On August 6, 1959, the Boothbay Chamber of Commerce opened the Boothbay Region Information Center for the first time.

Now, 55 years later, it’s still going strong and gearing up for another season.

“We help guide people on where to go, what to do here,” Chamber board member Ginny Farrin said. “We give visitors directions to places like Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Craft Brewery, boat trips, the Opera House, hotels, etc.”

The Boothbay Region Information Center was the brainchild of Eva Whitney, who also donated the land the center is built on. Development and construction was done by members of the chamber at the time.

“Eva (Whitney) saw a need in the region,” Farrin said. “She wanted to help people find the little, out-of-the-way places. She wanted people to not just come to the region, but stay in the region.”

The center gets around 10,000 visitors every summer in recent years (the people working there keep a running tally). It is currently open weekends and will be open full-time around Father's Day and through Columbus Day.

The Boothbay chamber also sponsors the center’s Fall Foliage Festival at the Railway Village every year in October.

“It's another way to keep people in the region past summer,” Farrin said. “It's a really great event and we enjoy working with Boothbay Railway Village every year.”