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    Portland Observatory

    4.5 (59 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

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    Denise A.

    We visited outside of their open season (Memorial Day through the beginning of Oct) so we did not get to go inside, however it was great to see it and we did enjoy reading the plaques outside and learning the history of this structure on the Portland Observatory website. We look forward to returning in the warmer months (Thursday thru Monday, with only self guided tours on Saturdays) to get a look inside and hear all about its fascinating history and take in the views. Take a short drive from here to the East Promenade for some breathtaking views of the water and stately homes, or take a walk/bike on the many surrounding trails.

    Outside near entrance
    Steven C.

    Very special experience in part due to our great guide Mark. We learned so much about Portland and enjoyed great views. Most highly recommend!! Must do.

    Exterior
    Alicia S.

    Worth taking the tour. Our tour guide was the best and kids had fun too! The view from the top is awesome!

    View of Portland from the Observatory
    Victoria S.

    This is a hidden gem in Portland and the last remaining observatory in the United States. The tour lasts 45 minutes as you are guided by a docent through the different exhibits at each floor leading up the tower. It's provides insights into Portland's history and present day. Pro tip - Make sure you order tickets in advance and arrive on time. The tours frequently sell out.

    Top of the observatory
    Chris E.

    Provides great view of the neighborhoods in Portland and, especially, the bay! To get straight to the point, the observatory was located in a relatively quiet residential neighborhood. However, A LOT of history surrounded the observatory and we would have never thought all of what occurred there actually happened. If you're in Portland, it's basically a must-visit landmark. Visitors get set back $10 to go inside and walk up the observatory, but it was well worth the price of admission. There were discounts that could be applied too (e.g. AAA members). Visitors could either guide themselves thru to the top (with a laminated information card) or can get a regularly scheduled guided tour from an expert. We started from the ground floor where the shop area was and worked our way up the slightly steep stairs and multiple floors of the observatory to learn about the origins of the landmark over the last 2+ centuries. I didn't have much expectations when we arrived, as I saw it as more of a quick photo op., but to be honest, the historical significance of the structure and series of events leading up to its present day condition were quite fascinating. As we walked up the multiple flights of stairs, there were excerpts about the observatory and the people who built it, relics important to its maritime past and small models of the observatory itself. We really enjoyed the small history lesson and, the reward at the top was amazing. We could see for miles out to sea and land when we were up there. There was also a guide up at the top as well giving us information as we enjoyed the view. To summarize, it goes without saying any more that I highly recommend visiting the observatory if you're visiting Portland!

    Roberta M.

    Of our cruise ship buddies, no one stopped at this site as they thought it was just a light house and there are so many things to do in Portland! Well, it's not a lighthouse but was designed to be a simple but effective communication medium back in the day. It's subscription service to companies/vessels designed a unique flag for each one and hung them from the tower. This enabled the towns folk to know what merchandise was coming in. The structure itself is historic and quite a marvelously constructed wooden building. Unlike a lighthouse regular internal platforms have stations with information about the significance of both the structure, as well as Portland. The view from the top is a phenomenal 360 of the city and the harbor. We did the self guided tour as we didn't want an overload of information from a docent. We were happy with our choice, but we passed a docent tour that certainly had the group captivated. We were there over an hour, fascinated but the exhibits and the view. We learned so and we're so excited by "our discovery" that we were pretty darn good at telling its tale in a way that resulted in some of our cruise buddies' commenting that they had no idea what a treasure they missed seeing.

    JC G.

    If you have time in Portland this is a nice place to visit. They do have a guided tour. Book in advance.

    National Flag Day!

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    11 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Interesting historical site with great view of Portland. Volunteers provide the tours. Highly recommend

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    2 years ago

    Beautiful, worth the short hike of stairs and wonderful staff. Bring a nice camera to take pictures from the top!

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    9 years ago

    Beautiful view. My advise is pay the $10 but skip the tour. Just walk all the way up to the top and savor the view!

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    The tour lasts 45 minutes as you are guided by a docent through the different exhibits at each floor leading up the tower.

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    United States Custom House

    United States Custom House

    5.0
    (1 review)
    0.6 mi

    One time at the US Custom House I drank pickle juice in what was Joshua Chamberlain's old office…read morewith two of my best friends. The only thing that was missing with Angus King. To be honest, if he had been there I probably would have died of sheer happiness. It would have been horrible to pass away so young, but with that much epic Maine-ness happening all at once, it would have come as no surprise to my friends and family. The United States Custom House here in Portland was built with fire proof granite from New Hampshire between 1868 and 1872. When you first enter, there is a grandiose hall with a checkerboard floor, walnut counters on either side of the room, and an iron-railed balcony encircling the room. From what I know, at the heart of its purpose, it was where merchants used to come to pay their tariffs on imports/exports. Now, here are things I'll probably get in trouble for telling you: 1. This place might actually be a front for Gringotts Wizarding Bank 2. I may or may not have accidentally been locked in the basement after the alarm was tripped and the police showed up (it's much more fun to not know the context of which this story comes from, so I'll leave it at that) 3. I was told there used to be a moat and a dungeon here. I'm not THAT gullible, but... a girl needs something to believe in, y'know? So, I'm going to continue to think this is true regardless if hard evidence is shown to me and proves otherwise. 4. When the zombie apocalypse happens, this is on my list of places in town to possibly secure and make a fortress out of In reality, I've been here multiple times throughout the years for galas and auctions, cocktail tastings, historical tours, and more (KUDOS to the The Greater Portland Landmarks for doing such an unbelievable job at the preservation of this spot which was added to the National Register of Historical Sites [as of 1973]). This place, to me, feels like a living, breathing relic from the days of Portland's yesteryear. The view of our little seaport town from the cupola of the building is also breathtaking. If you love history and ever have the chance to tour the Custom House... do it. Without hesitation, do it. It's one of those spots that will stay with you forever.

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    United States Custom House
    United States Custom House
    United States Custom House

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    Greater Portland Landmarks

    Greater Portland Landmarks

    4.3
    (4 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    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....

    Photos
    The beautiful Greater Portland Landmarks building adorned with a Valentine's Day Bandit heart!
    The beautiful Greater Portland Landmarks building adorned with a Valentine's Day Bandit heart!
    Greater Portland Landmarks is located in the William Safford House 1858.

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    Greater Portland Landmarks is located in the William Safford House 1858.
    Wicked Walking Tours

    Wicked Walking Tours

    4.6
    (63 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    Highly recommended tour in Portland, Maine. Gordon was our…read morevisual storyteller and he captured the attention of my whole family,most notably my skeptical 14 year old son who wanted follow up details to go ghost hunting while we are here. This tour combines ghost stories, local history, comedy, and some pretty fantastic storytelling while getting a nice walk in the evening in. Loved it!

    This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Portland, Maine. Aside from some amazing lobstah…read morerolls, what else might you expect out of a historic, coastal New England town? You guessed it.....ghosts. Maine has always fascinated me, ever since I read "Pet Sematary" when I was about 12 years old. In fact, the 1989 version of the movie was just on television. Perhaps no one tackled the Maine accent as well as Fred Gwynn. Ayuh, he nailed his role as the old, weathered, local Maine neighbor, Jud Crandall. (John Lithgow provided a completely different interpretation of Jud in the 2019 version.) It's only appropriate that King, who grew up in Portland, based so many of his novels in the state of Maine. This place is saturated with ghosts, savory characters, and somewhat of a dark history. Last week on my layover I took a Wicked Walking Tour with Gordon, who was absolutely fantastic. Knowledgeable and funny, his theatrical, yet historic tour was well worth my time. Gordon made the tour interactive and got to know each of us on the tour. There was another Lori (spelled differently though), another couple from Cleveland, and some newlyweds amongst our group. We started by learning about some history of the city. Portland buried their dead 18 feet under. Gordon informed us this was to keep the vampires in and the grave robbers out. The Portland Waterfront and the many islands of Casco Bay have stories of pirates, witches, ghosts, fires, and abandoned ships that we learned of throughout the tour. In this particular part of the waterfront a mysterious woman clad in black wanders the dock area, stumbling over lobster traps in search of her sailor. Aside from an occasional wharf rat, there is not much trace of life down here at night. A building that I noticed while walking around the town was the Time and Temperature Building, a building with....you guessed it: the time and temperature displayed on the outside. Gordon talked about this building on our tour. The place is allegedly haunted by a female ghost with fire-engine red hair, who enjoys riding the elevators and who will often play on them, randomly sending them to different floors. Some workers in the building have claimed to have seen an unknown female walking through their offices, and when they follow her or try speaking to her, she vanishes around a corner. Electricians insist that there is nothing wrong with the wiring of the elevators. No one is certain of the back-story here, nor why she does this. Before running through a dark and sinister alley, Gordon pointed out an other creepy building. I don't remember the details, but I remember something about a woman seeing a mermaid, attached to the front of a ship outside her third story window. Apparently the water level used to reach this part of the town and there have been phantom ships, still weathering the storms, to this day. Check out Gordan's tour......I really enjoyed it. His stories are interesting and engaging. Maine is awesome. And the people here are wicked smaht.....

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    Gordon
    Gordon
    Wicked Walking Tours
    Wicked Walking Tours

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    Portland Observatory - landmarks - Updated July 2026

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