Join Maine Community Swimming Executive Director Brooke Teller and City of Portland staff Nathan Frazee and Tatyana Vashchenko for our 3rd Thursday Walk & Talk through Dougherty Field and the Rising Eddy Community Pool. Together, we'll explore the story behind Portland's newest community pool, learn about the vision, planning, and partnerships that brought the project to life, discuss the importance of water safety and equitable access to swimming, and enjoy a guided tour inside the pool facility. RSVP today!

Date: 8/20, 4–5pm

Meet at the Rising Eddy Community Pool parking lot entrance on the St. James Street side. Parking is available on the street.

Join Parks Director Alex Marshall and NEMBA Volunteer President Ryan Dunfee for a walk through Riverton Trolley Park as we explore recent and planned improvements to the park and discuss how these projects fit into Portland's Recreation Improvement Plan. Along the way, you'll learn about ongoing investments in parks and public spaces, the role of the Portland Youth Corps in supporting park improvements, and hear from Ryan about the Riverton Bike Park, how it came together, and its impact on the community.  RSVP today!

Join historian Seth Goldstein from South Portland Historical Society for a walk through Portland’s historic working waterfront. You’ll learn about the sailors, longshoremen, and fishermen who shaped the harbor and defined this part of the city’s history. As a new waterfront park begins to take shape, this walk offers a chance to better understand the significance of this place.

Meet in the parking lot beside Ocean Gateway in front of Speckled Ax Coffee. Street parking and nearby garages are available.

RSVP HERE!

Join City of Portland Park Ranger Liz Collado for our 3rd Thursday Walk and Talk. We will visit parts of Portland’s Freedom Trail and highlight some of the remarkable people and places connected to Maine’s African American history. It will be a relaxed, celebratory walk with opportunities to enjoy the trail and pick up a few stories along the way . 

Thursday, October 16, from 4-5pm

We’ll meet at the Franklin Street Wharf, the starting point of the Portland Freedom Trail, also known as the Maine State Pier.  

Parking is available on nearby streets or in downtown garages within a short walk of the Wharf.  

Please come dressed according to the weather and wear sturdy shoes, there will be some walking up and down hills and uneven terrain.  

Register Today!

Join us on Thursday, September 18 for an evening full of community, activity, and film at Riverton Trolley Park!

Highlights include: 

• Third Thursday Walk & Talk (5-6pm) - Explore the history and future of Riverton Trolley Park with former City Arborist Jeff Tarling. We’ll meet in the parking lot by the entrance. RSVP today!

• Bike Clinic - Learn bike tips and skills at the new bike park with the Greater Portland New England Mountain Bike Association.

• Food Truck: Meet on the Street - Grab a bite while enjoying the park atmosphere.

• Battery Steele Brewing Special - $5 pints for GPNEMBA members.

• Maine Outdoor Film Festival (7pm)- Multiple films will be shown, including the premiere of Riverton Rising. Click here to see full line up & learn more!

• Parking: Parking is available at Riverton Trolley Park. If the lot is full, participants may use the Hannaford parking lot across the street.

Bring your friends and family to enjoy the park, the films, and the community!

Join Maine Audubon’s Andrew Tufts for a walk through the reforested section of Deering Oaks near King Middle School. Learn how native understory plantings; shrubs, groundcovers, and young trees, create soft landings for insects, support biodiversity, and bring resilience to our urban landscapes.

Thursday, August 21, 4–5pm

We’ll meet at the stage in Deering Oaks.

RSVP Today!

There will be no 3rd Thursday this month due it being a federal holiday. Enjoy the holiday break!

Join Transportation Program Manager Bruce Hyman for a tour of the future Union Branch Pathway and learn how this rail-to-trail project will improve access for pedestrians and cyclists around the peninsula. You’ll also hear from Parks Director Alex Marshall about recent and upcoming improvements in Deering Oaks and how the City is enhancing these beloved public spaces.  

RSVP today!

Nick Lund, Advocacy and Outreach Manager at Maine Audubon, will guide us on a walking tour of the Peninsula to demonstrate how smaller parks and even single trees play a surprisingly important role in how birds move through the City. Meet at the Ocean Gateway building at 4pm. RSVP HERE.

City Arborist Mark Reiland will lead a walk at North Deering Park. Mark will familiarize us with some of the species of trees located here while also providing an overview of the state of Portland’s canopy and current City initiatives. Come learn about trees while also exploring Portland’s newest park on new trails built by Portland Youth Corps and a local Scout Troop! Please RSVP to Jack Phillips at jack@portlandparksconservancy.org if you would like to attend.

Join City Arborist Mark Reiland for a walk and talk at the Longfellow Arboretum in Payson Park on Thursday, June 20th, from 4pm to 5pm.  Mark will help familiarize us with some of the several dozen species of trees located here while also providing an overview on the state of Portland’s canopy and current City initiatives. RSVP here to join.

Join Betsy Cook, Maine State Program Director of Trust for Public Land, as we walk through Portland’s newest park! North Deering Park brings Portland much closer to our goal of having a neighborhood park available within a 10-minute walk of every resident. You’ll be surprised at the natural wonders you’ll see hidden away right off Washington Avenue!

Find the main entrance and parking at the end of Ballpark Drive. We will be starting in the parking lot and walking some new trails around the 24 acre area. Trails are uneven—wear sturdy shoes!

Join us before the walk for a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Celebration at 4:30pm!

Meeting Location: Capisic Pond Park, meeting at the entrance at the end of Macy Street

Join Elise Smorczewski, Naturalist, to learn about Portland’s beloved flying friends: dragonflies and damselflies and how their world interacts with ours.

July 20th at 5:00pm - Lincoln Park

Learn about the start of the press in Maine right by where it all began. Hosted by Greg Kesich, retired editor of the Portland Press Herald, enjoy hearing about the power of knowledge in one of Portland's most urban green spaces.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

Free Admission.

Explore the history of Riverton Trolley Park like you have never seen it before and learn about what the future of this hidden park has in store. Meet at Riverton Trolley Park at 5:00pm sharp to begin the walk. Please dress appropriately for standing outside in weather.

Join Patty Dodd to learn the value of taking time and space to be with yourself in the outdoors. In the time of Spring and change, learn how to be meditative in nature. 

Meet at the Ponds in Evergreen Cemetery (south side)

Join the Maine Audubon Society's Doug Hitchcox to learn about some of Maine's favorite song birds. Listen to their chirps as they begin their nesting season in one of Portland's oldest most established forests. 

Free Talk

Location: Payson Park Arboretum

Join Juliane McLellan of Public Works and Ranger Liz as we discuss Trash! What is trash? What to do with trash? What happens with trash? Trashy pick up lines? Come learn and find out!

Join the Director of Portland Cemeteries, Michael Ciamata, on a winter walk through Evergreen like you have never seen it before. We will be meeting at the main entrance by the out building (not the entrance with the closed gate and the church).

Free Talk

Location: Back Cove Parking Lot

What happens to water after it rains? How does it effect our bay? Why has there been so much construction over the past couple of years? Come have your questions asked and answered by Will Everitt of Friends of Casco Bay!

Free Talk

Location: East End Community Garden (across from East End School on North Street)

Learn about food waste in Southern Maine as we lead up to Thanksgiving. Talk hosted by Annika Schmidt of Garbage to Garden.

Free Talk

Meet at the main entrance on Vaughan Street.

Get in the spooky mood this Halloween season in the Western Cemetery to hear about the history and future of this beautiful park, hosted by Michael Ciamaga, Director of Cemeteries in Portland.

Free Admission.

Back by popular demand!

Join us at Deering Oaks Park to learn the history of the Black Hawk Statue and how it found Portland to be its home. What is a Black Hawk? Why is it so important that we saw one? Find out at this Third Thursday Talk, hosted by Doug Hitchcox of Maine Audubon. Meet at the Black Hawk Statue near the corner of Deering and Park Avenue.

Free Admission.

Learn about the complex and ever changing history of one of Portland’s most beautiful and interesting parks on this guided walk with Parks Conservancy ED Nan Cumming. The Portland Parks Conservancy is working with the City to make improvements to the park. How would Frederick Law Olmsted have approached this project? Meet at Riverton Trolley Park at 5:00pm sharp to begin the walk. Please dress appropriately for walking on uneven terrain.

CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

Free Admission.

The Big Tree Talk is back! City Arborist Jeff Tarling will be taking us on a city wide tour of the oldest and most historical trees in the City of Portland.

The group will meet at the City’s Parks, Recreation, and Facilities office, 212 Canco Road. You will have the option to ride in the van (until all seats are filled) or drive your own vehicle.

Free Admission.

Join us at Deering Oaks Park to learn the history of the Black Hawk Statue and how it found Portland to be its home. What is a Black Hawk? Why is it so important that we saw one? Find out at this Third Thursday Talk, hosted by Eric Topper of Maine Audubon.

* CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER*

Free Admission. Wondering what to plant and how to plant it? Join Rowen Gorman of Cultivating Community as we discuss community gardening and what plants you should consider for your own back yards in Southern Maine. We will be meeting at the Common Share Garden on the Eastern Prom on May 19th at 4:00pm.

Free Admission. Meet at PATHS woods entrance by the PATH High School. Follow the road to the left around the high school and meet us at the Greenhouse at 4:00pm sharp to begin the walk. Ranger Scott Kunkler will be walking us through PATHS as a tour of the forest's woods and waters and how it is all connected.