In October, cruise ship passengers with Maine Foodie Tours can enjoy the view of Bar Harbor at Agamont Park.
Photo courtesy of Maine Day Ventures
Bar Harbor – This season marks Maine Day Ventures’ tenth year of guiding tourists through Bar Harbor.
The Portland-based tour business was founded in 2009 by Pamela Lasky, who had a vision to guide visitors around Maine communities like Kennebunkport, Boothbay Harbor, Biddeford, Portland and Bar Harbor through their rich, local and maritime history.
Hailing from Bangor, Lasky attended the University of Maine before starting the company, which combines her love of food and hiking. While attending college, she spent summers working at the Ledgelawn Inn, where she developed an appreciation for Bar Harbor culture, which later inspired her to add the city to her tours.
“There’s a lot of good food in Bar Harbor, so they checked all the boxes emotionally and financially for us to do it there,” says Maine Foodie Tours, whose service has been a success. Although the business doesn’t have a specific location in Bar Harbor, the owner said the remote business runs efficiently with four employees.
Maine Foodie Tours offers walking food tours of Maine towns with an abundance of organic produce and dairy from their farms, as well as fresh local seafood. “We were one of the first food tours in the country,” Lasky said, and is grateful she started the business. As walking tours gained more attention, the owner said her company expanded to Bar Harbor in 2012.
A relationship formed 10 years ago between Bar Harbor restaurants and Maine Foodie Tours continues to this day, Lasky said, continuing to partner with local restaurants. “We want businesses to know that they appreciate us and we appreciate them,” Lasky said, adding that the tours are really designed to support entrepreneurs in the culinary scene on the island.
After a few years of hosting successful food tours, the owner decided to launch a walking history tour service in 2020 to guide visitors around buildings and landmarks in the cities she visited. Knowledgeable guides bring groups to historic sites, such as through the Museum in the Road project, as well as the cemetery of St. Savior Episcopal Church on Desert Avenue. Laskey aims to provide an educational, yet fun, two-hour walking tour that supports Bar Harbor’s cultural history community.
Photo courtesy of Maine Day Ventures
In recent years due to the corona virus epidemic and the shortage of manpower, Maine Day Ventures has made some adjustments to its current business, such as the establishment of the company’s recent cruise tour.
“Of course we’re screwed like everybody else. Instead of bringing 14 guests, we can only bring eight, but we don’t have to close our doors completely, and restaurants still partner with us.
In addition to regular indoor tours, picnic tours, which continue to operate, give people the opportunity to enjoy pre-ordered meals at Bar Harbor’s three parks.
Around September and October, the business offers food tours designed for visiting cruise passengers. During the first week of November, Maine Day Ventures closes for the season.
Occasionally the service is requested during vacations. “If we have questions, we usually run them through our guides and we can still do some adventures in season if they’re interested,” Lasky said.
For more information about tour services and to book a tour, visit the Maine Day Ventures Facebook page or www.mainedayventures.com.
MDI native Ninah Wren covers news and features in the Bar Harbor area. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at San Diego and is happy to be back in Maine.
