After 10 years of providing award-winning culinary tours throughout Maine's seacoast, Maine Foodie Tours (MFT) is expanding and evolving their offerings to include all-outdoor activities in seven locations. The change comes as restaurants across the state move to outdoor dining, and limited indoor seating.

The new tours are designed to appeal to Mainers on a “staycation” as well as visitors abiding by the COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

Maine Foodie Tours has been operating for 3 years in Boothbay Harbor and for 5 years in Rockland, offering an awareness and appreciation of the food scene with 2.5 to 3-hour walks through town. Tours highlight the culinary talent with progressive lunches, visiting local restaurants, shops, bakeries, lobster shacks, chocolatiers, even historic inns where the flavors are local, fresh and creative. With some new partners and new procedures, eating food outside and, in some cases, taking foods to go, tours are once again offered in both locations.

For Boothbay Harbor, MFT purchased folding chairs for each guest, which are being stored and always sanitized along the tour route. Where there is limited dining outside at restaurants, tour guide gather a few servings to enjoy a picnic together, as a portion of a tour, with lively conversation surrounding the local providers, sourcing of foods and beverages, and more.

Through mid-October, Boothbay Harbor tours are offered Tuesday and Friday through Sunday at 10:15 a.m. Rockland tours are offered Mon-Fri at 11:15 a.m.

“Since all of our tours offer a significant piece of history and culture, the tour guides have easily adapted and enjoyed the new training,” said Pamela Laskey, founder of Maine Foodie Tours. “Plus, we are all excited that this is our Bicentennial year and there are so many stories of Maine residents and their accomplishments to share on the Maine History Tours (MFT).”

All tours offer a “Walk Through Time” exploring the local social, cultural and maritime events that helped shape what we enjoy today in each community. A percentage supports the local historical societies.

According to Laskey, the team has worked for the past 6 months to develop interesting, enjoyable tour routes with notable characters, stories, and history.

COVID-19 procedure

Maine Foodie Tours stipulates a number of procedures now in place to assure the safety of all guests and tour guides. All tours are limited to just eight guests wearing masks and practicing physical distancing along the route. All guests must read the State of Maine regulations and agree to abide by them when purchasing tickets, including quarantining from many states or carrying proof of negative Covid test results.

Said Laskey, “MFT regularly checks in with guests from “hot spot” states, and we are very pleased with the number of guests now carrying negative test results as they travel. If they don’t, we refund their tickets.”

Private tours are also on the rise and all MFT/MHT may be purchased at varying times to be enjoyed by couples and families. For more information or to book a tour, visit: www.mainefoodietours.com/history-tours