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Surprising Stories on Wharf Street
Passing independent shops on Exchange Street
Portland Old Port Shopping and Dining District
Behind the fish market on Custom House Wharf
Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Portland, Maine: Hidden Histories Guided Walking Tour

By Portland by the Foot
10 out of 10
Free cancellation available
Price is $49 per adult
Features
  • Free cancellation available
  • 2h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation
Overview

Meet Portland and the people—of all backgrounds and identities—whose wit and grit have made Maine's largest city what it is today. Your locally-raised guide will captivate you with extraordinary, exciting, and surprising stories largely left out of the history books. Get ready to broaden your sense of what Portland and Maine have been and could be.

Brick sidewalks beneath your feet and beautiful Victorian-era buildings nestled around you, we'll casually stroll Portland’s lush, historic Old Port toward the sparkling waters of Casco Bay. We’ll see where Indigenous Wabanaki leaders made their earliest relationships with European colonizers and walk together through the centuries.

Enjoy an inclusive, empowering, and surprising constellation of tales that offers a welcome contrast to the more obvious themes you’re likely to experience on other tours. You'll enjoy 2 hours of narration over a 1.5-mile route with owner and guide, Dugan Murphy. He is Portland's top-rated guide on TripAdvisor!

Activity location

  • Downtown
    • 04101, Portland, Maine, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Post Office Park
    • 167 Middle Street
    • 04101, Portland, Maine, United States

Check availability


Portland Hidden Histories Tour
  • Activity duration is 2 hours2h
    2h
  • English

Duration: 2 hours

Language options: English
Starting time: 10:00am
Price details
$49.00 x 1 Adult$49.00

Total
Price is $49.00

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included10% off water tours with Portland Paddle (instructions at confirmation)
  • What's includedWhat's includedTwo hour fully narrated guided tour.
  • What's includedWhat's includedDonation toward restoring the Abyssinian Meeting House, America's third-oldest standing Black church
  • What's excludedWhat's excludedA tip for your guide!

Know before you book

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Pets are not allowed on tours unless medically required.
  • Portland is a hilly city. Participants will walk uphill sometimes, along some cobblestones, up a staircase of 6 steps, and down two staircases (24 steps total).

Activity itinerary

Downtown
  • 45m
You and your guide Dugan will walk the Downtown District, visiting major landmarks and a few hidden gems. Your guide Dugan will highlight unsung heroes and folks too often left out of the history books.
The Press Hotel, Autograph Collection (Pass by)
Meet the woman who, a century ago, lived as her true self and improved the lives of Mainers around her, against all odds.
Portland City Hall (Pass by)
Appreciate the architecture and hear the stories not captured in plaques and statues.
The First Parish Portland Unitarian Universalist (Pass by)
Marvel at the resilience of Indigenous communities who survived colonialism and are skillfully navigating diplomatic relationships in the modern day.
Our Lady of Victories (The Portland Soldiers and Sailors Monument) (Pass by)
Hidden stories are revealed about the folks not recognized by Portland's largest monument.
The Wadsworth-Longfellow House (Pass by)
See the oldest building in downtown Portland and hear a surprising story about its world-famous inhabitant.
Old Port
  • 45m
Follow Dugan through Portland's Old Port, uncovering hidden histories of the city and her people. You'll learn about people from all backgrounds and identities whose grit and ingenuity made the city what it is today.
John Ford Statue (Pass by)
Find the complicated history of one of Portland's most famous sons.
Exchange Street (Pass by)
See beautiful Victorian buildings and learn about the largely forgotten history-makers who once inhabited them.
Mariner's Church Banquet Center (Pass by)
Discover the often complicated relationship between stevedores, captains, shipowners, and common sailors in 19th-century Portland.
Commercial Street
  • 30m
You and Dugan will stroll through the waterfront district along Commercial Street, discovering the people and economic forces that forged it. Get ready for an inclusive, empowering, and surprising constellation of tales that offers a welcome contrast to the more obvious themes you’re likely to experience on other tours.
Wharf Street (Pass by)
Learn what the other tours aren't telling you about the global implications of Portland's industrial and maritime histories.
Custom House Wharf (Pass by)
See the picturesque working waterfront and find out who the female figures are got left out of the history books.
United States Custom House (Pass by)
Hear how changing federal policies have impacted life in this port city over the centuries.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIESDowntown
    • 04101, Portland, Maine, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLEPost Office Park
    • 167 Middle Street
    • 04101, Portland, Maine, United States

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