excellent experience! our guide, Gordon, is a terrific storyteller and our extended family group of…read moreadults laughed and learned local history in a fun setting. Highly recommend!

Gordon, our guide, was very engaging and entertaining! Our tour was about 1 hour and our group was…read morearound 10 people. I would recommend this tour for anyone looking to have a unique, off-the-beaten-path type of Portland experience.

Dugan is an expert tour guide and passionate about history! He provided a superb and detailed…read morehistory of African Americans in Portland, ME from the colonial era to the current day. We loved the amazing story of Susan Rice and her mother (Lois Rice) who each had a tremendous impact on education and public policy. Our family enjoyed learning about the many changes in downtown Portland from the 1700s to the 1950s and hearing the stories of remarkable leaders in the community over generations. We appreciated the enthusiasm and concern of Dugan to make sure the entire group was OK during the walk on a hot summer day (the shaded "rest breaks" were a plus). Also, he was open to questions and made everyone feel welcome. Overall, I would strongly recommend any of the walking tours! You are bound to discover something new.

What can I say, I had the pleasure of experiencing Dugan's walking tour today. You will be amazed…read moreby the deep understanding of the hidden history of this city. Dugan is very knowledgeable and has done extensive research of his topics. I was extremely pleased with his presentation and how he was able to weave in aspects of the rich but unfortunately not widely known historical facts by those outside of this city. As other reviewers have said the Susan Rice tie-in was something I did not expect. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn about this gem of a city. Dugan, thanks for your dedication and keep up the great Work. We all the better for it.

We had a great time on this walking tour. Our guide Dugan brought Portland to life with interesting…read morefacts and stories. All questions were welcomed and answered. The tour starts on time, so don't be tardy to this highly recommended excellent tour.

Our group of five had a great tour with Pete on a crisp sunny day. Learned history and saw sites…read morefrom Monument Square to the waterfront area; the Eastern Prom, Portland Observatory and more. The guide was very knowledgeable and his sense of humor meshed well with our crew. It was pleasant 3+ mile walk that capitalized on some terrific views. The exercise helped whet our appetite for lunch at one of many restaurants Pete recommended.

I'm a little bit of a history geek, what can I say? I was the kid that relished the opportunity to…read moretalk to my grandparents about their lives growing up, what our community used to be like and look like, what their parents experienced. Finding old photos of towns and cities that I'm familiar with now are unbelievably fascinating, and preserving that which was is something near and dear to my heart. Which is why I'm a little in love with the The Greater Portland Landmarks, the safeguards of Portland's history via buildings, neighborhoods, and outdoor spaces. Through education and advocacy these great stewards of urban conservancy have helped to maintain some amazing spots throughout the city of Resurgam, while thoughtfully bridging the gap from the character of the city that was to the character that the city's beginning to have. I've had the opportunity to explore some of their catalog of public offerings, including Portland Observatory tours (https://www.yelp.com/biz/portland-observatory-portland), Custom House tours (https://www.yelp.com/biz/united-states-custom-house-portland), and a tour of the Homes of Portland's Golden Age (where we walked around the Spring Street Historic District [which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in '71] and viewed an array of impressive architectural styles throughout the past couple centuries. That's just some of their ongoing events; they also host a lot of other awesome shindigs (like an annual decade-specific themed gala at a large mansion in Portland). The folks who work at GPL are dedicated, passionate, and well-versed in all things Portland. I care deeply about the past, present, and future of this great city, and I feel rest assured that there are others that do so as well!

Take their tours, donate, support this worthy and well-run cause…read more... In August, I was visiting Portland to eat and relax and look at the water. When my companion suggested (ah-hem, insisted) that we take the Greater Portland Landmarks walking architectural tour, I agreed but had no idea what I was getting into. Like, what? The headquarters or main building is on Spring Street behind the MFA, where I'd been several times already. It's a straight ten-minute walk from the Old Port area, so pretty easy to access. When we got there, we were greeted warmly by the staff and invited inside to wait for the tourists to gather. They allow (and encourage? insist upon?) on-line reservations, which we had. We pad electronically with credit cards using their portable chip reader. It was good to see historic preservation embracing technology. Ten bucks each, totally worth it. Our group of about ten tourists was led by two men, both school teachers, who tag-teamed the direction of the group and the speaking. They were warm and funny and kind and helpful and full of information. When one of them knew that the other was the expert, he'd say, And now XXXX is going to talk about the roofline of Federalist style buildings. Or some such. And the information is transferrable. I was recently in downtown Philadelphia where I was able to identify architectural styles that I learned about in Portland. The walk isn't that long distance-wise because they essentially keep close to the neighborhood around their building but it is strenuous and takes a while because they cover so much, including the Victoria House (from the outside). They encouraged questions and engagements and were helpful and attentive to those with limitations (slow walkers, the deaf, etc). At one point, we Zillowed the price of a house that was on the tour, which connected past and present. The guides even got us an inside tour of the private Cumberland Club. I would do it again. I would do their other tours (including of the Observatory on Munjoy Hill). If I lived in Portland....

This was a super interesting Locally owned tour of Portland . We visited some beautiful historic…read morelight houses and toured the downtown areas. The driver (and owner) had lots of local interesting information to share and he was enthusiastic and really made the tour fun for our group. Actually was one of the best local tours I have ever been on. Highly recommended when visiting Portland for the first time.

loved this tour! great commentary and good jokes! Very interesting and well done. I would…read moredefinitely recommend this trip!

Awesome tour! My wife and I attended the Seafood Tour in Portland with Pete and we had a fantastic…read moretime! We went to Andy's, Gilbert's, Rigby Yard and finished with some sweet treats to wrap up the tour. Pete had such a knowledge and love for Maine that we wanted to hang out with him after! I highly recommend the trip and doing it early in your trip any extended stay in Portland - we added a long list of ToDo's that Pete recommended and have not been disappointed by a single one. Highly recommend. Thank you, Pete M!

I attended the Portland: Old Port Culinary Walking Tour on Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 10:30 am with…read moreAnne and Ross. Usually, there is only one tour guide and it was supposed to be Anne only but Ross joined in as well. The Old Port Culinary Walking Tour is a foodie tour with a mix of history and culture. Our group consisted of 13 people. The tour starts at Andy's Old Port Pub with an introduction from our tour guides. At Andy's Old Port Pub, we were seated in the backroom and had a seasoned, grilled fresh haddock with house-made pickled vegetables, pico de gallo and lime crema in a corn tortilla and Andy's house Lager. Ross talked about the suspicious happenings and history at Andy's Old Port Pub. They both talked about Harbor Fish Market which was right across the street and how the seafood never see the back of a truck. I thought the fish taco was okay and was probably my least favorite food item from the whole tour. Andy's house Lager was very smooth and I really enjoyed it. Then, we walked next door to Gilberts Chowder House where we had a choice of Clam Chowder, Haddock Chowder, Corn & Chicken Chowder, Seafood Chowder, or Seafood Chili. I chose the Clam Chowder. The Clam Chowder was thick and not as creamy as I usually like my clam chowders. Here, Anne was showing us pictures of lobster abnormalities. After having our chowder, we walked to the historic U.S. Custom House and old fishing docks. We even got a postcard of the old fishing docks which was a nice souvenir. Next, we stopped at Rigby Yard and were seated in a small private room. We were offered several drink options; I chose a glass of prosecco. We had the Fresh Maine Lobster Roll with fresh Maine lobster meat Maine-style, tossed lightly in mayo, lemon, and sea salt served on a brioche roll with chips. The lobster was definitely fresh and good. The last two stops were dessert spots: Dean's Sweets and The Gelato Fiasco. We had a needham which is a confectionery dessert bar made from sugar, chocolate, coconut, and potato and we had the option to choose another truffle. I chose a blueberry one. At The Gelato Fiasco, we were able to choose 2 different flavors. Funny enough, I had went to The Gelato Fiasco the night before and it really is delicious gelato. I was glad to try different flavors. The tour finished about 1:45pm. The tour guides thanked us for spending our time together. The Portland: Old Port Culinary Walking Tour was fun and I enjoyed meeting the other people in our group. Anne and Ross were very knowledgeable with Portland's history and food scene. They had good recommendations for other things to do in Portland. The food we had on the tour was okay according to my opinion, but it was definitely a good variety of Maine dishes.

Khaled and Al were fantastic! We had a large group traveling from all over the US, and I was in…read morecharge of planning our excursion. Khaled was wonderful to work with and put me at ease to make sure our group would have a great experience. Al was a friendly and informative guide. Highly recommend!

Absolutely loved this tour and our tour guide Shawn K. He…read morewas so knowledgeable and easy going. He gave us a taste of the local history, culture, industry and suggestions for further explorations after getting off his tour. Enjoyed hearing the impact Irish immigrants had on the area. Something you don't hear much about anymore. It was evident Shawn knew the area and cared about those on the tour not just reading a script. Will ride with Shawn again cuz I know his next tour will provide new and exciting tales of Portland Maine.

Super funny to be a tourist in my own backyard, the place that I grew up, and have lived most of my…read morelife. But there is sooo much history here, and no matter how many stories I heard growing up, no matter how many islands and towers and forts I have explored in Casco Bay, there is still more history to be discovered, and the sights never, ever get old! The tour guide was knowledgeable and very entertaining, the bartender very pleasant, and the captain was very skilled. An all-around great way to spend my birthday!

What a wonderful way to end our amazing trip to Maine!…read more Our sunset cruise was simply spectacular! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Bob entertained us the whole time - interesting and witty, all without being annoying! This man was FUNNY! Nate was our trusty Captain, who kept us safely sailing. Dan was on the lower level serving up drinks. We saw such beautiful views, and took some really lovely photos. The whole trip was so memorable, relaxing and fun!

I found this tour through TripAdvisor and it deservedly gets 5 stars on that site too. Linda is a…read morewealth of information about Portland Maine. In fact, her detailed history helped jumpstart our knowledge of the region and the subsequent ports we would visit that share a similar history. We were fortunate that the day we went, we were the only ones signed up so basically had a private tour for the morning. We all enjoyed the morning so much we didn't even realize she had gone 45 minutes over the allotted walking tour time. The price is extremely reasonable for the amount of past and present information she provides. She also provides a military discount which makes it an even better deal.

I highly recommend taking this tour. Lind, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable and gave us a 3…read morehour tour. It was a very hot day and it must have scared away other tourists but she did not skimp on this tour even though there were only 2 of us. It was worth a lot more than we paid. I feel like I deserve college credit for all the knowledge she imparted on us.

Cruise company cancelled cruise and did not provide refund. Called multiple times with no response.read more

Tour was ok, but a little boring for the kids - lots of "dad, can we please get off soon?"…read more We booked for an easy tour, but in retrospect would definitely go with a smaller boat and more unique tour. Would probably be 2-3 stars, but bumped further down to 1 for the very rude tour guide.