1. Eastport Salmon Festival
City: Downtown Eastport, ME
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (207) 853-4644
Description: Fish helped build the city of Eastport, one of the most picturesque communities in all of Maine. In the 1880s the sardine canning industry was booming here, with 18 factories providing jobs for a population that was almost three times the 2,000 that it is today. The canneries went bust long ago, but fish—these days salmon in pens in the bay—remain very important to the local economy. And the city on Moose Island gives them a tip of the hat with its Salmon Festival every September on the first Sunday after Labor Day. The day typically includes a road race, boat rides, a walking tour, crafts displays, and barbecued salmon dinner, all before the beautiful edge of Passamaquoddy Bay. If you enjoy salmon, best get yourself Down East.
2. Sylvina W. Beal
City: Downtown Eastport, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 853-2500
Description: For years, the classic schooner Sylvina W. Beal sailed out of Boothbay Harbor, but it has ventured Down East and now calls the city of Eastport home. Built in East Boothbay in 1911, the 84-foot vessel is a knockabout schooner, which means it doesn’t have a bowsprit, and it served years as a fishing boat. Movie buffs might recognize the Sylvina W. Beal from its roles in Amistad (1997) and The Age of Innocence (1993). These days the schooner takes passengers out on two daily cruises: a whale-watching trip (1:30 p.m.) and a sunset sail (7 p.m.) under the experienced hand of Captain Butch Harris. This is the prettiest way to see whales on the coast. Rates are $27 to $37 per person.
3. Harris Whale Watching And Fishing
City: Downtown Eastport, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 853-2500
Description: There are so many reasons to recommend a whale-watching trip out of Eastport. First, the city is handy to the Bay of Fundy, an oceanic region known for its large whale population. Second, you have to cruise past the Old Sow, a legendary whirlpool, on your way out to the whaling grounds. And finally, you’re most likely going to be aboard the Sylvina Beal, a graceful windjammer. Most whale-watching vessels are boring new motorized craft, but Captain Butch Harris’s ride is a pretty knockabout schooner. The trip is three hours, and the sightings often include puffins, seals, dolphins, ospreys, and eagles as well. The ship sails at 1:30 and 7 p.m., and passage is $37 for adults, $20 for kids age 12 or younger.
4. Harris Whale Watching And Fishing
City: Downtown Eastport, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 853-2500
Description: Captain Butch Harris has quite the excursion boat empire in Eastport, and his 35-passenger Quoddy Dam is the deep-sea representative. Eastport is ideal for deepwater fishing because, as the second-deepest natural seaport in North America, it sits only minutes from 300-foot waters rather than the hours required by most Maine boats—which means longer fishing for you. Bald eagles, porpoises, seals, and whales may be your companions. Four-hour trips leave daily at 8 a.m., and gear is provided. The fee is $25 per person.