Fort Williams Park

Anyone in Maine or visiting Maine should visit this park at least once. It’s historical — a former military base with bunkers and forts dating back from WWII to the Civil War. It’s majestic — the Portland Head Light is the crown jewel of American lighthouses. It’s relaxing — hiking trails, picnic areas and even a small sandy beach make this a fun-​for-​all-​ages destination. About a 5 – 10 minute drive south of Portland, so no excuses!

Spacious open space with tons of grassy areas, along with decent parking, BBQ areas/​grills, walking paths, benches, shady tree coverage, landscaping, informational signage and a feeling of relaxation with a coastal view. You can easily spend a couple hours here walking around, exploring, and enjoying nature and the company of your friends and family. Great spot to do more than just one thing!

Beautiful. Gorgeous views, lovely gardens, and nice trails to walk around on. We spent about half the day there and easily could have stayed longer.

This is a wonderful place to hang out by the water, get some exercise and view the lighthouse. Plenty of parking and not overcrowded. There is a nice place for the kids to safely walk on the rocky beach.

Fort Williams Park is truly a spectacular site. It’s peaceful even with the crowds of people because of the breathtaking view of the Portland Head Light, gardens and of course the ocean that surrounds you. I highly recommend taking a blanket and spending some time exploring this park. Follow the paths along the cliffside, back into the old, run-​down barracks or the old mansion. Whether you’re a lover of nature, an artist or are with people you hold dear, this is an inspiring spot and could quite possibly leave you speechless. And lucky for you, the Portland Head Light is inside Fort Williams Park, as is the Bite of Maine food truck, so visiting one, you’ll be visiting all! Just make sure you think about the season and dress/​prepare accordingly!

Beautiful place!
Of course this place will always be special and wonderful because my fiancé proposed to me there. Great views of the light house, the Atlantic, tons of little areas with plaques talking about the history.

I’ve been to Fort Williams four or five times in the last several years and it never fails to have the same breathtaking impact as the first time I visited. Plainly put, it’s a gorgeous spot. Rocky shoreline, rolling green hills (they probably keep ‘em so lush with the «stay off the grass» signs), that quintessential Maine money shot of a stately lighthouse on the shore, stone ruins, lobster roll stand… it’s so much picturesque beauty in one place.
All that and… it’s free! Ample parking, easy drive from Portland, picnic tables, grills — really such an incredible park with a view that can’t be beat. I just love it.

History and Beauty
An easy ride and well worth it. The grounds and the history of this fort are compelling.
We had no idea this spot was so beautiful. The views of the bay, the strategic placement of the fort all add to the historic interest and charm of the place.
There was a wedding party while we were there, and, I completely understand.

Absolutely beautiful… Amazing! the cliffs, scenery, the ocean is breath taking. never seen such beautiful sights which God gave us as gift.

There’s plenty to do and see in Portland, but the biggest attraction of all is about 15 minutes outside of town. They say the Portland Light is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world, and it’s easy to see why. Like Kate Upton, this is a beauty that photographs well from every angle. (The little on-​site gift shop still has a vintage sign proclaiming «Kodak Film for Sale.» Given the number of shots I took, I can only imagine how much film they sold back in the day.)
Besides the light itself, there’s plenty more to see and do at this park. The military ruins are especially interesting, and they’ve done a great job with historical markers that bring everything to life. You’ll also find hiking trails, picnic areas, a crumbling old mansion — even a sandy beach. The facilities and infrastructure are all first-​rate, which is surprising since parking and admission are absolutely free.

This park is beautiful and well-​maintained. With a lighthouse, a fort, a 150-​year old house, a beach, and rocks to climb, this park provided our two boys a full day of fun in the sun, learning about history and enjoying the Maine coastline. Add a food truck, plenty of picnic tables, and you’ve got an amazing park. And best of all, it’s free!

Fort Williams Park, or my pet name for it Fort Willy, has always been and continues to be one of my most favorite places. Whenever I am entertaining out of towners this place is a must. It is versatile so no matter what mood you are in, this park can mimic it. There are a few large fields that are perfect for kite flying, kicking a ball around or just lying on a blanket with a good book. There is a small baseball diamond for pick up games, tennis courts and a playground that the kids love!
There are many interesting things for the history buffs out there who want to read all about the pieces of the forts that remain. My son loves to explore the forts and walk the path that goes from the big lighthouse all along the coast to the ocean. Feel like swimming or skimming rocks? No problem. Low tide is a bit more manageable for getting out into the water, otherwise it is a pretty rocky shore line and there is not a lot of dry sand. There are grills to cook on, picnic tables to sit at and now there is even a food truck in case you are not up for packing a lunch.
If you want a great place to bring family, friends or a romantic partner, this has something for everyone. Bring a kite and a picnic lunch and spend the day. The truly best part about Fort Williams though, is the view! It is a breathtaking view and there are usually a myriad of boats to watch ride by.

It was rather windy and cold here, which was surprising given that we were fine with our light layers during our day trip to Portland till we got to Fort Williams Park. But it was at the coast of Maine, so ultimately, it made sense!
We were here for a quick stop to check out «the most photographed lighthouse in the world» — the Portland Head Lighthouse, so we didn’t do much exploring of the park itself. And gee… it (and its surrounding cliffs) was rather pretty.
No charge for parking. Portapotties available if you need them.

I’ve beenn going to Fort Williams since I was a kid.
It is a beautiful location just outside of the city. You can spend the day BBQing with friends, or just hanging out.
The scenery is amazing.

I’m surprised that Unilocal has Fort Williams and Portland Headlight as two separate things. As a local, I don’t see them that way; when you’re at one, you’re basically at the other. Unless you’re intentionally trying to ignore that giant white spire that’s flashing light out to the sea and blasting it’s fog horn every minute.
Fort Williams is a lovely, charming place to bring your family and dog (who doesn’t love a swing set or a good trail to meander on?), your friends to skip rocks or for a dip in the ocean (the «beaches» are quite small especially when the tide is in, but definitely manageable if you can brave our Atlantic temps), or your significant other for a picnic (SO. MANY. LUCOUS. GREEN. ROLLING. HILLS. What is this, Ireland?; there are picnic tables and grills, too). If you’re the exploring type, you can climb in, around, and on some unfortunately graffitied forts… you can’t, however, get inside the Goddard Mansion anymore (I mean, you could try, but there’s a giant fence warning against such chavvy behavior).
Also — as others have mentioned — it’s free and there’s loads of parking (two things that can be hard to find in Ye Olde Greater Portlandtown). And, again, it’s a positively breathtaking spot to take folks who are generally landlocked or big city dwellers to; absolutely worth coming to at least once in your life (and, if you’re fortunate enough to be a local, then as many times as you possibly can when it isn’t tourist season, as we all know it can get obscenely busy here June to August).

This place has it ALL. I probably visit 10 – 12 times per year and I always love it, no matter the season. There’s ample parking in several different spots in the park, so you’re always able to easily get to wherever you want to go. It can get crowded in the summer — particularly by the lighthouse — but it’s easily avoided since the park is SO HUGE. There’s swing sets, a few forts to explore, a couple beach areas (one sandy, one rocky), grills for BBQing, lots of picnic tables scattered throughout, a gift shop/​museum, Portland Head Light, rocks to climb on, gorgeous views all over the damn place, a baseball diamond, a pond, tennis courts, basketball courts, a playground… need I go on? It’s AMAZING.

We’ve only been here in the winter, so I will definitely have to update this review when we return in the summer. We needed to get outdoors since it’s been a LONG winter in Maine. While it was cold, we went on a sunny Sunday afternoon and this place was busier than I expected. There are lots of trails and walkways and while I’m not an animal owner, this seems like a good place to walk your dog. There’s a lot of open space which was great for my son to run around and get some energy out. The views are beautiful and there was lots of parking (not sure what it’s like in the summer-​probably not as much parking). There is a great playground for small kids and we stayed there for quite a while. It seems like a good place to bring a picnic and hang out on a warm day. Since it is winter, we opted to try a restaurant in South Portland because it isn’t quite picnic weather.
We can’t wait for the warmer weather and we will definitely be back!

Einen Autostopp haben wir im Fort Williams Park angelegt. Dort befindet sich auch «Portland Head Light», der wohl älteste Leuchtturm in Maine.
Im Fort Williams Park gibt es genügend Parkplätze, um dann danach auf den schön angelegten Wegen an der rauhen und felsigen Küste zu wandern. Der Park kostet keinen Eintritt und wird von den Einheimischen gerne genutzt. Als wir dort eintrafen hat eine größere Gruppe gerade einen Geburtstag gefeiert.
Im Park befindet sich auch das Herrenhaus der Goddards, die dort in den späten 1800er Jahren lebten.
Alles ist hier sehr gepflegt. Auf dem Weg zur Küste haben wir eine schöné Blumenwiese bewundert, die in herrlichen Farben blühte.
Ein wirklich schöner Park, der zu einer kleinen Wanderung zum Leuchtturm oder zum Picknicken einlädt.

Beautiful grounds and lovely view of the lighthouse. There are lots of places to picnic and spend time with your loved ones. There’s some bits of history throughout the area and you can visit where they used to see the ships passing by! It’s hot in the summer!

A beautiful place for virtually any outdoor activity.
Ocean views, expansive lawns for lounging and playing, tables and grills for picnics and parties, forts for exploring, trails for walking, running, or biking, a lighthouse, and even a great little beach that was nearly vacant on a day when Crescent Beach was overflowing.
Fort Williams Park has it all, and it’s free! Go, now.

BEAUTIFUL & RELAXING picturesque view of the Portland Head Light! it’s seriously like looking at the front of a bag of Cape Cod chips
there’s a short trail next to the lighthouse with many benches along the way to sit back & enjoy the view
NOTE: from the parking lot, Leading up to lighthouse they have BBQ friendly spots in the park! but if grilling isn’t your thing, there’s an award winning lobster roll truck also near the entrance of the lighthouse