Chasing Bigfoot: Exploring Portland, Maine's Secrets! (Things to do in Portland Maine 2023)

We're in Portland, Maine, and we're going to show you the fun things you can do here. Our first stop is Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train we'll be riding is a narrow gauge, which means the track is only two feet wide. For five dollars more, you can buy a first-class ticket, which includes padded seats, a drink, and a snack. Oh, yeah, can I sit here? This is wonderful. We're in the caboose, and this is the most unique seat, but we're not going to, well, I'm not going to stay here because I'd rather be in the open air. I'm just going to climb up. Oh, this is so unique. Yeah, you can see the tops of the train cars. Yeah. We're going to be riding to a halfway point where we get a 10-minute break to see the coastline. We reached the end of the rail where we get to come out for 8 to 10 minutes. This is a bridge that got burned down in 1984 by arsonists. So, we met the conductor on board, and he's going to tell us some facts about this railroad. So, we are the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad here in Portland, Maine. Our two-foot narrow gauge tracks were converted to two foot from four foot eight and a half inches, which is the standard gauge back in 1992. So, this track just went all the way to Canada? Yeah, it did go. It did go all the way to Canada. I like how the outdoor car has the elevated seating that you can just look at. Those cars are great. Yeah, I really like how all the seats give you a great view no matter where you sit. So, who, what type of person would choose to sit up there? Great question. It used to be the members of the train operating crew would sit up there. It gives them a good view of everything that's going on with the train. On some newer cabooses, some types of cabooses would have it actually sort of hang off the off the side of the train. That would be even cooler. Yeah, and that could give them a view of everything going on on the side of the train. Thank you Mr. Benjamin for being a great conductor. Our next stop is the Victoria Mansion. This is one of America's finest and most complete houses of the mid-19th century. Videography is not allowed inside the mansion, but we are allowed to take photos. When we go inside, we're going to try to find these animals in a scavenger hunt. The grand hallway is adorned with intricate patterns and a sparkling chandelier. The reception room is where the family and their guests would gather for lively conversations. At the dining room, a massive table takes center stage fit for grand feasts. The library is filled with shelves of fascinating books. The parlor is where the family would unwind, perhaps enjoy music. Now we're going upstairs. There's a lot of beautiful stained glass and sculptures. The master bedroom is adorned with a bed with elegant decoration. The smoking room, on the other hand, was a place for adults to kick back and chat. The sitting room is where the family spent quality time. When guests came to stay, they were treated to the well-appointed guest bedroom. And that was the Victoria Mansion. My favorite part was the scavenger hunt because it made me look at all the decor in the house and they were all super cool. I liked seeing the artwork inside because when we first entered, there was a grand entrance with stained glass as the ceiling. I thought that was really neat. And I especially liked the library room because the wood there was so dark and it just looked like a very comfortable place to study that I wish I had at home. It's time for the International Cryptozoology Museum. Founded in 2003 by Lauren Coleman, this is the only cryptozoology museum in the world. This museum is about cryptozoology, which is the study of hidden or unknown creatures. So some examples would be Bigfoot, Yeti, Sasquatch, and the Loch Ness Monster. Here's a map of the Monsters of America. So the main Bigfoot number six is over... Shoot, what is it? It's over there. Here's a photograph of Bigfoot at Bluff Creek. Is it a hoax? I would think Bigfoot is larger than that though. This says that in 1967, the whole Sasquatch myth took a different direction because now they got video evidence of Sasquatch existence. That means either this was someone dressed in a Sasquatch costume or it was actually Sasquatch. It's interesting because this says that the legitimacy has been supported since the size and shape of the body cannot be duplicated. The Sasquatch's stride length would be around 48 inches, which is four feet. If I start here, one, two, three, four. So it's basically like this. Look, so down here they show a raccoon poop, a muskrat poop, a puffin, and a buffalo's huge. But look at Bigfoot. It's bigger than my face. I've never heard of the Dover Demon before, but apparently it's from Dover, Massachusetts, and it looks like this. Kind of like an alien. It's Jackalope. It's so big and fluffy. Here's a skeleton from a mermaid. It's Dobby. The dodo and the Tasmanian wolf were actually real. Too bad they're extinct. This says that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was based on a cryptid called Kappa, a Japanese cryptid, which I think is a mythical creature. Yeti is one of my favorite cryptids just because it lives in the snow. It looks so cute. And that is the International Cryptozoology Museum. My favorite part was seeing all the different creatures around the world. My favorite creature is obviously Bigfoot. He's so big and he has a big foot. I liked looking at the maps and also learning about the recording of Bigfoot. On to our next stop. Now we are at the Maine Historical Society Museum. This place preserves and shares the story of the Pine Tree State. This section is called Fashion for the People and names Graphic Tea, so it's about graphic design on shirts. Maine is known for this drink, but since we don't drink soda, I don't really want to try it. Now we're going to tour the Wadsworth Longfellow House. Here's a portrait of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and he was able to speak seven different languages. This is the desk that Henry sat at writing his poems, and they think that he might have written the Rainy Day poem here. And for that reason, this is called the Rainy Day Room. This note says it's a closet. I like the notes in this house. Wait, is there going to be like a skeleton here? No, but there's another note on the inside if you open it up. Told you. This is the sitting room and dining room, but for a while it was Stephen Longfellow's office, and he's the father of Henry Longfellow. It says here, Everyone who ever sat on this chair is now dead. Play it safe and remain standing. This is the china closet, and it's where Henry liked to sit and write when he was a child. Now they leave papers for visitors to write their own poems or messages. This is the guest room, and back then before they built all these buildings, you could see into the arbor. We're now in the children's room. This is a pretty cute little bed. Oh, it's kind of like the tent that brother sleeps in at home. Yes, I sleep in the tent. When Henry was 13, he wrote The Battle of Lovell's Pond, which was his first published poem, and they think he wrote it on this table. I like how this house still has all the original artifacts. I finished my poem. Everything except the first two lines is about this house. Portland, Maine is insane. In the Henry poet's home, there were many rooms to roam. A poet loved this very much. Now there are signs saying not to touch. The covered bed is the place to be, and a chamber pot if you need to pee. A kitchen with food to desire. This house survived a fire. Henry published a poem at 13. Out the window, a harbor could be seen. Now don't sit down on the chair, because everyone who did is no longer here. Our next stop is the Maine Jewish Museum. This exhibit is called Soul Survivors, and it's about people who survived the Holocaust. So this guy, Cantor Kurt Messerschmitt, yeah, he went to Auschwitz, and he said that what they would serve there was water and rotten food, such as cabbage or potatoes that were darkened, so they were unedible, and if you ate them, you'd die. What's wrong with this guy? What's his name? His name is Harry. Harry? Havvy. Havvy? He looks like he's hairy. And that is the Maine Jewish Museum. I really like looking at all the people's, kind of like diaries, in the third floor. I liked how they had a synagogue on the second and third floors, and this is a great free place to visit when you're in Portland.