Our outdoor Victorian Fair will return to the Mansion lawn this October, with an “odd” twist! Join us for A Bizarre Victorian Bazaar: An Exhibition of Oddities and the Obscure. This one-day fair kicks off the Halloween season with an educational (and entertaining!) take on Victorian folklore, camera trickery, Spiritualism, and more.
Learn about poison books and wallpaper, how purported mediums conducted seances, and why some elite Victorians held mummy unwrapping parties. Have your cards (or head) read, create Victorian crafts, and much more! This fair will have activities and games for kids throughout the day. Plus, a visit from Charles Dickens, scenes from Portland Ballet’s Dracula, and live music by the Shank Painters! We’ll also have Sullivan House Bakery onsite for visitors who want to grab a bite to eat while they enjoy demonstrations and performances on the lawn.
This event is designed for visitors ages 8 and up. We encourage caregiver discretion for younger and more sensitive children.
Keep an eye on our Events webpage, and our Facebook and Instagram pages in the coming weeks as we announce more. A full schedule of events will be available onsite on the day of the event, and a preliminary schedule of events will be available closer to the event date. Tickets will go on sale September 1st!
Tickets:
Adults: $21
College Students: $8
Children ages 6-17: $6
Children 5 and under: Free
Victoria Mansion Members: Free
Museums for All (SNAP/EBT cardholders): $3 (with valid SNAP/EBT card at check-in)
The Maine Brews Cruise and Freeport Wild Bird Supply are excited to resurrect our collaboration for three very special outings in 2024.
These unique, relaxed birding and beer-ing adventures that you have come to love combine great local birding at seasonal hotspots with visits to sample the delicious creations of some of our favorite local breweries. These tours are a perfect introduction to birding and/or craft beer, and a great opportunity to travel with significant others, friends, and family that have interest in one topic, while your interest is primarily in the other (for now!). Seasonal birding hotspots and great local beer – a perfect combination, and we’ll even do all of the driving!
The Boat Trip!
Sunday, October 20th
9am – 2pm
For the first time ever, Birds on Tap! is hitting the water! That’s right, we taking a cruise. And our goal is to find a rare bird or two.
This very special trip will take us across Portland Harbor to the private House Island. We’ve been granted special permission to come ashore and scour the island here in the first peak of the fall “Rarity Season.” We’ll follow well-maintained trails through the island’s mosaic of open habitats, scrub, and young woods. These are great habitats to search for vagrants and other seasonal rarities, and we’ve eyed the habitat from our birding days on Peak’s Island.
While rare birds are rare, we are still going to expect the unexpected. But more likely are regular migrants of the season such as a variety of sparrows, and a growing diversity of waterbirds. At the very least, we’ll have resident waterbirds and several species of gulls to sort through. We are having daydreams of a rare flycatcher!
As we motor across the harbor, we’ll begin to familiarize ourselves with some of the common waterbirds, such as Common Eiders and Common Loons to look at, while you enjoy a local craft beverage produced in the city of Portland.
The beverages are included in the tour price, and The Maine Brews Cruise will supply a light snack and water. Bring binoculars We also recommend bringing a lunch or additional snack if you so desire. Sturdy comfortable walking shoes are also recommended, as are a variety of layers as it can be quite chilly on the water by the end of October.
Meeting Location
- Meeting time: 9am
- Meeting location: Portland Beer Hub: 320 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
- on street parking is available in Portland’s Old Port
- parking garages are also an option and listed below
- Fore Street Parking Garage – 427 Fore Street, Portland
- Fisherman’s Wharf – 202 Commercial Street, Portland
- Custom House Parking Garage – 25 Pearl Street, Portland
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your departure time.
We’ll return to Portland Beer Hub at 2:00pm