I attended the Portland: Old Port Culinary Walking Tour on Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 10:30 am with…read moreAnne and Ross. Usually, there is only one tour guide and it was supposed to be Anne only but Ross joined in as well. The Old Port Culinary Walking Tour is a foodie tour with a mix of history and culture. Our group consisted of 13 people. The tour starts at Andy's Old Port Pub with an introduction from our tour guides. At Andy's Old Port Pub, we were seated in the backroom and had a seasoned, grilled fresh haddock with house-made pickled vegetables, pico de gallo and lime crema in a corn tortilla and Andy's house Lager. Ross talked about the suspicious happenings and history at Andy's Old Port Pub. They both talked about Harbor Fish Market which was right across the street and how the seafood never see the back of a truck. I thought the fish taco was okay and was probably my least favorite food item from the whole tour. Andy's house Lager was very smooth and I really enjoyed it. Then, we walked next door to Gilberts Chowder House where we had a choice of Clam Chowder, Haddock Chowder, Corn & Chicken Chowder, Seafood Chowder, or Seafood Chili. I chose the Clam Chowder. The Clam Chowder was thick and not as creamy as I usually like my clam chowders. Here, Anne was showing us pictures of lobster abnormalities. After having our chowder, we walked to the historic U.S. Custom House and old fishing docks. We even got a postcard of the old fishing docks which was a nice souvenir. Next, we stopped at Rigby Yard and were seated in a small private room. We were offered several drink options; I chose a glass of prosecco. We had the Fresh Maine Lobster Roll with fresh Maine lobster meat Maine-style, tossed lightly in mayo, lemon, and sea salt served on a brioche roll with chips. The lobster was definitely fresh and good. The last two stops were dessert spots: Dean's Sweets and The Gelato Fiasco. We had a needham which is a confectionery dessert bar made from sugar, chocolate, coconut, and potato and we had the option to choose another truffle. I chose a blueberry one. At The Gelato Fiasco, we were able to choose 2 different flavors. Funny enough, I had went to The Gelato Fiasco the night before and it really is delicious gelato. I was glad to try different flavors. The tour finished about 1:45pm. The tour guides thanked us for spending our time together. The Portland: Old Port Culinary Walking Tour was fun and I enjoyed meeting the other people in our group. Anne and Ross were very knowledgeable with Portland's history and food scene. They had good recommendations for other things to do in Portland. The food we had on the tour was okay according to my opinion, but it was definitely a good variety of Maine dishes.

We came to Maine very VERY early season (March 20th-24th) and were looking for something to do…read more Most of the area is still in full 'pre season' mode, with many restaurants and services closed, especially during the week. We found the walking Food tour on Viator and jumped at it - and boy were we glad that we did! Because of the time of year, my wife and I were alone on the tour and as such got to spend around 3 hours with our guide, Ray Sapirstein. Putting aside Ray's obvious love for Portland and food in general, he was a charming guy - keeping us engaged and entertained with stories about the area for the entire duration of the tour. Ray is a PHD trained historian and, as such, was able to fill in a lot of color about the area, going beyond the 'food' aspects of the tour, describing the 'hilly roads' which were sand dunes were covered up to build out the city. Add to that the fact that he took us to several places that we NEVER would have found via googling for 'best ofs' and would have been a HUGE failure to miss! Andy's Old Port Pub - a neighborhood bar (don't call it a dive, though in my mind it qualifies). Spend some time chatting with Thomas, the owner, and Steve the bartender - and had what I can only describe as the single best haddock taco I've ever had in my life. Do not judge a book by it's cover: this place is AWESOME. Great craft beer tap list, and a warm and friendly environment. If I lived in the area, this would be my regular. From there we went to Gilbert's Chowder house right next door - Ray was again right: don't sleep on the seafood chili - it was RIDICULOUSLY amazing. After that we paid a visit to the Harbor Fish Market where we got to see the recent catches, and as Ray pointed out the 'transparency' of the thing: fish are cleaned and prepped for sale right where the customer can watch, and all fish are labeled as 'fresh' (with VERY few pre-frozen exceptions). This is also the place to go if you want to buy Maine swag. From there we proceeded to Rigby House, an unassuming 'coffee shop and workspace' that Ray promised us had nothing short of the best lobster roll in Maine: I've had some good lobster rolls so I can't quite commit to that, but the bread it was built on was FANTASTIC, baked locally from one of the bakeries rated tops in the nation right in Portland. This stop came with either 2 samplers or 1 full pour from their 20+ menu. Don't miss the blueberry ale. It's a rare treat and again, came from Ray's love of his city. From there, we visited Dean's Sweet shop for a couple of truffles and terrible jokes, and then Fiasco's Gelato to round up our day - try the lobster gelato, it's weird and not something I'd necessarily do again...but glad to have had the experience. The whoopie pie gelato was top notch and the blueberry was one of the best gelatos I've ever had. For a 3 hour tour, with all food included, we were certainly full and happy. The walk was short - I don't think we wandered more than a mile in total - and when we were showing signs of being "Help me I'm not from Maine cold", Ray took us into Grittys, another neighborhood bar just for a warm up.

Stellar and unique experience at Lady Oyster!…read more Fantastic views, locally sourced and delicious oysters, great wine pairings, and incredible knowledge gained -- cannot say enough positive things about our oyster tasting experience.

I booked a half day seafood adventure with Lady Oyster while my brothers and sister in law were…read morevisiting Maine from the West Coast. From the second we walked in this felt like a one of a kind experience. The table was set beautifully, Virginia and her team were so welcoming, and she is so incredibly knowledgeable. After the oyster tasting we enjoyed a lobster roll and then hopped on Captain Joe's boat for a tour of an oyster farm and a ride around this beautiful midcoast area. Timing of the tides worked out so that we got to see a bunch of seals. Captain Joe also helped us shuck some oysters while we enjoyed delicious rum punch cocktails he whipped up on the boat. We ended the tour with a beautiful sunset before heading back to the dock. Since moving to Maine seven years ago, it seems like during summertime, all the classic destinations have become so overrun with tourists and certain activities and places that are my go-tos have lost a bit of their charm. I think that's what I loved so much about Lady Oyster. Located in a tiny little peninsula village called West Point, it is off the beaten path, and almost feels like stepping back in time. I would 10/10 recommend Lady Oyster to anyone looking for a true hidden Maine gem. I hope to come back this winter for one of her dinners!

This was a super interesting Locally owned tour of Portland . We visited some beautiful historic…read morelight houses and toured the downtown areas. The driver (and owner) had lots of local interesting information to share and he was enthusiastic and really made the tour fun for our group. Actually was one of the best local tours I have ever been on. Highly recommended when visiting Portland for the first time.

loved this tour! great commentary and good jokes! Very interesting and well done. I would…read moredefinitely recommend this trip!

Our recent week-long visit to Bristol, Maine, was anchored by a 6-night stay at The Chamberlain…read moreHouse in Round Pond. Our spirits were buoyed by owners, Shari & Paul Cunningham, whose wonderful property includes a view of the harbor in Round Pond, perennial gardens, old stone walls, and adjacent forests. We were made to feel right at home in the restored historic (1700's era) farmhouse, with its common rooms for reading, visiting, dining, and relaxing downstairs, as well as its five beautifully decorated guest bedrooms upstairs. Shari is an outstanding cook, serving hearty, nutritious, artfully presented breakfasts every morning. She incorporates fresh eggs from her flock of lively hens whose happy clucking can be heard throughout the day. We look forward to our next trip when we can once again savor the scrumptious frittatas, homemade blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, and delicious fruit cups at the dining room's table that looks over the sloping backyard fields and the ocean beyond. Shari was willing to accommodate our request for specific dietary needs. At the top of your "Midcoast Maine Must Do" list should be a stay with Shari and Paul at The Chamberlain House.

Just an outstanding and slightly off the beaten path B & B. A grand farm house…read more Great (great) hosts. Short walk to Round Pond. Close by art stores and lobster pounds. Incredible breakfast of Frittata, sausage and fresh blueberry muffins. Room was great and had an incredible shower. Everything clean, clean, clean. Everything about this place expresses the happiness and pride of the owner couple. Highly recommended. Maine at its very best.

Probably the best part of my trip to Maine this past summer. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon on…read morethe water, learning how the oysters are grown, followed by a tasting right on the boat. The oysters were delicious, maybe the best I've had, incredibly fresh. Eric, our guide and the owner, was super clear and thorough. learned a lot !

Our tour guide made the ride from one brewery to the next as enjoyable as the stops, filled with…read morefun brewing history and information. The bus was clean and comfortable. 14 people got on the bus as strangers and bonded quickly over beers and brew tales. This really seemed like the kind of adventure you could do again and again. Can't wait to go back and share the Maine Beer Tour experience with others. The one downside was that, as someone who is perpetually early, the lack of signage to be sure I was in the right place made me a bit nervous that I was where I was suppose to be to catch the bus. We hung out in front of the Portland Lobster Co. For a few minutes before others arrived to reassure us we were in the right spot. Overall, this was a fantastic adventure for this beer lover. I learned new things about breweries I thought I knew everything about and was introduced to Bunker Brews and Ice Tea Mead. We'll be back.

Great harbor tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the beer and the commentary. I would highly recommend.read more

Highly recommended tour in Portland, Maine. Gordon was our…read morevisual storyteller and he captured the attention of my whole family,most notably my skeptical 14 year old son who wanted follow up details to go ghost hunting while we are here. This tour combines ghost stories, local history, comedy, and some pretty fantastic storytelling while getting a nice walk in the evening in. Loved it!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Portland, Maine. Aside from some amazing lobstah…read morerolls, what else might you expect out of a historic, coastal New England town? You guessed it.....ghosts. Maine has always fascinated me, ever since I read "Pet Sematary" when I was about 12 years old. In fact, the 1989 version of the movie was just on television. Perhaps no one tackled the Maine accent as well as Fred Gwynn. Ayuh, he nailed his role as the old, weathered, local Maine neighbor, Jud Crandall. (John Lithgow provided a completely different interpretation of Jud in the 2019 version.) It's only appropriate that King, who grew up in Portland, based so many of his novels in the state of Maine. This place is saturated with ghosts, savory characters, and somewhat of a dark history. Last week on my layover I took a Wicked Walking Tour with Gordon, who was absolutely fantastic. Knowledgeable and funny, his theatrical, yet historic tour was well worth my time. Gordon made the tour interactive and got to know each of us on the tour. There was another Lori (spelled differently though), another couple from Cleveland, and some newlyweds amongst our group. We started by learning about some history of the city. Portland buried their dead 18 feet under. Gordon informed us this was to keep the vampires in and the grave robbers out. The Portland Waterfront and the many islands of Casco Bay have stories of pirates, witches, ghosts, fires, and abandoned ships that we learned of throughout the tour. In this particular part of the waterfront a mysterious woman clad in black wanders the dock area, stumbling over lobster traps in search of her sailor. Aside from an occasional wharf rat, there is not much trace of life down here at night. A building that I noticed while walking around the town was the Time and Temperature Building, a building with....you guessed it: the time and temperature displayed on the outside. Gordon talked about this building on our tour. The place is allegedly haunted by a female ghost with fire-engine red hair, who enjoys riding the elevators and who will often play on them, randomly sending them to different floors. Some workers in the building have claimed to have seen an unknown female walking through their offices, and when they follow her or try speaking to her, she vanishes around a corner. Electricians insist that there is nothing wrong with the wiring of the elevators. No one is certain of the back-story here, nor why she does this. Before running through a dark and sinister alley, Gordon pointed out an other creepy building. I don't remember the details, but I remember something about a woman seeing a mermaid, attached to the front of a ship outside her third story window. Apparently the water level used to reach this part of the town and there have been phantom ships, still weathering the storms, to this day. Check out Gordan's tour......I really enjoyed it. His stories are interesting and engaging. Maine is awesome. And the people here are wicked smaht.....

Amazing experience... Carl, Margaret, and family have a real love for what they do! The goats are…read morefabulous animals, each with their own names and characteristics ! All ages will love this adventure!

Called to see if they had any fresh cheese while we would be diving by - lucky they did. Karl &…read moreMargaret invited us in to feed the baby goats and bought a tub of fresh chèvre that was delicious with some cracker and local honey. Just a great experience!