Eastport

The city was a major sardine port for a century. When that industry collapsed the population fell by more than half, and what remains is a small, stubborn place with far more nineteenth-century architecture than a town this size would normally keep.

What Eastport is known for

Tides, first. The bay funnels water into a range that is among the largest in the country, and the effect on the working waterfront is dramatic. Boats sit far below the pier at low water and level with it at high. Just north, the tidal current at Cobscook Reversing Falls changes direction with the tide.

It is also known for the deep-water port, which is one of the deepest natural harbors on the East Coast, and for an arts scene that has grown into the empty buildings. The Eastport Arts Center (4.8 across 28 Google reviews) runs theater, music and gallery programming out of a downtown building.

Things to do

Watch the water. Whale watching from Eastport is genuinely good. Finback and minke are common in season, and the boats also run past the Old Sow whirlpool, the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere, which forms in the passage between the island and Deer Island, New Brunswick.

Walk the waterfront and Water Street. Drive out to Quoddy Village and Shackford Head State Park for shoreline trails with views across to Canada. The Passamaquoddy community at Sipayik, adjacent to the city, has its own cultural center.

Getting here and when to go

Eastport is a long way from everywhere, roughly an hour east of Machias on Route 1 and then south down Route 190. Combine it with Lubec, which is close as the gull flies and about an hour and a half by road around the bay.

The season is short: July through September. Whale watching operates in summer. Winter here is severe and most visitor businesses close.

Common questions

Is Eastport the easternmost city in the United States?

Yes, and it bills itself as the first American city to see the sunrise. Eastport occupies Moose Island in Passamaquoddy Bay and is a city by charter rather than by size: the population is small and downtown runs only a few blocks of brick storefronts above a working waterfront. Canada is visible across the water.

How big are the tides in Eastport?

Among the largest in the continental United States. The city sits at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy system, so water drops far enough between tides to leave boats sitting on mud and expose ledge that was submerged hours earlier. The current running through the passage is strong enough to raise visible whirlpools offshore.

Can you see whales from Eastport?

Often, in season. Finback, minke and humpback whales feed in Passamaquoddy Bay and the Western Passage from summer into early fall, and porpoises and seals are common closer in. Local boats run whale-watching trips from the breakwater, and because deep water comes close to town, sightings sometimes happen from shore.

Is Eastport worth the drive?

For travelers who like remote working towns, yes. It is a long way out on the peninsula from anywhere else in Maine, and there is little here if you want shopping or nightlife. What Eastport offers is an arts scene out of proportion to its size, including the Eastport Arts Center at 4.8 from 28 reviews and the Wabanaki Culture Center.