Deering Oaks Park

I took my dog for a walk early am in Deering Oaks Park which is a block away from the Wild Iris Inn. It had been raining and overcast for days in Portland and this was the first day of sun we have had and it was just starting to peek out of the sky. The Rose Circle Garden is surrounded by a circle of shrubs so the rose bushes are hidden. When I walk through the path into the garden I was surprised to see all the roses in full bloom. What a beautiful sight! I realized how lucky we are to have such a treasure of this beautiful park less than a block away. We have a great farmers market on Saturdays, concerts, children's wading pool, tennis courts, horseshoes, basketball court and baseball field. It is also a great place just to walk the paths through the magnificent oak trees. It was design by Fredrick Law Olmsted 1822-1903, a famous landscape architect who also designed New York's Central Park.

Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com

Great Tours in Portland

Last week I attended a Front Desk Training at the Portland Maine Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). They put this free training on every year for any CVB member and their staff. Many of the tour vendors were there and it was great to talk to all these people and find out about the amazing of fun activities in Portland. Portland Discovery Tours has been around but have combined their various tours under one name. They have a wonderful lighthouse lover cruise, Portland City Cruise or is you can't decide which one you can go their Land & Sea Tour. You can find out more at http://www.portlanddiscovery.com/. There was a new tour just launching this season called Maine Foodie Tours that looked quite delicious. They offer up an Old Port Culinary Tour or a Just Desserts Tour for those with a sweet tooth. Portland is becoming know as a great "foodie city" with all it's incredible restaurants, bakeries and speciality shops. Check them out at http://www.mainefoodietours.com/. If eating is not your thing then maybe Deep Sea Fishing might be with Captain Jim. What ever is your catch, ground fishing, shark or tuna trip they can provide you with lots of excitement. More can be found out about these trips at http://www.atlanticadventures.biz/.

For those history buffs Portland Landmarks conduct great walking tours around Portland or visit them at the Portland Observatory and find out about America's only maritime signal tower at http://www.portlandlandmarks.org/. Or go for a Windjammer sail to see our beautiful Maine coast and islands. Two companies in Portland http://www.portlandschooner.com/ or http://www.mainesailingadventures.net/ have wonderful trips from 2 hour excursions to overnight sails. So come to Portland Maine and have an adventure!

Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com