Vintage Fire Truck Sightseeing Tour of Portland Maine





Description
This 50-minute sightseeing tour is a fun and unique way to discover Portland, Maine. Board a Vintage Fire Engine and travel back in time as your knowledgeable guide helps relive Portland’s colorful history from a local’s perspective. See lighthouses, Civil War forts, city parks and buildings, interesting stories and a multimedia experience packed with historic images of Maine. This is one family-friendly tour you should not miss out on!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Old Port in Portland, Maine is a quaint historic district with cobblestone streets and shops selling clothing, gourmet food and souvenirs. It’s also a hot spot for nightlife where pubs, breweries and bars draw the younger crowds. There is also a fesh and lively dining scene.
Casco Bay Lines (also known as the Casco Bay Island Transit District, CBITD) is a publicly run transportation company that services the residents of the islands of Casco Bay. These islands include Peaks Island, Little Diamond Island, Great Diamond Island, Diamond Cove, Long Island, Chebeague Island and Cliff Island.
Shipyard Brewing Company, founded in 1994 is a brewery and soft drink manufacturer in Portland, Maine. Shipyard is the largest brewer in Maine and is the fourth largest microbrewery in New England.
The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum is located and operates out of the former Portland Company Marine Complex, the organization was founded in 1993. The collection consists of passenger and freight equipment, as well as artifacts from the 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railways that ran in the state of Maine in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The organization operates a 1 1⁄2-mile (2.4 km) long railroad that runs along the waterfront of Casco Bay and parallels Portland's Eastern Promenade. Historic steam and diesel locomotives and a variety of restored coaches are used to run passenger services on the railroad.
The Portland Observatory is a historic maritime signal tower at 138 Congress Street in the Munjoy Hill section of Portland, Maine. Built in 1807, it is the only known surviving tower of its type in the United States. Using both a telescope and signal flags, two-way communication between ship and shore was possible several hours before an incoming vessel reached the docks. The tower was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006; it is now managed by a local nonprofit as a museum, and is open to the public. The Portland Observatory is the only remaining maritime signal station in the United States. Tower operations were paid with annual fees collected from shipping merchants, who purchased the right to have their flags stored in the building and hoisted up its flagstaffs when their ships were sighted. A telephone was eventually installed, extending the tower's function until 1923, when the reliability of engine powered vessels and communication by radio made it obsolete.
The Wadsworth-Longfellow House is a historic house and museum in Portland, Maine, United States. It is located at 489 Congress Street and is operated by the Maine Historical Society. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962, and administratively added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882 It is located in the downtown area known area The Arts District in Portland, Maine.
Victoria Mansion, also known as the Morse-Libby House or Morse-Libby Mansion, is a landmark example of American residential architecture located in downtown Portland. The brownstone exterior, elaborate interior design, opulent furnishings and early technological conveniences provide a detailed portrait of lavish living in nineteenth-century America. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971 for its architectural significance as a particularly well-preserved Italianate mansion.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- PLEASE LEAVE PLENTY OF TIME FOR INCREASED TRAFFIC AND PARKING IN PORTLAND! Do Not trust your phones GPS for estimated time arrival.
- ***We leave promptly at the designated time! Refunds are not provided for missed tours due to late/non arrival**
- We just need the name that you booked with and the staff will check you in on the truck
- Our address is 180 Commercial St. Portland ME 04101
- Please provide a cell phone number that you will have with you when you are in Portland. We may need to contact you regarding your tour
Reviews(916)
Nice way to get the layout of downtown Portland. Tour was short and sweet and tour guide and driver were friendly and knowledgeable. We saw things we would not have seen on our own.
This was a fun experience and a quick diversion from just shlogging around the tourist trap stores of Portland's waterfront. It'd be good for a family but not with little little kids- they can't see out that well. I'm sorry, I've lost my notes but I do remember that the lady that was our guide was both knowledgeable and funny too! Our Driver (and owner) was courteous and respectful of other folks on the road. This beats any "bus tour" by a long shot. It would be better if the tour could take just a little longer- there's so much to see in Portland! Overall: I'd do it again.
Amazing tour. I took this tour on the restored fire truck because I didn't want the longer tour on a trolley. And I'm so glad I did because it's much more intimate maybe 12 to 18 people. The Guide is right next to you and they have a great flatscreen TV to show you photos of the city in the past as they're explaining things one of the best tours I ever took.
Our tour was great! Even as a former ‘Maniac’ I learned and saw so much on this tour that I didn’t know it hadn’t experienced before. It’s such a great way to see the city. There are a few short steps up into the fire truck but other than that this is a great tour for anyone interested in the sites and history of Portland. Thanks to our tour guide Matt Dodge for making this a really fun experience.
Great one hour ride Tour guide very informative and knew the history of the Portland and downtown area! Riding in the fire truck was a fun way to take a tour! Lots of shops and restaurants along the stripe! And still had time to do other things or see places after your tour ended
I wished it was longer but saw what we needed to see around town… Tour guide was giving us all the history about the downtown port area…A nice 1 hour ride in this opened fun red replica of a fire truck lots of fun with the breeze and sun coming in over a shaded canopy It is full of restaurants and all kind of shops all along the area and after the tour you have plenty of time to venture on your own to see or do other things….A fun little ride.
A nice ride around Portland…The tour guide she was informative and gave us a lot of details about the town and port…it’s great for restaurants and shops The tour was jus an hour not very long but saw what needed to be seen…We enjoyed the tour on that made believe cute fire truck.
In Portland for a wedding and not much time to explore so this fire truck tour was perfect for our limited time. Our guide Bruce was excellent and even the driver Gary shared some of his own Portland family history with us. This is a dynamic duo. Highly recommend.
This was a great way to get an overview of Portland. It's only an hour, so plenty of time to go back and see more of things that looked interesting. The guide had lived here pretty much all her life and had plenty of personal observations to add color to the historical items of note.
The meeting spot was super easy to find! The guides were friendly and very knowledgeable! Had great advice/ideas for places to see, eat, visit….fun family friendly your tour to get your bearings in Portland!



