2 Hours | Portland Hidden Histories Walking Tour

Overview

Meet Portland and the people—of all backgrounds and identities—whose wit and grit have made her who she is today. Your locally-raised tour guide will captivate you with extraordinary, exciting, and surprising stories about the hardy folks who destroyed and rebuilt Portland time and again over 400 years while you stroll historic streets past spots you’ll surely want to come back to explore. We’ll see where Indigenous Wabanaki leaders made their earliest relationships with European colonizers and walk through the centuries in the historic Old Port and working waterfront.

The Portland Hidden Histories Tour includes 2 hours of entertaining and enlightening historical narration over a 1.5-mile route through downtown Congress Street, the Old Port, and working waterfront along Commercial Street. Owner and guide, Dugan Murphy, takes guests to the most intriguing landmarks and presents an inclusive collection of hidden histories not included on other tours.

City: Portland

Mon 24 Feb

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $49.00

Make a reservation

Mon 24 Feb

Starting at $49.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Two hour fully narrated guided tour.

Donation toward restoring the Abyssinian Meeting House, America's third-oldest standing Black church

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
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Pets are not allowed on tours unless medically required.
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
COVID-19 vaccination required for guides
Masks are optional, but encouraged for non-vaccinated guests. You should bring a face covering in the event your tour group is invited inside a historic building for an impromptu visit or for use if you’d like while walking outside.

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Reviews (156)

Greg O

Apr 2022

After spending a few days exploring Portland for the first time, this tour offered historical insight and perspective to the important and interesting sights in the Old Port, Downtown, and Commercial Street Areas. Dugan is very knowledgeable on the history and personalities, including the contributions of Women, African Americans and Asian Americans. He was quite gracious in answering all our questions and even made helpful recommendations for dinner, snacks, and gelato. Highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in learning more about this historic port city.

Response from Host

Apr 2022

What a fun time! Thank you for bringing your curiosity and for reviewing your experience.

Elizabeth W

Apr 2022

I can honestly say that this was by far the most informative walking tour I’ve ever experienced. Dugan is a wealth of knowledge, and he makes history come alive through his anecdotes and his thoughtful curation of tour inclusions. He is a very personable guide with a great sense of humor. As someone visiting Portland for the first time, I am so fortunate to have gotten so many insights into what makes this city the great place it is today. I recommend this experience most highly!

Response from Host

Apr 2022

History and humor enjoy a delicate balance on my walking tours and I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much. Thank you for sharing your review!

candyschwartz

Apr 2022

Dugan is a great guide. He has a deep knowledge of Portland history, enabling him to answer questions beyond the general scope of whatever I was hearing about. The walk was very well designed, covering a lot of time periods without an exhausting amount of walking. Dugan is chock full of fascinating facts. He opened my eyes to many new (to me) aspects of Portland's social, cultural, and economic history. Dugan is personable, very well informed, and has fun ways of getting you engaged with the stories. Highly recommended.

Response from Host

Apr 2022

I see history as a vast collection of stories and I see my job as more of a storyteller than anything else. I'm so happy the ones I picked landed with you. Thank you for sharing your experience!