Portland Hidden Histories: Inclusive Walking Tour
5.0
303 Ratings
Portland
Discover the hidden histories of Portland on this inclusive walking tour. Explore the city's diverse past and learn about the people who shaped it. Join top-rated guide Dugan Murphy for an engaging and surprising experience!
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Old Port - We’ll stroll through Portland’s Old Port and Waterfront district uncovering hidden histories of the city and her people. Highlights include: Commercial Street waterfront, United States Custom House, Custom House Wharf, Portland Pier, Boothby Square, Wharf Street, Foundry Lane, John Ford Statue, Post Office Park, Exchange Street, and plenty of boutiques, award-winning restaurants, breweries, bookshops, and more!
What's Included
  • Two hour fully narrated guided tour
  • Donation toward restoring the Abyssinian Meeting House, America’s third-oldest standing Black church
What's Not Included
  • A tip for your guide!
Additional Information

Discover Portland and its diverse inhabitants, who with their intellect and determination, have shaped the city into Maine’s biggest metropolis. Listen to the intriguing, unexpected, and utterly incredible stories from your local guide, stories widely omitted from history books. Prepare yourself to explore a new perspective of what Portland and Maine used to be and can become.

Surrounded by charming Victorian-style architecture and with the cobblestone pavement under your feet, we will casually meander around Portland’s verdant, historical Old Port towards the shimmering Casco Bay. We’ll visit the historical sites where Indigenous Wabanaki leaders first met European settlers and walk through history together.

Delight in a unique, empowering, and unexpected array of stories that offer a refreshing divergence from the typical narrative you’ll likely encounter on other tours. Spend two wonderful hours listening to Dugan Murphy, the owner and your guide, who also happens to be Portland’s highest-rated guide on TripAdvisor!

  • Pets are not allowed on tours unless medically required.
Location
Post Office Park
Middle Street
Meet at the corner of Middle and Exchange Streets by the boulders in the park. Your guide will be holding a sign that says "Portland by the Foot." Arrive 10 minutes early so we can leave on time. This is one half mile from the cruise ship terminal.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(303 Ratings)
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Newengland40
Apr 14, 2024
The Portland Walking Tour Not to Miss - We spent over 2 hours with Dugan on our morning hidden history walking tour and would have loved to have had the time to do his afternoon Black history tour. Dugan is a wealth of knowledge, interesting, and in love with everything Portland!! Definitely worth it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrew_s
Apr 12, 2024
Wonderful exploration of downtown Portland for a couple hours! - Dugan is a phenomenal tour guide. Witty, quick & being a lifelong Mainer he deeply knows Portland/ context of the history behind this beautiful city. Highly recommend, you'll be glad you spent the couple hours with him!
Review provided by Viator
J1569wzdaniell
Apr 7, 2024
A fascinating, funny, and informative tour, led by a knowledgeable guide! - I had an amazing time on the hidden histories tour! The whole thing was filled with funny, surprising, and fascinating information about the city. It was really cool as a Portland resident, and I'm sure would be just as interesting for those visiting. I particularly appreciated that the tour had a through line of showcasing marginalized perspectives - very clear that the tour guide knows his stuff, and was very generous with his knowledge - he even offered to get in touch if I had any questions I thought of after the tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Momof2greatboys23
Apr 2, 2024
Excellent tour- you don’t want to miss it! - Dugan is an incredibly knowledgeable tour guide. Wonderful experience as he stops periodically on the tour to answer questions. It is obvious he is a native of Maine and proud of his home state. I could not recommend this tour enough!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
W5976ynerink
Apr 2, 2024
Inclusive and entertaining history walk - Dugan is an excellent guide. He's an encyclopedia of Portland knowledge, especially providing looks into history from the less represented viewpoints (Native American, Black, LGBTQ, women, laborers). He can answer almost any question or even find answers while walking. He is also extremely personable and just the right amount of cheesy and/or self-deprecating humor. We were lucky to have his full attention, as we were the only guests this early in the season. It's a fun two hours in the Portland Old Port District and Waterfront. My husband and I highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lovetravel163900
Apr 2, 2024
Best tour in Portland, Maine - My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our Portland Hidden Histories tour with Dugan. The tour was entertaining and insightful. Dugan was able to answer all of my family’s questions. The tour is thoughtfully planned out and time went by very quickly. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wanted to learn about Portland’s history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristenp222
Jan 14, 2024
Fun, surprising, engaging tour that I will never forget! - I took the Hidden Histories tour with Dugan and it was the best tour I've ever been on! Dugan's infectious passion for Portland and his engaging storytelling made it an unforgettable afternoon. It's a fantastic way to start a trip to the area. You'll understand both the physical layout and major events that shaped Portland. The time flew by! Dugan has crafted a tour that introduces you to Portland through fascinating, true stories of the people who lived there. I can't believe how much I learned and how many times I laughed or had my mouth hanging open in astonishment. I had so much fun!! I can't wait until the next time I'm back in town and can take the rest of his tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
967maryjoycem
Nov 12, 2023
Don’t miss it! - Dugan was very knowledgeable and likewise entertaining. Glad we did the walking tour. Don’t miss it in your next trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeffrey_c
Nov 10, 2023
Amazing tour! - Dugan is an amazing tour guide. He is very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. This tour was the highlight of our trip to Maine. I highly recommend it!
Review provided by Viator
Grahamarmstrong
Nov 9, 2023
Best Portland Tour Money Can Buy - Dugan was extremely knowledgable and knew Portland like the back of his hand. 2 HR tour went by like 30 minutes. Would highly reccomend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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May 2024
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