Maine (ME) tours, things to do and tickets

Welcome to my hometown! Hop aboard for an authentic 90 minute sightseeing tour of Portland and 3 lighthouses with an experienced guide who is a real local, born and raised in Portland, ME.

Get an insider’s look at the current happenings and rich history of my hometown. We’ll go where other tours go, and then I'll take you places other tours don't - you'll see hidden gems and learn little known facts about Portland and the great state of Maine that only a real local knows!

As a college librarian I'm always researching the hidden history of Portland, while at the same time keeping on top of what's new in town and visiting as many local establishments that I can. I take pride in representing this city, and providing an informative and entertaining tour, delivered with a true Mainer's sense of humor.

This is The Real Portland Tour!

Check my website for a complete listing of tour days, times, and availability.

This 50-minute sightseeing tour is a fun and unique way to discover Portland, Maine. Board a Vintage Fire Engine and travel back in time as your knowledgeable guide helps relive Portland’s colorful history from a local’s perspective. See lighthouses, Civil War forts, city parks and buildings, interesting stories and a multimedia experience packed with historic images of Maine. This is one family-friendly tour you should not miss out on!

This tour is for the Lighthouse Lovers!!! Unfortunately in Maine, we cannot go into the lighthouses, except 1 day in the year. This tour is visiting the lighthouse grounds with epic photo stops!!

Whether this is your first visit or you've lived in Portland for years, you’ll explore the Greater Portland area from a new perspective.

Travel through downtown Portland with a local lobsterman and hear about the working waterfront, commercial fishing industry and more!

Next, visit 3 lighthouses and spend about 40 minutes walking around and taking pictures at historic Portland Head Light. 2 more photo stops are included on the tour at Spring Point Head Light and Bug Light.

Transportation provided in a temperature controlled 12 passenger Ford Transit. Your guide provides tips for dining and activities during your stay in Portland, Maine.

Call us directly for information on booking a custom or charter service tour!

Curious about Portland's history with railroads, fires, wars, famous poets and Hollywood producers? Join us for a Walk Through Time! This tour begins on Commercial Street and continues for 2 hours through the historic Old Port, downtown and waterfront areas, sharing highlights of Portland's history since 1632.

Some of the locations we may feature on your tour include; the lobster statue, the home of Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow and his place of worship, the Eastern Cemetery, the Abyssinian Church, the U.S. Customs House and more.

***Tour duration is two "ish" hours, based on guest engagement and pace of the group. Planning on 2.5 hours for arriving early to check-in and make it back to your vehicle post tour is recommended.

- Portland's culinary culture is made up of many kinds of artisan food and beverage entrepreneurs from bakers, brewers and chefs to confectioners and more - wherever taste and creativity meet!
- We combine a unique combination of social history, culinary education, the stories of talented entrepreneurs and current award-winning food scene narrated by friendly and engaging local guides
- This tour visits 5-6 venues where you will enjoy a mix of Maine/Maine-inspired cultural, up-and-coming, and trending fare, plenty for lunch with a sweet treat to cap it off.

Meet Portland and the people—of all backgrounds and identities—whose wit and grit have made Maine's largest city what it is today. Your locally-raised guide will captivate you with extraordinary, exciting, and surprising stories largely left out of the history books. Get ready to broaden your sense of what Portland and Maine have been and could be.

Brick sidewalks beneath your feet and beautiful Victorian-era buildings nestled around you, we'll casually stroll Portland’s lush, historic Old Port toward the sparkling waters of Casco Bay. We’ll see where Indigenous Wabanaki leaders made their earliest relationships with European colonizers and walk together through the centuries.

Enjoy an inclusive, empowering, and surprising constellation of tales that offers a welcome contrast to the more obvious themes you’re likely to experience on other tours. You'll enjoy 2 hours of narration over a 1.5-mile route with owner and guide, Dugan Murphy. He is Portland's top-rated guide on TripAdvisor!

Join a 50 minute fully-narrated tour of Portland while aboard an open air fire engine.

What better way to see the delights of Portland than from the sea in one of the famous schooner tall ships. Join us for this mid morning cruise that will make your visit to Portland live long in the memory.

Walk through Portland's exciting old town. This 2-hour guided tour is packed with historic landmarks and commentary from a local history expert.

Eat your way through one of Maine's most "foodie" centric cities on this culinary walking tour of Portland. Enjoy a leisurely walking tour that carves a path through the streets of the charming Old Port educating you on local food, drinks, and history.

Learn about Maine's most famous crustacean and the men and women who make their living from trap to table. Stroll along Portland's vital working waterfront , view lobster boats often unloading their catch and visit Old Port and waterfront district destinations for a progressive, iconic Maine lunch.

- This walking tour is appx. 1 - 1.5 miles visiting local favorites with plenty of food, and food for thought - lots of time for Q/A.
- There's always a whole lobster roll, a New England clam or seafood chowder, local craft beer (or soda) plus a whoopie pie or other Maine sweet, and a surprise seafood taste or two along the way. This is our most “classic heritage” Maine experience with a bit of modern flare.

Soak in the views of Portland, Maine aboard a famous schooner tall ship. Cruise the rugged coastline of Casco Bay and catch sight of seals, lighthouses, and coastal wildlife.

Trace the steps of the Black Portlanders who moved our city, state, and country closer to the ideals of freedom, democracy, opportunity, and equality. Maine’s earliest settlements couldn’t have existed without Black labor, skill, and insight. You'll meet the Black Yankees who founded Maine communities, overturned slavery statewide, drove our maritime industries, gained political influence, crossed color boundaries, and expanded Mainers’ rights in the modern era.

Stepping on granite cobblestones crooked with age — that once saw footfalls from national heroes like Frederick Douglass — you’ll pass storefronts once home to Black-owned barbershops where abolitionists whispered intelligence to Underground Railroad conductors.

Enjoy 2 hours of entertaining and enlightening historical narration over a 1.5-mile route. Owner and guide, Dugan Murphy, dug through the archives to present an amazing constellation of stories left out of most tours. TripAdvisor named him Portland's #1 guide!

Explore Portland's downtown, Old Port, and working waterfront on foot with your locally-raised guide. Hidden histories are revealed about folks and events left out of the mainstream history books.

Portland, Maine’s harbor is packed with treasures waiting to be discovered. Aboard the Elizabeth Grace, with local craft beers in hand, enjoy a stunning journey through the waters.

Discover Portland Maine and the shores of Casco Bay by bicycle! Join us for the 5 lighthouse bicycle tour of Portland, Maine featuring the Maine coast, lighthouses, and Portland’s history. We have made some modifications to the 5 Lighthouse tour in response to COVID-19. We have modified the tour to allow us not to have guests in our vehicles. As a result of this change, guests will begin biking from the Ocean Gateway and return to the Ocean Gateway by bicycle.  Groups will generally see only 4 lighthouses (Bug Light, Spring Point, Portland Head Light, and Ram Island Ledge). Lunch will be provided by the award-winning "Bite into Maine" Food Truck

Portland, Maine has recently become known for its culinary scene, including amazing donuts. With this tour, you'll get to sample from the city's best donut shops, while also learning some of the cities storied history. Your tour guide will take you not only to the most famous of them all, The Holy Donut, to skip the line, but also to local favorites, that are no less delicious.

Our 3-Hour tour leaves at 11:30 am and follows the scenic South Portland Greenbelt Pathway to three local lighthouses. The first stop on the tour will be Portland Breakwater Light, also known as "Bug Light" and then the tour will continue to Spring Point Ledge Light, located near historic Fort Preble. Next, the tour will pass by Willard Beach before arriving at the final stop, the famous Portland Head Light located at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. It is recommended that patrons bring a lunch or we can assist in purchasing lunch from a local food truck that serves Lobster Rolls.

Step aboard a vintage Maine Lobster Boat for a private, 2-hour lighthouse viewing & sightseeing charter.  Leave the crowds behind as we tour the islands of Casco Bay and pass by 4 lighthouses, historic 19th century forts, and the scenic Maine Coast.  

Charters depart from Portland's Old Port. This authentic Maine experience is perfect for families and small groups. Each charter is private for groups of up to 6 and all ages are welcome!

Customize your charter by adding onboard catering including lunches, charcuterie platters, and snacks. Beer and wine are available on board for purchase as well. Kindly contact us at least 72 hours in advance of your departure to order food.

The hours just before sunset offer the best time for paddling on the waters of Casco Bay. The sky tends to explode with color and the seas often become glassy and calm. This trip involves a leisurely paddle just far enough along the waterfront or into the islands to enjoy a panoramic view of the sun setting over the city as we paddle back to the East End Beach.  This two-hour tour is designed for paddlers of all experience levels -- including first-time kayakers.

The exact route you take will depend on the weather conditions and the group's interests and experience, but the Sunset Tour often starts out venturing into the waterfront of Portland harbor, where we get a close-up look at the bustling wharves lined with schooners, lobster boats and other maritime activity. From there we tend to paddle into the open waters towards the islands of Casco Bay, often far enough to get good views of several lighthouses and the granite walls of Fort Gorges.