come to celebrate, and, providing this rain lets up, there are many places to enjoy the fireworks!
In Portland, the place to be is on the Eastern Promenade Park with a display of fireworks being shot off right next to the water starting at 9:15 p.m. This is where I spent last 4th of July and it was one of the best shows I have seen yet (excluding the displays I saw as a child in Washington DC, of course). The program is expected to last approximately 25 minutes and it is estimated that 50,000 people will watch the program throughout the city. There is limited parking close to the Promenade and along Munjoy Hill, but the park is within walking distance of many parking garages. According to weather.com, there is a “slight chance of isolated thunderstorms” on the 4th, and the rain-date for the fireworks is scheduled for Sunday, July 5th at 9 p.m.
If you’re not in the Portland area, no worries! No matter where you are in Maine, there is always a celebration.
