Landscapes and Lighthouses of Coastal Maine was a wonderful tour. The tour actually began in Boston, then five nights were spent touring exciting areas of Maine.

The Boston city tour included a walking tour of Fenway Park. The travelers experienced sitting in some of the original seats that have been used since 1912 when the park opened. They also had time to sit on the stools above the Green Monster. The city tour ended with time to visit Faneuil Hall Marketplace for lunch where many visitors had their first lobster roll of the trip.

The first lighthouse visited by the travelers was the Portland Head Lighthouse. This was the first lighthouse built in America in 1787. The museum contains many interesting displays of lenses and interpretative displays. This area was very important to the first settlers as it was Maine’s busiest harbor. This particular lighthouse is often described as the “most famous” and “most photographed.”

HERE ARE THE TRAVELERS standing in front of the famous Portland Headlight Lighthouse. Standing (l to r) are Joe Leach, Mary Belle Leach, Karen Oliphant, Debbie Wood, Brenda Hagen, Jerri McBay, Gayle Bramblitt, Judy Wardle, Cindy Hardy, Debbie Waters.
(Submitted Photo)

A scenic Casco Bay Cruise allowed the travelers to view not only more lighthouses but also some of the beautiful homes along the coast.
One highlight of Day 4 was the visit to the Seashore Trolley Museum. This experience had the group actually take a little trip on the oldest and largest electric railway museum in the world. The conductors were eager to share the history of the trolley as they shared how they were used in the past.

The next highlight of Day 4 was a cruise on a lobster boat. The narrator and the captain educated the visitors about lobsters, lobster traps, laws governing the catching of lobsters. Several travelers were surprised when the narrator handed them a lobster and proceeded to explain more about the lobsters.

This busy day ended with a Lobster Clambake. There was a band to entertain everyone as they learned how to properly eat a lobster. The potatoes, corn on the cob, and onion completed the meal.

A special treat was a visit to St. Ann’s Church in Kennebunkport. It is a stone chapel that was built in 1892. There are still services held in the chapel, but there are also services using the pews that are outside near the shore. As the rector shares the sermon outside, those attending are facing the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Kennebunkport River. Anyone visiting Kennebunkport will enjoy a visit to this beautiful stone chapel.

Every day of the tour was filled with exciting experiences. The travelers enjoyed the beauty and history that Maine has to offer visitors.

Those participating from this area were: Debbie Waters from Buffalo; Cindy Hardy from Huntsville; Brenda Hagen and Jerri McBay from Fairfield; Debbie Wood and Judy Wardle from Streetman; Gayle Bramblitt from Seven Points; Joe and Mary Belle Leach from Groesbeck; Karen Oliphant from Houston.

Let’s Travel has several more tours on the calendar for 2024. A tour to Mackinac Island and Niagara Falls began October 4. The final tour of 2024 is Nashville and the Smoky Mountains Holiday. This tour is November 30 – December 7. It begins in Nashville at the Gaylord Hotel. Gatlinburg, Asheville, and the Biltmore are also on the itinerary. Just imagine all the Christmas lights and decorations a traveler will enjoy on this tour.

2025 finds a Let’s Travel visit to Holland and Belgium on a River Cruise. July of 2025 will find the travelers on the Pacific Northwest tour. This tour begins in Seattle, Washington, and ends in San Francisco, California. In September a 5-night stay in Sedona, Arizona, tour is planned which will include two train rides as travelers enjoy the beauty of that area including a train ride to the Grand Canyon.
2025 is expected to end with two Christmas Markets—one in Canada and one in Europe. For more information about any of these tours contact Jerri McBay at 903-388-2243.