Guided walking tours that will

knock your socks right off.

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Tripadvisor Best of the Best 2023 award logo

 Best of the Best!

#1 in Portland & Maine, #2 in New England, #12 in United States

We were selected for Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2023! 🎉 This prestigious honor is based on high levels of above-and-beyond traveler reviews in the last year — fewer than 1% of 8 million experiences are awarded.

Walking tour group on Commercial Street in Portland's Old Port listening to the description of a historic image

We tell the people’s history of Portland, Maine

Curious about what’s left out of mainstream tours?
Excited to visit both major landmarks and underrated gems?
Eager for inclusive storytelling?

Us, too.

We’re inspired by the intriguing, surprising, empowering — and too often untold — stories of marginalized communities, peoples, and histories. Each lovingly crafted tour is designed to broaden your sense of what Portland and Maine have been and could be, taking you on a journey beyond what other tours offer.

We promise: you’ll leave feeling brighter and more curious about not just Portland, but the wider world.

Inclusive, empowering, and surprising tales even locals don’t know.

Choose a riveting adventure:

  • Three people on Exchange Street in Portland's Old Port listening to local guide Dugan Murphy tell an Underground Railroad story

    Black History Tour

    $42 | 2 hours | 1.5 miles

    Black Portlanders have moved our city, state, and country closer to our ideals. Trace their steps!

  • Three women at a Victorian storefront in downtown Portland, Maine, listening to local tour guide Dugan Murphy telling a story about a local Civil War battle

    Hidden Histories Tour

    $42 | 2 hours | 1.5 miles

    Meet the people of Portland whose wit and grit have made it what it is today. A great overview!

Four reasons folks love Portland by the Foot:

 
Local guide Dugan Murphy leading a tour group through the Old Port in Portland, Maine

Just the right size

Group sizes are intentionally small, so you can have the intimate and personalized tour you want.

 
Tour group following a guide along Fore Street in the Portland, Maine Old Port

Eco-friendly & healthy

Fabulous for the planet and your body, our accessible and well-paced tours are the ideal way to experience Portland — an epically walkable city!

 
 
Guest in First Parish Church holding Revolutionary War cannonball

Unexpected spots

Our tours take you to untouristed gems. You’ll have a one-of-a-kind experience even locals can’t brag about!

 
Visitors on Dana Street in the Old Port district listen to a story from Portland, Maine's Black history

Ideal routes

You’ll always be just steps away from a five-star restaurant, unique boutique, or the water’s edge, and a question away from the perfect recommendation.

  • As a walking tour enthusiast, I can confirm Dugan's research, delivery and curation is top notch. The true seal of approval, however, comes from those in the community. We were greeted by historic partners who have great respect for Dugan. He is a citizen among citizens.

    Maureen M. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • Dugan is very knowledgeable on the [city's] history and personalities, including the contributions of Women, African Americans and Asian Americans. He was gracious in answering all our questions and even made helpful recommendations for dinner, snacks, and gelato. Highly recommend this tour!

    Greg O. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • As a walking tour enthusiast, I highly recommend taking a walk with Dugan! Informative and engaging, Dugan goes beyond the surface to include the good the bad and the sometimes ugly of the city’s formative years.

    Hanley D. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • The hidden histories tour was fantastic! I appreciated that the tour included the historical contributions by Black and Indigenous people, as well as women.

    Caroline D. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • I am so glad I took this tour. As a black woman coming to visit Portland, I had no idea that Portland has a rich black history. Dugan is so passionate about telling these incredible stories. This tour is a must-do!

    Latoya B. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • What a fantastically informative and entertaining tour! Dugan made the role of Maine women in local, national and international history come alive. The tour is centered around a particularly pretty part of the city and concludes in an area with plenty of restaurants and shopping.

    Peggy R. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • Outstanding Walking Tour!! Dugan was incredibly knowledgeable and was able to weave history into a compelling narrative. He even had photographs of most of the people he described during the tour, which brought the history to life.

    Amy N. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • If you've ever taken a historical tour and wondered why the only people you hear about are white men, Portland By the Foot's tours are the tours for you!! I went on two tours, and Dugan's detailed research plus his enthusiasm and verve for telling these folks' stories are infectious.

    Shannon W. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • Presented with joviality and obvious excitement for the subject matter the stories on the Black History Tour captivated me. While still acknowledging and explaining the affect of racism on the history, Dugan did a great job of making the tour feel like a true celebration of African American history in Portland instead of just talking about white people and their racism. Great tour!

    Johnathan T. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • Dugan really loves what he does and the enthusiasm is infectious. Interesting stories, lovely scenery, gentle pace. We had a great time.

    Nellie P. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • Dugan is funny and charming on his own--but to boot, he is clearly masterful of the subject matter, and weaved themes seamlessly into our tour which made it feel both illuminating to the past and relevant to the present. Two hours flew by, and we absolutely will be back for another tour.

    James P. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • Dugan recounts Portland’s Black history with compassion and humility in equal measure, delivering a tour that is both vivid and engaging. I highly recommend.

    Samson F. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • We had a great time on the Hidden Histories Tour! We particularly liked the amount of Black and Women's history included, specifically the narratives that women and people of color exercising agency.

    Tucker B. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • Dugan led a great tour that had everyone captivated. He knows his stuff & is not afraid to share it. Easy walk. Interesting subject. Great guide.

    Barbara C. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • An excellent and informative tour! Dugan knows his stuff, as someone who's done a bit of my own research on Black History in Portland I was constantly surprised and delighted by the unknown stories Dugan brought into focus from preachers and legislators to the underground railroad and more!

    Todd B. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • Best tour we took in Portland—interesting and thought provoking. Great easy walk with plenty of stops. Dugan has a deep knowledge of history that he shares with enthusiasm. I also enjoyed the friendliness of the people of Portland during the walk.

    Ello | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • Great tour, very knowledgeable guide, well researched tour. Took the tour as a local and was shocked by the amount of new information I walked away with. Looking forward to going on more tours with this company.

    Peter A. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • The pace was relaxed and pleasant and I enjoyed the small group. It was obvious how well informed and excited about about Portland history Dugan is. I highly recommend this tour if you love history.

    Kathy P. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • Dugan was able to weave a seamless story that brought many of the historical subjects into focus at more than one point in the tour, making the history more accessible and interesting. I would recommend him without hesitation. The two hours literally flew by.

    Jazwald | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • Providing thoughtful narrative on an often difficult topic, Dugan masterfully found ways to integrate humor and warmth and never missed a beat when questions or curve balls were thrown at him. This is a can't be missed tour for those looking to gain deeper insights into Black and Indigenous history in New England and Portland.

    Michelle L. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • Portland by the Foot is the best tour I've ever been on! I used to give tours in college, and I've been on many tours in new cities but this took the cake. Easy to book, easy to follow, easy on my wallet, and so fun to learn about Portland past and present. 10/10

    Sean O. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • Fantastic tour. We left with a deep understanding of how Portland and Maine in general fit into the early history of America. If you want a balanced history that covers the contributions of European, Native, Black and Asian populations, Dugan is your man!

    Durell C. | 2022

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    Tripadvisor

  • Dugan was a wonderful, gracious, entertaining guide who offered engaging, thorough insights. He did an excellent job at acknowledging the more socially complicated aspects of the region’s and country’s history, and how they inform our understanding of the identity of American culture.

    Mitch | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • Dugan obviously has a deep knowledge of the Portland’s history and tells its story with the enthusiasm of a history buff, empathy and, as an extra bonus, a handful of corny “dad jokes”!

    Hanley D. | 2022

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Tripadvisor

  • The Hidden Histories Tour was a great mix of the overarching history of Portland, with fascinating anecdotes. Dugan was a great guide—a friendly and knowledgeable Portland native. Definitely recommend.

    Caroline D. | 2022

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    Google Reviews

  • As someone from Portland, I can say without a doubt that after these tours I see my city in a totally different way. Dugan has a real knack for storytelling and he always ties each story to places in the city you might pass by without thinking about. He's also really great at answering questions!

    Shannon W. | 2022

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Google Reviews

  • Dugan has great energy; it is clear that he is passionate about history, and the whole experience was very warm and friendly. Even though we live in Portland, we learned a ton about the political, social, economic, and architectural history of the city. These topics were woven together with narrative coherence that made the tour engaging and easy to follow.

    Tucker B. | 2022

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Google Reviews

  • Time flew by! The content was accessible and thought-provoking, less like a history lesson in school, more like an engaging conversation with a friend.

    Sean O. | 2022

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Google Reviews

Book here on our website for the guaranteed lowest rates.

Commitment to anti-racism

We do our best to uncover and confront racist ideas that are embedded in the way we interpret the past and view our place in the present. We want the stories we share on Portland by the Foot tours to frankly reflect and challenge society's evolving system of unfair advantage based on perceived racial differences. We are committed to cultivating tour environments and business practices that counteract racism and other harmful historical patterns.

Land acknowledgement

We’re always calling this place Portland, but really it’s Machigonne. That’s the Algonquian name given to this peninsula by the Indigenous Wabanaki who have lived here for thousands of years. Despite encroachments by French and English colonizers and their descendant institutions, the Wabanaki have maintained their sovereignty and skillfully navigated diplomatic relations with the State of Maine and United States of America to this day. Five sovereign nations comprise the Wabanaki Confederacy today: the Abenaki, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mi'kmaq, and Maliseet.

As guests in unceded territory, the owners of Portland by the Foot are grateful for the Indigenous knowledge made available to us and for the ongoing stewardship of this land by the Wabanaki. We support these nations’ current claims to self-determination, land rights, water rights, fishing rights, hunting rights, ancestors’ remains, and historic artifacts of Wabanaki origin. We urge the State of Maine and United States governments to recognize the jurisdiction and authority of Wabanaki tribal courts, taxation, and regulatory powers over natural resources, land use, gaming, and trust land acquisition. And we commit to the ongoing process of decolonizing the stories we share with guests on our tours.

 
 
Progressive pride flag in the shape of a heart
Human Rights Campaign LGBT equality logo
 

Gift cards available

Gifts can be redeemed at any point during the season and never expire. And, well, they’re wicked fun!

Chipping in to restore the Abyssinian Meeting House.

A portion of every ticket sale is donated to the Committee to Restore the Abyssinian.

The Abyssinian Meeting House, built in 1828, is the nation’s third oldest standing African American church and the oldest in Maine. It was the center of life for Portland’s Black community in the 19th century—a buzzing community where people worshipped, were educated, fought for political power, offered refuge to freedom-seekers on the Underground Railroad, and celebrated with good music and good food. Since 1998, the Committee has worked tirelessly to restore the meeting house and reopen it to the public

Group of visitors in front of the Abyssinian Meeting House in Portland hearing about its history from local guide Dugan Murphy

Partners

“The best tour we took in Portland.” - Ello, 2022