Things to do nearPeaks Island

Peaks Island has been inhabited since the seventeenth century and served as a summer resort destination for Portland residents as far back as the Victorian era. At its peak as a tourist destination, the island hosted amusement parks and large hotels that drew crowds across the bay. Those grand structures are long gone, but the tradition of coming to Peaks Island for rest and fresh air has endured quietly for generations.

Today the island is home to a small year-round community of artists, writers, and families who have chosen a life shaped by tides and ferry schedules. Visitors explore the rocky coastline on the exposed back shore, where the Atlantic arrives without interruption, and wander the gentler harbor-facing streets lined with gardens and painted porches. The Fifth Maine Regiment Museum preserves Civil War history connected to the island's past, offering a glimpse into a chapter that many visitors do not expect to find here.

Food options are modest and intentionally so, with a handful of spots near the ferry landing serving lobster rolls, chowder, and coffee that taste better for being eaten outdoors with a view of the bay. The island's small scale means that nearly everything is within walking distance, and the absence of through traffic gives the lanes a pedestrian ease rare in most coastal towns.

Peaks Island rewards visitors who arrive without a rigid itinerary, willing to follow a path along the seawall or linger over the view from a rocky outcrop. Its combination of genuine community character, accessible wilderness, and proximity to Portland makes it one of Casco Bay's most satisfying day trips or overnight stays.