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Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME

Photo: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsHistory BuffRainy-Day PickLocal Gem

Portland Museum of Art

7 Congress Square · Portland, ME

Why you should go…

Founded in 1882, the Portland Museum of Art is the oldest and largest public art institution in Maine, holding more than 22,000 works. Its campus joins the McLellan House, the L. D. M. Sweat Memorial Galleries and a 1983 building by Henry Nichols Cobb of I. M. Pei & Partners. You can see paintings by Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth alongside European works by Monet and Picasso, and visitors 21 and under always get in free.

  • #art museum
  • #american art
  • #winslow homer
  • #portland maine
  • #arts district

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Portland Museum of Art, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Victoria Mansion

    Under $25

    Tour an 1860 brownstone Italianate villa that keeps about 97 percent of its original contents, including Gustave Herter furniture.

    Steps awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Foodie Favorite

    Old Port

    Free

    Portland's waterfront district of cobblestone lanes, 19th-century brick warehouses, shops, restaurants and working piers.

    0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    The Holy Donut

    Under $25

    A Portland, Maine bakery famous for dense, made-from-scratch potato doughnuts in inventive flavors.

    0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Tours
    Iconic

    Portland Schooner Co.

    $50+

    Windjammer sails on Casco Bay aboard classic Maine schooners.

    0.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Seashore Trolley Museum

    Under $25

    The world's largest trolley museum, with vintage streetcar rides in Kennebunkport.

    20 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Strawbery Banke Museum

    Under $25

    Ten-acre living history museum on Portsmouth's original waterfront neighborhood.

    47 mi awayMore like this