Meet Your Guide!

Dugan Murphy (he/him/his)

When he sees someone in town who looks a little lost, Dugan Murphy is a Portland local of the sort who rubs his hands together excitedly before running over to help. He’s been obsessed with Portland and its history since his first pair of Chuck Taylors—and can’t wait to tell you about it!

Dugan’s a local historian, a graduate of Greater Portland Landmarks’ History Docent Program, and the official tour partner of Maine Historical Society. After several years as the most requested tour guide at another local tour company, in 2021 Dugan decided to offer walking tours of his own in order to create even more intimate, surprising, and delightful experiences. 

Well over 29,000 people have taken guided tours with Dugan. If all of those people lived in one spot in Maine, that city would be the fourth largest in the state! Based on their reviews, Tripadvisor in 2023 named Dugan Maine’s top-rated tour guide, #2 in New England, and #12 nationwide.

Not only sweetly nerdy, he’s also a beloved and acclaimed performer whose ability to emanate joy and entertain crowds has won him international praise. As a Maine humorist and storyteller, he continues a Downeast tradition of oral history and wry comedy, and as a New England folk dance leader, he teaches a living tradition to folks of all ages throughout North America.

Oh, and did we mention he’s got a Master’s in Community Planning and certificates in geographic information science and historic preservation? He’s obsessed, folks!

For 7 years Dugan was the executive director of a nonprofit organization that trains archivists and museum professionals across Maine. He is working on a book about his history crush, John Neal. Dugan edits Wikipedia, too—you know, for fun. Outside of tours, you’re likely to catch him riding his bike around town—say hi!