Vacation Ideas: Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth and Fort Williams Park in Maine

The Portland Head Light is situated along the shores of Fort Williams Park at 1000 Shore Road. It is a popular landmark owned and managed by the Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Visit the Museum at Portland Head Light contained within the former Keepers’ Quarters that features many lighthouse lenses and interpretative displays. There is also a gift shop on the site featuring fine lighthouse and Maine related gifts that is open at all times when the Museum is open. The gift shop is open on weekends from November 1st to just before Christmas.

The ninety acre Fort Williams Park adjacent to the Museum provides areas for picnics, hiking, other sports and recreation areas, historic fort structures and many ocean views.

Fort Williams Park is open all year 24 hours a day with no admission fee. You can take photographs of the lighthouse from many areas within the park. The Portland Head Light is the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

The Museum of Portland Head Light is open daily:

• Memorial Day to the Friday following Columbus Day
• From mid April to Memorial Day
• From Columbus Day to just before Christmas the Museum is open weekends only

Museum hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission cost to the Museum is $2.00 for adults, $1.00 for children age 6-18, and Free to children younger than 6 years.

Fort Williams is one of the most treasured sites of Cape Elizabeth and home to the oldest lighthouse in Maine. It has become a popular tourist destination seeing nearly a million visitors a year. It is very common to see people enjoying the playing fields, tennis courts, beach or just walking around the park on any day of the year.

During winter months, Fort Williams is an ideal place to cross-country ski, sled or ice skate on the pond. There are special events yearly that include Family Fun Day, the Labor Day Art Show, the People’s Beach to beacon 10K Road Race and Portland Symphony Orchestra performances. However, the daily peacefulness of Maine’s coastline is what makes Fort Williams such a special place for visitors from all around the world.

Fort Williams manages to maintain some of its historic past even though the place is full of runners, bikers, baseball games and picnics. The old military buildings were part of the Town of Cape Elizabeth’s purchase of the 90 + Acre Park on December 1, 1964. Also still present is the Goddard Mansion, although not in the condition it was when Colonel John Goddard and his family lived there during the mid to late 1800s, the walls of the great mansion still stand high on the hill which overlooks Fort Williams.

Unique Characteristics of Cape Elizabeth

Cape Elizabeth, Maine is the birthplace of legendary movie director John Ford.

First winner of the Women’s Olympic Marathon, Joan Benoit Samuelson, was raised in Cape Elizabeth and graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School. The town honors her with a life-size bronze sculpture in front of the Thomas Memorial Library on Scott Dyer Road.

Source: Maine Tourist Guide

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© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reservedurce: Portland, Maine Tourist Guide