Bus tour operators visit western Maine

RANGELEY – Twenty-five bus tour operators from across the country visited the Rangeley Lakes Region as part of their six-day familiarization tour of Maine. The “Fam” Tour was organized and hosted by members of the Maine Motorcoach Network, a group of businesses from across the state that meet year long to plan this event in an effort to increase organized tour business in the state of Maine.

Judy Morton of the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce met the group at the Sugarloaf Hotel in Carrabassett Valley where they had spent the previous night. Their visit to the Rangeley area included a stop at the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce where they picked up well-received Welcome Bags filled with items provided by Bald Mountain Camps, Morton & Furbish Rentals, Mo’s Variety, Oquossoc Grocery, Pinebough Dishes, Rangeley Region Health & Wellness, Rangeley Saddleback Inn, Red Onion, and Saddleback Maine. The bus tour operators were made aware of the convenience of the public restrooms adjacent to the Chamber – an important consideration for any group travel operator.

The Bus Tour Operators continued on to the Height of Land and Kevin and Doreen Sinnett of Rangeley Region Lake Cruises joined the group to provide history and lore of the Rangeley region. The spectacular weather that day offered the visitors a breathtaking scenic visit to the newly reconstructed Height of Land and its ease of use by large tour buses.

The group returned to the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossoc where Gary and Barbara Priest and Jim Quimby offered narrated tours of the remarkable preservation and presentation the museum offers of the early sporting days that initially made Rangeley famous. Many of the bus tour operators expressed an interest in a return visit to the museum.

The Red Onion Restaurant in Rangeley provided the 25 bus tour operators with a complimentary lunch, showcasing their ability to provide a quality dining experience in a limited amount of time – another important component of group travel. Each guest was able to choose from a large selection of offerings and the group of 28 diners were in and out of the restaurant within the hour providing enough time for a few of the group to visit the local shops in the village of Rangeley.

The group then traveled to the Comfort Inn in Farmington where they enjoyed a wine and cheese reception and an opportunity to meet with numerous businesses from across Franklin County including Bald Mountain Camps, Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Rangeley Region Lake Cruises, Saddleback Maine, Outdoor Sporting Heritage Musuem/Rangeley Historical Society, and the Wilheim Reich Museum from Rangeley.

The bus tour operators also enjoyed that day a visit to the Norlands in Livermore, dinner at Calzolaio’s in Wilton, and a Boreal Tordu show at Skye Theater in South Carthage. Tyne Hagerstrom, sales director at the Comfort Inn, hosted their visit in the Farmington area.