The director of a tech incubator for climate solutions at Northeastern’s Roux Institute recommends a beachfront bike ride to a scenic state park.
During Warren Adams’ career as a clean energy investor in the Boston area, he always looked forward to work or vacation taking him north to Portland, Maine. So when the last of his children started college in September, he moved up for good.
“I like everything about Portland,” says Adams. He now serves as the director of the Northeastern University’s ClimateTech Incubator at the Roux Institute, which supports technology startups working on climate change solutions in partnership with Maine’s state government.
“I love being on the ocean. It’s small but it feels like an active city. I like the proximity to all sorts of outdoor places, and the food scene is amazing,” he says.
To Adams, there are plenty of natural gems in and around the area worth a visit. But his top pick is Mackworth Island, a state park just off the coast and a short bike ride, drive or jog from the Roux Institute in downtown Portland.
The island consists of about 100 acres of forest and hiking trails alongside some fascinating state history. Percival P. Baxter, a former governor of Maine, donated Mackworth Island to the state in 1946 as the site for a school for deaf children, which is still in operation. There’s also a pet cemetery and the remains of a short-lived Civil War-era recruitment camp.
To visit, Adams recommends packing a picnic and renting a bike from the Cycle Mania bike shop near campus, then taking the 4.5-mile ride over the Eastern Promenade, which overlooks the ocean. Depending on the weather, he suggests a stop at Lava Kava tea shop or Beal’s Ice Cream on the return trip.