The Portland Observatory wrapped up another vibrant season on October 13th, welcoming 15,386 visitors from May 24th through the fall. Despite declining tourism numbers across the state, the Observatory held steady with strong attendance throughout the season.
We got off to a soggy start with rainy weekends, but Mother Nature made amends with gorgeously warm September and October weather that brought waves of cruise ship visitors eager to climb Portland's iconic maritime signal tower.
Flag Day proved to be the season's showstopper, drawing more than 300 visitors—especially families and locals—in a joyful community celebration. Another highlight came after the regular season on October 18th with the "Cobblestone Connections" puzzle-walk, part of the collaborative "America from the Ashes" project with 6 other cultural institutions. The event commemorated the 250th anniversary of Captain Mowatt's burning of Falmouth (now Portland), and visitors who completed the hunt earned free admission to climb to the top for sweeping city views.
New volunteer Phoebe with her first tour group!
Behind the scenes, a team of six part-time site managers—two more than last year—and 45 active volunteer docents logged an impressive 1,144.5 hours of tours. The Observatory family grew this year, welcoming five new docents who graduated from the Portland History Docents (PHD) program.
Throughout the season, 12 private tours brought 264 visitors through the tower, including school classes and adult groups. The Observatory remains a favorite with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, offering engaging city history, friendly docents, and stunning panoramic views.
This year also saw the Observatory return to its roots, using flags to communicate with the city just as Captain Moody intended. While Moody signaled incoming ships—vital information to 19th-century Portlanders—we've flown flags to mark what matters to us today. The Hearts of Pine and Sea Dogs flags announced home games, while other flags celebrated community milestones: a Pride flag made by local company Original Maine, the Juneteenth flag, and Italian and Irish heritage flags, among others. We're excited to expand this program even further in 2026.
Thanks to a dedicated volunteer who transcribed Captain Moody's thermometrical logbooks, visitors could compare each day's weather with conditions from exactly 200 years ago in 1825—a fascinating window into Portland's climate history.