Overlooking the Fore River and Casco Bay Bridge, the 2.5-acre grassy park stretches along York Street in the West End neighborhood of Portland. Benches by the lawn – or the lawn itself – make for the perfect spot to enjoy something from LB Kitchen West  on York Street or you check out the recently opened Cider House on Brackett Street.  This park also serves as the terminus of the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Doug Jones/Staff Photographer

Nestled in the heart of downtown Portland, Congress Square Park is a multi-use concrete park and there’s often something happening there. Regular events include exercise classes, salsa dancing, knitting, community chess games, movie screenings and musical performances. It’s also a popular spot for in-town workers to sit and have lunch.

Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

These two small parks on either side of Exchange Street are right in the heart of Portland’s Old Port, providing a place for local youths to hang out, shoppers to rest their feet and performers – from buskers to fire jugglers – to put on a show for everyone passing by. Among the laid bricks that make up most of Post Office Park, you’ll find stone benches and landscaped islands. During the day, at Tommy’s Park, you’re likely to come across Mark’s Hot Dogs, a long-established food cart with a following of regulars who hold court nearby. The park is also home to a visitor information kiosk and sits in the shadow of a colorful, abstract mural painted by South Portland artist Will Sears.

Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Nestled between apartment buildings on Munjoy Hill’s North Street, this small neighborhood park is known for having what’s possibly the best view of the city. Dogs play fetch on the tree-studded acre of grass, which is also used for tai chi and tightrope-walking. A path from the street leads straight back to a concrete viewing area with benches where you can find anyone from tourists to rowdy teenagers taking in the sweeping view of downtown Portland and Back Cove.

Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

On the eastern edge of the Portland peninsula lies a nearly 70-acre park, largely defined by a long, wide lawn that slopes down from the street, which is also called Eastern Promenade, toward the water, creating a natural form of stadium seating for looking out on Casco Bay. While some park-goers simply sit and admire the ocean and islands, others use the expanse for Frisbee games, yoga classes and even hill sprints, surely made at least a little easier by the peaceful setting. The park also features tennis and basketball courts, baseball fields, a playground and a path along the water that’s popular with walkers and runners and connects to the Back Cove Trail and the Old Port. On the city side, the prom turns into Fort Allen Park, which features a Civil War monument, a gazebo and benches overlooking the water.

Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer