Acadia Taxi & Custom Tours
Offering taxi service across Mt. Desert Island and a 200-mile radius, plus standard and personalized tours of Acadia National Park and environs, during the season May thru October
Welcome to my website. I'm Bill Fleming, tour director, driver and narrator for your tours of Mt. Desert Island. For the past 10 years, I have been conducting tours of Acadia National Park, as a driver/narrator for Oli's Trolley, Bar Harbor. In 2011, I decided to offer personalized, custom tours to those who prefer a more flexible itinerary, perhaps exploring other parts of our intriguing island, maybe including a traditional Maine lobster luncheon at one of the many locations available.
It would be an honor to introduce you to our magic island, and show you the highlights, as well as many secret spots of beauty known only to us, the lucky ones who make our homes here.
It would be an honor to introduce you to our magic island, and show you the highlights, as well as many secret spots of beauty known only to us, the lucky ones who make our homes here.
I want to make your tour inclusive, meaningful, exciting, and memorable, all within your stated time allocation and budget. Please let me know your wishes, and I will go out of my way to grant them.
Some Popular Tour Options include:
1. The standard tour of Bar Harbor's business and historic districts, Acadia NP including Cadillac Mountain as well as stops at strategic points along the Park Loop Road, including Sand Beach and Thunder Hole.
2 1/2-3 hr. tour as you wish.
2. A Ride to the QuietSide (that's Southwest Harbor area): See our Bass Harbor Lighthouse up close, and stop for lunch* at a quintessential lobster pound with a picturesque view overlooking Bass Harbor, or perhaps you would prefer overlooking Southwest Harbor. It's your choice. (Click on the tab above, "Some other options")
This can be tailored to anywhere from 2-4 hours as you wish.
3. The Drive around the island, starting in Bar Harbor, taking the road through Seal Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Somesville, Southwest Harbor, the Back Side , perhaps to include one or both beautiful Thuya and Asticou gardens in Northeast Harbor. 2-3 hrs. depending on stops.
4. Our popular "artisans tour" designed by you, visiting venues of some of our many and varied artisans and artists on the island, right in their studios where you may visit with them and/or purchase their work.
2-5 hours.
* Lunch is not included in the cost of the tour.
Your preference might be to simply take a standard 2-1/2 hour tour of Acadia National Park, which is a very popular thing to do. And that would treat you to all the wonders the park has to offer, such as the view from atop Cadillac Mountain, which at 1532' above sea level, is the highest point of land on our coastline north of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You'll also have a stop at The Wild Gardens of Acadia, then perhaps a short visit to Schooner Head Overlook, followed by a visit to the natural phenomenon called "Thunder Hole" along the eastern side of the island, where you might witness the waves crashing into the pink granite bluffs, often sounding exactly like a clap of thunder. Pictured here is a view of Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands on a sunny day in August, 2011. Additional photos are at "More Photos" and "Still More Photos" at the top of the page.
SARGENT DRIVE
Here is an often missed part of our magic island. This road was built in the early days of the 20th century and overlooks Somes Sound, the only natural fjord on our east coast, formed by the glacier which receded some 12-15,000 years ago. It is an alternate, scenic route between Northeast Harbor and Somesville.
Pictured here is one of several marinas located on Mt. Desert Island. This is Northeast Harbor with a couple of lobster boats tied up at the near dock. (Notice the wet pilings at the far left). They are indicative of the significant tide variation of 8 to 15' on Mt. Desert Island. In the distant background is the famous Asticou Inn, established in 1883, one of only two that remain from the Gilded Age. The other one is the Claremont, located in Southwest Harbor, across the southern part of Somes Sound from Northeast Harbor.