joy21Historic Walking Tour Old Port. Photo courtesy of Old Port Historic Tours

Old Port Historic Walking Tour

Explore the Old Port’s rich history and places of interest from 1632 in this 2 ½ hour exciting walking tour and historical adventure for all members of the family with over 50 historic stops! Private tours available year-round, any day of the week, upon request by visiting oldporthistorictours.com. Kids 12 and under are free with a paying adult. Your Tour Guide, Leigh Rush Olson, has a BA in history from C.U.N.Y Brooklyn College and is a Portland History Docent, as well as a Portland native. You’re in good hands!

Events > Old Port Historic Walking Tour
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Monument Square
456 Congress St
Portland, Maine 04101 United States
About the Event
Presented by
Old Port Historic Tours
646-845-9714
January 1, 2023 through January 1, 2024
All Day Event

Explore the Old Port and downtown Portland’s rich history and places of interest from 1632 in this 2 ½ hour, 2-mile, exciting walking tour and historical adventure for all members of the family with over 50 historic stops including historical landmarks, architecture, and monuments. We will also discuss famous/legendary people of the area, prohibition and how it all started in the Old Port, some of the hottest restaurants and craft beer bars, the best places for craft beer tastings, waterfront history, the Old Port’s biggest fires, Underground Railroad, shopping, real estate history, night life, and much more!

Public tours are available every Saturday from 11AM-1:30PM April through December (Holiday Tours available throughout December). Advanced tickets required at ticketweb.com. $45 per person. Kids 12 and under are free with a paying adult. Private tours and special group rates available year-round, any day of the week! Private tour tickets are not available via Ticketmaster or Ticketweb so please call 646-845-9714 or email leigholson@oldporthistorictours.com to book.

Leigh Rush Olson, your tour guide and founder of Old Port Historic Tours, holds a BA in History from CUNY Brooklyn College and is a certified Portland History Docent with the Maine Historical Society, in collaboration with Portland Landmarks. Moreover, Leigh volunteers with Portland Downtown as a “Green Gull” helping to pick up trash in downtown Portland, so it won’t end up in beautiful Casco Bay. Leigh is a Portland native (born and raised) and a resident of Kennebunk, Maine. You’re in good hands!

Here are just some of the topics you will hear about and places you will visit outside on an Old Port Historic Walking Tour with Leigh…
*Monument Square
*Lobsterman’s Park
*Portland City Hall
*Old Port real estate history
*Numerous landmarks, monuments, and architecture on the National Registry of Historic Places
*US Custom House
*Boothby Square
*Commercial Street Waterfront
*Wharf Street
*Fishing industry
*Prohibition and how it all began in the Old Port
*Tommy’s Park and the history of its murals
*Post Office Park
*Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Home
*Revolutionary Generation
*Civil War history
*First Parish Church
*Lincoln Park
*Several Underground Railroad stops
*Portland’s tallest and oldest buildings
*Exchange Street galleries and boutiques
*Leigh’s favorite places to point out for craft beer bars, breweries, and restaurants – including Leigh’s favorite breakfast locations and where to get the best lobster rolls… BIG lobster rolls🦞🦞🦞
*History of Portland’s fires including the biggest that shocked the nation
*Famous/legendary people of the area
*Night life – stand-up comedy, concerts, theatrical performances, etc.
*History of the Kotzschmar Organ- one of the grandest and most celebrated pipe organs in the world
*Local Maine Artists
*Old Port’s finest Mansard roofs
*The Old Port’s most popular donut shops and bakeries
*Best things to do in the Kennebunks if Portland isn’t enough!
AND Much, Much, More, but Leigh doesn’t want to give it all away!

Where to meet: Monument Square – located directly across the street from the Portland Public Library on Congress Street.