When you live in Maine, who thinks about taking boat tours? That's for tourists!! (Lol!!)…read more Seriously, though, we had guests in town, so we thought it'd be fun to charter a boat for the four of us to go up the Penobscot River to Bangor. (At least that was the initial itin.) Me matey, Jay (after some due diligence on boat companies in the Bucksport area) , chose Penobscot Boat Tours as our charter. Jay said the communication(s) with Capt. Jeff Sennett (Owner/Operator) was excellent; his boat was faster/stronger to get us to Bangor and back in the least amount of time; and, the price for a 4-hr charter was less than other quotes. Splendid!! It was a dreary start to Tuesday when we arrived at 11 am with weather not looking promising for a jaunt up to Bangor; windy, rainy and choppy waters on the menu. This daunted us not, though! So, "Gilligan" and the gang (that'd be Mr. and Mrs. Howell, and the Professor), arrived at the Bucksport Marina in good spirits for our "3-hr tour"... er, 4-hr tour at Penobscot Boat Tours! ;) The boat was very cool (as all boats are!), and the Capt. Jeff (our imposing "Skipper" for this tour) made us all feel very welcomed, in good hands, and rarin' to-go!! After some discussion about the weather and tour route, we all agreed to a downriver jaunt for lunch in Belfast, and return to home base. Prior to Belfast, though, we made a special request of our intrepid Capt. (despite the hairy weather that we could see going on upriver) to take us a few miles upriver to where the Marsh River confluences into the Penobscot River. The rough-n-tumble ride was, of course, E-Ticket! (In all honesty, though, the confluence was a bit anticlimactic, but the ride was awesome!) Anyway, we turned around and headed for what was to be drier climes. The weather improved immensely and made for some pretty alluring scenery! Normally, we just drive to Belfast (20 mins) mainly not seeing the water much, behind trees/forests and such. So, seeing the coastline from the water -- seeing all those privileged homes tucked and nestled in splendid nooks and crannies! -- was a totally new POV, that's for sure! Capt. Jeff would slowdown now-and-then to point spots of interest out to us, to see seals basking on rocky shoals, and numerous heads bobbing up-and-down in the middle of the bay was pretty darn awesome!!! When we got to Belfast, Capt. Jeff gave us a suggestion for lunch (which we took and enjoyed), while he waited. The trip back to Bucksport was leisurely and beautiful as the summer sun shone upon our last leg back. The whole experience of seeing the land from the water was just wonderful! We never felt rushed; Capt. Jeff was very generous with his time. It was SO worth the cost and, more so, the experience! We will definitely be chartering another trip in the near future with Penobscot Boat Tours...!!! We all had such a great time...!!! :D

Booked our cruise the day before for a 4-hour trip and had a wonderful time cruising up to Bangor.read more

This was an amazing tour and I couldn't recommend it enough. I am a Constant Reader and my…read moreboyfriend has read one or two books but we both had an amazing time! Jamie is so knowledgeable about all things King + the history of the town of Bangor. We had a blast and the three hours flew by. 10/10 would do it again.

Was headed to Bangor to check out some Stephen King sites and just happened to be googling a couple…read moredays beforehand and saw this tour and there was 1 spot left for a time I could make so I booked it, so glad I did! Was pleasantly surprised to find the tour guide is Stu Tinker's son, I remember Betts from decades ago! Was a huge fan of SK back in the day so it was great to hear all the stories and anecdotes Jamie has to say, and of course to see the various locations from SK's life. Jamie is so knowledgeable I feel like this tour could've been 8 hours and he would not have run out of stories. Nice they also have a parking lot with SK art and props (I especially liked the Drawing of the Three door) and even an office area with more props and things, plus items for sale. Great tour!

If you ever want to see a moose but also learn EVERYTHING there is to know about them, you have to…read morebook a moose tour with Moosehead Area Guide Service! I thought I loved these beautiful animals but Harold, the tour guide, surpasses my passion! He goes beyond anyone I know to explain in a detail and in a respectful way how moose live in nature to include their habitat, diet, temperament, physical features, mating season, difference between male and female moose, behavior etc. I could go on and on but you HAVE to experience this yourself! I just took my 12 yo grdson on a tour the end of July. He said it was better than Christmas! This was my 2nd time with Harold where I had taken another grdson. Both experiences unexplainable and wonderful! A memory they'll treasure forever! Call today and book a tour! You'll be so happy you did to see and learn about these amazing, magnificent animals!

The tour was great. Harold, our tour guide, was phenomenal! He's really informative and knows the…read moretrails like the back of his hand. My family and I saw our first moose ever it was great! Definitely would recommend. You're in great hands with Harold.

My friend and I tried the evening moose tour in which you are driven to a beautiful 'pond' as they…read morecall it and get into 3 person canoes (two paddling, one in the middle) hoping to see moose. Their venue is closer to Bangor than some of the other outfitters that do this, however, the ride to get to the pond is at least an hour. You ride in a van and some of the roads are bumpy. The guide narrates a little, but I feel he could have done more. The home base is nice and they sell souvenirs, coffee, and snacks. They have a bathroom building with changing areas. There was lots of water on the ground there, so I wonder why it wasn't moped. Once you get into the van, there is no bathroom area (unless there is a porta potty that I missed. The scenery by the water was very beautiful and peaceful and even though no moose were spotted, it was still a very nice experience. The price was fair and there was always someone that answered the phone when we called to ask questions. Overall a great experience.

Went out with a group of 8 people total, our family of 4 in addition to 4 others. We were driven…read moreabout an hour in a van to arrive at the moose spot. Our guide Zack did a great job of chatting and sharing nature facts while we rode. Worth noting is that the second half hour of the ride is pretty bumpy on a dirt road. Also, if you go during black fly season you might want to consider a face net. They weren't too bad on the pond, but they tend to fly directly towards your eyes and nose, and the net keeps them off. Once we got to the water we suited up with life jackets and Zack helped us into the canoes. We paddled for around an hour and ended up seeing 3 different moose on the water plus another 2 on the ride home! We were able to float for around 30 minutes in the canoe, just observing the moose eating. It was a bit of a trek to get here from Bar Harbor but totally worth it!

We had the most spectacular experience!!! My boyfriend and I had just visited Trenton, Maine in mid…read moreapril and were discouraged that most activities seemed to be still closed for the winter. We stumbled upon this company's advertisement sign just 4 minutes before pulling into our AirB&B at 2am, and it ended up being the absolute highlight of our trip. We booked a small plane with pilot Neal who was fantastic! He was very well trained, accommodating, highly thorough and informative with all things Maine and sea related, and we explored 12 lighthouses and beautiful remote islands from a breathtaking perspective above. We cannot wait to come back to learn and take in more of the beauty down east Maine has to offer!

We decided to treat ourselves to a private plane flight…read more It was a 30 minute flight all around acadia national park and to a bunch of areas and islands nearby that we hadn't seen yet. Our Pilot Erin was amazing and even let me fly the plane for a few minutes! It was breathtaking and definitely a once in a lifetime adventure.

Yesterday I received a large sack of Organic Pastry Flour and today I used it. I am utterly amazed…read moreat how nice it is to work with. It can be well worked without getting tough. It can be rolled very thin. I found I had to use less water then usual because there is a fair amount of moisture in the flour.

Maine Grains is a specialty bakery and grain mill that mills their own grains on-site--something…read moreyou can really taste in the quality of the food. I stopped by for a late breakfast. The cappuccino was underwhelming, but the server was upfront about not knowing the menu well, which I appreciated. I ended up chatting with the pizza maker, who gave great insight into their approach and philosophy. I regretted sitting outside--watching the pizza-making process inside would've been a better experience. That said, the white breakfast pizza was hands down the best I've had in a long time. Fresh ingredients, perfectly balanced, and not overly heavy on dairy, which was a big plus since I'm lactose sensitive. Before I can give a full review, I'll need a few more visits. I'm not sure why it's been review-bombed on Yelp, but it's clear the front-of-house service could use some improvement. The food, though, is promising.

What a fabulous fun experience sailing out of Rockport, ME on The Heron. It was the highlight of…read moreour trip. Bonnie did a great job telling us some of the history of the ship and area. Love when the sails are lifted!!! Motor turned off, quiet, smooth ride! So relaxing. It is a beautiful ship. Lots of shinny teak. Delightful with great crew and just a few guests on board. Free parking right by dock. Thank you, Bonnie and Twig for making my sail special. Highly recommend!

One of our favorite things to do when in Rockland is sailing aboard the Schooner Heron. We sailed…read more2x with them in 2020 and the first thing we did when we got back to Rockland this year was to look at the weather and book a trip with them. I picked an afternoon with an expected 14mph wind, so I knew we would sail smartly. I was surprised that Taylor was captaining the boat this trip instead of Twig, but his boat handling was conservative and flawless. Of coarse Bonnie was aboard to do her excellent narration regarding the history of Rockland's lime, timber, ice, shipbuilding and lobster industries and also tell us all about the lighthouse, islands, and seals we saw. Twig and Bonnie's personable adult daughter Rachel was also on board as crew. Bonnie and Rachel handled hoisting, trimming, reefing and tacking the sails as a well-oiled team. We started out conservatively with the fore mast and main mast sails both reefed, but were later able to shake out the reef on the fore mast sail for a little more speed without heeling the boat. We were able to sail near Robinson's Rock and saw that there were several seals sunning them selves there. We sailed midweek on a Thursday and there was lots of room for everybody on board. Taylor and Rachel cheerfully answered my many questions about the boat, the boat's offshore passages to and from the Caribbean each year and about local events. This was the first time sailing for the family seated across from us, but they had a good time. There was another group forward of us that pretty much kept to themselves so I didn't have a chance to chat with them, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves too. I did a bunch of small boat pleasure sailing and medium sized keelboat racing while I was at the University of Texas. I don't own a sailboat so the only sailing I have done since has been on Hobie Wave catamarans at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean. I really enjoy chances to sail on bigger boats like the Schooner Heron. The Schooner Heron sails three trips daily from Rockport Harbor: Private morning sail, an afternoon Educational Eco Tour, and a Happy Hour Sunset Sail. Custom charters are also available on request. There is free parking in the harbor lot. Whether you have sailed before or just want to try it on vacation, I highly recommend sailing on the Schooner Heron as a solo, couple or family activity. You will have fun and be entirely comfortable with the ship and crew. They will treat you right. We're back in Rockland in a couple of weeks and will surely sail with them at least once more before heading back to Texas.