Portland, Maine: Hidden Histories Guided Walking Tour
Overview
Available languages
2 hours
Mobile ticket
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!
Additional Info
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).
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
10% off water tours with Portland Paddle (instructions at confirmation)
Two hour fully narrated guided tour.
Donation toward restoring the Abyssinian Meeting House, America's third-oldest standing Black church
A tip for your guide!
What To Expect
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.
Meet the woman who, a century ago, lived as her true self and improved the lives of Mainers around her, against all odds.
Options
Portland Hidden Histories Tour
Duration: 2 hours
Reviews
421 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Time Travel on Cobblestones
Patrick D,
May 10, 2025
- Viator
5.00If history had a voice, it would sound a lot like Dugan, the mastermind behind Portland by the Foot. His Portland Hidden Histories Walking Tour is less of a sightseeing excursion and more of a journey through the ages, peeled back one cobblestone at a time. With experience at the Maine Historical Society and a Master’s in Urban Planning, Dugan isn’t just knowledgeable—he’s authoritative, the kind of guide who speaks with conviction because he knows his subject inside and out. The tour group is kept intentionally small—about a dozen or so curious minds—which gives the experience an almost seminar-like feel. Questions are encouraged, tangents are explored, and Dugan seems to revel in the wonky details. He’s the sort of guide who brings a flip book of archival images, snapping it open at each stop to show Portland as it once was. It’s like opening a window into the past, each page a glimpse of what used to be, mapped perfectly onto the modern landscape before you. One surprise? The waiver. I chuckled when I saw it—how dangerous could a history tour be? But as we navigated Portland’s steep hills and uneven cobblestones, bracing against winds that whipped through the streets with the fury of a Nor’easter, I understood the precaution. Even in May, Portland’s weather is an active participant in the tour, unpredictable and occasionally unkind. This is a walking tour in the truest sense: only one indoor stop, no vans, no shuttle buses. Just your feet, the city, and a good pair of shoes. Dress warmly, bring an umbrella, and budget time for a stiff drink afterwards. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Dugan is one of the finest guides I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting—his passion and knowledge turn every corner into a revelation. If you’re the sort of traveler who values substance over spectacle, this tour is a must. Hidden histories, after all, are the best kind.
Dugan was a great guide...
Yohannes B,
May 10, 2025
- Viator
5.00Dugan was a great guide and extremely knowledgeable about Portland. Everyone that is visiting should take his tour at least once.
Portland from a local
nancy j,
May 8, 2025
- Viator
5.00Great way to see Portland . Duggan was a great travel host. He is a historian by choice and knowledgeable on Portland ‘s people and past.
Be prepared to walk😉,...
Katherine M,
May 6, 2025
- Viator
5.00Be prepared to walk😉, laugh a lot and learn a lot! Dugan was an awesome guide-so knowledgeable and funny as well! One of the best parts of our trip❤️
It was very informative...
Apollo T,
Apr 25, 2025
- Viator
5.00It was very informative about the history of Portland and being able to see it from a historian perspective.
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