Portland Old Port Ghost Walking Tour: 2-Hour Haunted History

Maritime ghosts and poltergeists in the streets where ships once ruled

A 2-hour guided walking tour through Portland's Old Port explores haunted history tied to the waterfront's seafaring past, with a live guide leading small groups through sites of reported apparitions, psychic phenomena, and local maritime legends. The tour is wheelchair accessible and suitable for all fitness levels, with public transportation nearby.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore haunted Old Port sites

• Visit haunted floating restaurant
• Hear local maritime ghost legends
• Watch for flying dishes ghost
• Learn about psychic Alex Tanous
• Experience the "Jukebox from Hell"
• Spot ghostly pair on stairs
• Visit WL Blake Building encounter
• Explore Art Alley and ghost tales
• Notice paranormal hotel room activity

The experience

You start in the Old Port after dark, where the 18th-century port's bustling trade and shipbuilding gave way to stranger tales. A floating restaurant still carries reports of spectral chatter in its former engine room. Maritime legends surface at each stop: a ghost ship that locals believe returns to claim lives, a poltergeist known for hurling dishes off shelves and playing pool, the "Jukebox from Hell" that blasts rock and roll in the small hours. The guide walks you through the neighborhood's darker corners, naming the sites and the stories attached to them without rushing past either.

The tour moves between Old Port's cobblestone alleys and historic buildings, each with its own reported encounter. You'll hear about psychic Alex Tanous, whose declassified CIA file documents his claimed work on high-profile cases including the Patty Hearst kidnapping. A 19th-century pub carries reports of a ghostly pair on the stairs and phantom piano music. One hotel guest reported objects moving in her room, the closet door rattling, and the television switching itself on and off. The guide contextualizes these accounts within the waterfront's real history: the shipbuilding, the trade, the lives that shaped the place before the supernatural stories took hold.

The walk takes roughly two hours and covers the accessible streets and alleys of Old Port. You'll pass through Art Alley, where cobblestones and hidden galleries sit alongside the ghost stories, and learn whether Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Portland's most famous son, believed in what haunts the neighborhood. The tour is led in English by a live guide and works for all fitness levels. All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible, and service animals are welcome.

What’s included

• Guided walking tour led by a live guide in English.
• access to all stops and sites in Old Port tied to the haunted history and maritime legends.
• the stories and accounts behind the apparitions, poltergeists, and psychic phenomena connected to the waterfront.

Before you book

Days and timesThursday, Friday and SundayDeparts at 20:00

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Under 10: can't be booked

GroupUp to 30

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by American Ghost Walks Bar Harbor

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you have a free evening in Portland and want to explore the Old Port's darker history with a guide who knows the stories and the sites. The small-group format and live narration work well for a first-time visitor curious about local legends without needing to research them beforehand.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the actual story behind the poltergeist that throws dishes in Old Port?

The tour visits a location where reports describe an unseen spirit known for hurling items off shelves and playing pool. The guide shares the documented accounts and local lore tied to the site without confirming or debunking the phenomena.

Does the tour go inside the buildings where the hauntings happened, or just walk past them?

The tour is a walking route through Old Port's streets and alleys. You pass the exterior of the sites where stories are tied (the floating restaurant, the pub, the hotel, Art Alley), and the guide narrates the history and reports from each location.

How much of the tour is about real history versus ghost stories?

The guide weaves both together, grounding the supernatural tales in the Old Port's actual 18th-century maritime past: the shipbuilding, trade, and the lives that shaped the waterfront before the ghost stories emerged.

Is this tour scary, or more educational about local legends?

The tour leans into the strange and unsettling accounts (apparitions, poltergeists, psychic phenomena), but frames them as local stories and documented reports rather than jump-scares. The guide invites you to consider the tales and draw your own conclusions.

Can I do this tour if I use a wheelchair or have mobility concerns?

Yes. The entire tour is wheelchair accessible. All areas and surfaces in Old Port that the route covers are accessible, and service animals are welcome. Public transportation options are also available nearby.

What did psychic Alex Tanous actually do, and why is he part of this tour?

Alex Tanous was a legendary psychic who claimed his work with law enforcement helped solve high-profile cases, including the Patty Hearst kidnapping. The tour examines his declassified CIA file and his connection to Portland's paranormal history.