Castine Touring

My female partner and I took the Castine Touring Company tour aboard their nice golf cart "Scarlet" with Bill at the wheel. We met-up at 9:00 a.m. just outside The Captain's Catch restaurant at the Town Dock, 43 Main St #705, Castine, ME 04421. You don't make a reservation or buy a ticket for the tour, you just show-up between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.. You will find their sandwich board there during operating hours with an indication when they will return for the next tour. Bill and all the other drivers are all volunteers who are justifiably proud of their town and want to share its history and architecture with you. Before doing research prior to the trip I didn't even know Castine existed, but my research revealed that it was founded in the winter of 1613, predating the Plymouth Colony by seven years. Bill ran through Castine's founding history and how it changed hands many times between the French, British, Dutch and American governments, including the Penobscot Expedition in 1779 which proved to be the greatest American naval defeat until Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Bill showed us many of the older homes and inns of the town and his narration included brief histories of the structures, architecture details and comments about the recent ownership. He also showed and described for us the Maine Maritime Academy and many of its ships. He showed us and told us about Fort George, Fort Madison State Park, and some of the other prior forts in the town. He took us to the Dyce Head Lighthouse and positioned the cart so we could get good pictures of it.

Bill pointed out many local businesses and encouraged us to check them out. He recommended lunch at The Captain's Catch, right where the tour started and ended. It seemed an unpretentious place, but the food was very tasty and reasonably priced.

The Castine Touring Company is a nonprofit and the requested donation is $10.00 per person but any amount is accepted. I gave $20 for the two of us and would have give a bit more if I had better change. It was a wonderful experience and I learned so much. Thanks Bill!