Perhaps I’m a bit of a geek, but I just loved the tour that Ryan & I took today of the childhood home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Located just down the street from where we live, I cannot believe that we have been living so close for a couple of years now & we’ve only just mustered the gusto to visit! I mean, when we lived on Deering Street I passed it every single day on my walk to work. To me, history is fascinating, & since I’ve been out of school now for a little while I no longer find it draining or boring to listen to dates & names. Plus, standing inside such a gorgeous structure really helps me focus my concentration!
My recommendation today is that you see the Longfellow Museum tour at 489 Back Street *ahem!* Congress Street, tout de suite! You don’t have to be a lover of poetry to appreciate the tour either! There is a bevy of information about Portland’s history, & also about the early years of our nation! In fact, you’ll find that the Wadsworths were quite fond of George Washington & made it well known that they were in fact friends of his.
It being a small house, the tour didn’t take a huge amount of time from our day, but the self-guided tour of the exhibits next door in the Maine Historical Society allowed us to explore the pages of history at our own pace. So go now! Run along! Hear the sad story of this famous man’s beard!
Hours of operation for May-October:
Monday–Saturday, 10:30am–4pm; tours on the hour, first tour at 10:30am, last tour at 4:00pm
Sunday, 12pm–4pm; tours on the hour
The prices are:
Members: Free
Adults: $8
Seniors & Students: $7
Children: $3
Visit this site for a two-for-the-price-of-one ticket coupon! And visit this site for more info!
Photo from the Maine Historical Society
I want to gooooo! When I came to visit over the winter, it was closed, remember? That was when you kids were still on Deering Street. I looked at it longingly, because I’m a geek too
MISS YOU. xx.
We thought the whole time of how we MUST take you! When can you visit again? Any free Mondays/Tuesdays on the horizon for you?
I will make it happen soon. Next Tuesday I’m off to Cape Cod (I haven’t seen Loryn since April & baby Carter since November–I’m SO excited). I will take a look at the calendar tomorrow and see what we can do
I want to wander around Portland with you and Ryan in the sunshine!