Fort Preble (Bunker Lane), South Portland: Photos, Reviews & Location

At a glance

#4 of 5 Tourist attractions in South Portland

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.70

0.8 km from the center of South Portland

Rating breakdown

5 ★73%
4 ★22%
3 ★4%
2 ★1%
1 ★0%

Bunker Lane, South Portland, ME 04106, United States

smccme.edu

+1 207-741-5500

Quick facts

What is the rating of Fort Preble?: Fort Preble is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on 837 reviews.
How does Fort Preble rank in South Portland?: Fort Preble is #4 of 5 Tourist attractions in South Portland by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Fort Preble located?: Bunker Lane, South Portland, ME 04106, United States — 0.8 km from the center of South Portland.
How can I contact Fort Preble?: Phone: +1 207-741-5500 · Website: smccme.edu

Reviews (13)

Elvis Jimenez 2024 Jul 11

Awesome light house experience must visit

Michigan Girl Adventures 2024 Jul 09

Great place for a view of the islands and lighthouse! It is on SMCC's campus and the there is a small beach you can climb down to. The beach is not wheelchair accessible. Parking is scarse so you may have to walk a bit. There are quite a few entrances hidden in the bush, but no real way to get in that I have find. This is mainly a viewing area.

Stephen Priest 2024 Jun 23

Located next to Spring Point Ledge Light 🕯️ and on the campus of Southern Maine Community College, this deteriorating and partially fenced off historical fort can be a bit of a challenge to explore. There is a path through a small woods that takes you to one part of the fort. You can get past the fence and walk along the top 🔝 at your own risk. It looks like there was a partial collapse on one side of the fort. It doesn't help that a moron urinated on one of the walls when there are porta potties nearby.
There are benches in one area but it is so overgrown you cannot use them.
There are visible attempts to save the fort. It was built in 1808 and was in service from the War of 1812 through WW2. The original officer's quarters, barracks and fire 🚒 station are still in use today.
For history buffs, not the historical movie 🎥 review channel on YouTube, it may be worth visiting. The fort has nice views. If you take your kids, keep an eye 👁️ on them!

Jeff Watson 2024 Jun 05

Beautiful place. Scenic lighthouse.

maryellen hussey 2024 Feb 24

Fenced off unable to walk it. But fun to see and walk near. Lighthouse walk has large stones but need to have good mobility to walk it.

Don Moore 2023 Sep 12

Not much to it, but I liked the quirky, squat little lighthouse and the nice green by the "Fort"..... really?..that's a fort? Absolutely nothing has changed since my last visit 25 years ago. Pleasant is a fair statement.

Juan Luis Ramirez Jr (Texas Brushman) 2023 Aug 04

Amazing piece of history. Feels great to sit and think about what could have been and what the men and women who served here experienced.

Glenn Guevarra 2023 Jul 10

It was a neat historical sight along a beautiful coastal scenery. Only wish that it wasn't foggy & drizzling rain during our visit.

Rōbi Ventures (Rōbi Ventures) 2022 Jun 29

This Fort is located on the campus of SMCC and parking is limited. If school is in session, there would likely not be any parking available as it’s all campus parking. We enjoyed walking around the area and seeing everything. There is also a lighthouse here at the site.

Luz Celeste Segarra Ramos 2022 Feb 25

It was amazing to see. No parking around. There is a College near it. We couldn't park so we didn't stay for long. We where geocaching around the area. It has a nice walk way too.

Johnny Gomez 2021 Sep 10

Beautiful light house built in the 1800s. Was part of an active fort from the War of 1812 through the Second World War.

Very easy to reach, but you’ll have to park in the community college to access the lighthouse. You can really take some great pictures of the lighthouse from the nearby beach area or along the rocky path leading to the lighthouse.

Erik Teichmann 2020 Jul 30

A great spot for ocean views, and a small amount of history. For someone who knows what they're looking for, I'm sure that the remains of the fort are very interesting. there isn't a lot in the way of signage or anything to tell you what you're looking at. However, the walk down to the lighthouse is great fun.

Bev Stevens 2016 Sep 03

Plan to take your time to enjoy this area. I would like to see it kept cleaner and scrub grasses mowed to provide more space for flower gardens, however the wild flowers that grow in the unmaintained area are rather pretty. The light house can be viewed from several vantage points and there is quite the panorama of the boats on the water as well. The area looks neglected in places but that may be part of its charm. The parking is limited but if you are up to the walk you can park at Buglight or Willard beach parking lots and spend time wandering around.