Eastport, Maine: Things to Do, Stay & Eat

Eastport, Maine, is a small city on Moose Island, connected to the mainland by road. Its working waterfront, brick downtown and views toward Canada make it a distinct Downeast destination. Come for time beside Passamaquoddy Bay and a place shaped by fishing and trade; allow a proper stop rather than fitting it into an already crowded coastal driving day.

Quick facts

Region: Downeast & Acadia, Maine
Best months and seasons: The season is short: July through September.
Nearest airport:: Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport (Trenton) (BHB), about 75 miles in a straight line.
Top draws: Cobscook Reversing Falls; Eastport Arts Center; Shackford Head State Park
Nearby towns: Lubec, Maine

For more trip planning, see Things to Do in Eastport, Maine: Bay, Streets and Arts.

Eastport is the easternmost city in the United States, and getting there feels like it. It occupies Moose Island in Passamaquoddy Bay, connected by causeway, closer to New Brunswick than to most of Maine, with tides that run over twenty feet and a downtown of brick buildings facing the water.

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.

Planning notes

Things to do

About Eastport

Eastport is a city in Washington County, Maine. The 2020 Census municipal table records 1,288 residents for Eastport city. The Eastport municipal website provides town-office contacts, public records and community notices.

Eastport's breakwater and working harbor are central to the city's waterfront identity.

Walk Water Street and the waterfront

The downtown's older commercial buildings reflect a port history that includes the sardine industry. Walk the public waterfront and look at how the boats sit against the wharves as the tide changes. Keep working access clear and respect barriers; the dramatic water is part of an active harbor, not a stage set for visitors.

Explore the local arts scene

Eastport Arts Center gives a visit a possible concert, exhibition or performance focus. Galleries and creative businesses around the downtown add reasons to spend time on foot. Choose a current program if an indoor event is central to the trip; a small arts community does not necessarily have a staffed attraction available at every hour.

Getting there and around

Route 190 connects Eastport with Route 1 and the mainland road system. Canada is visible across the water, but seeing the shore does not establish a public ferry connection or entry permission. A cross-border excursion needs a confirmed carrier or road route and the travel documents appropriate to the traveler.

When to visit

Shackford Head State Park offers another perspective on the coast from land. A boat excursion can explore the surrounding waters, but its route, weather and seasonal operation determine the day. Wildlife sightings and an appearance by the Old Sow whirlpool cannot be guaranteed, and powerful tidal currents rule out casual unguided assumptions.

Summer and early fall are the main periods for visitor activity and coastal excursions. Fog, wind and tides can affect an outing in any season. A winter visit needs advance arrangements for lodging, meals and the specific places you want to visit; the city remains a community beyond the summer travel season.

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.

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.