3 Best Sights in Eastport, Way Down East

Anchoring downtown Eastport, this waterfront district extends from the Customs House down Water Street to Bank Square and the Peavey Memorial Library. Spanning such architectural styles as Federal, Victorian, Queen Anne, and Greek Revival, the district was largely built in the 19th century. A cannon sits on the lawn at the Romanesque Revival library, one of the many interesting structures. Benches are beside an iron drinking trough-turned-fountain in front of a bank-turned-museum, the Tides Institute & Museum of Art.

At the parking area for this 90-acre park, placards and a stone memorial pay homage to wooden Civil War ships the federal government burned here for scrap years after the Civil War. Items salvaged from the ships are still about town. A trail from here leads through woods and past pocket beaches and coves to a headland where you can enjoy wonderful views of Cobscook Bay and over Passamaquoddy Bay to Campobello Island. You can also see the pens for Eastport’s salmon-farming industry as well as Estes Head, where the city's cargo pier is located. The trail is part of an interconnected network totaling a few miles. There is also a short trail from the parking area to Cony Beach. 

In an 1887 landmark brick building where Water and Sea streets angle together, this museum’s focus is art depicting or connected to the Passamaquoddy Bay region from the 1800s through the present. Changing exhibits in the modern gallery range from classic maritime paintings to abstract art created by institute artists-in-residence—you may spot them working in storefront studio space across Water Street. On the main floor of this former bank, where tall windows let in lots of light for viewing, works from the large permanent collection are displayed. The institute’s other local preservation efforts include two early 1800s federal churches, Seaman’s Church (26 Middle Street) and North Church (82 High Street), and a former Grand Army of the Republic meeting hall (6 Green Street) with patriotic wall art and veteran artifacts. Check out their exteriors on a walk and check the website for special events, like concerts. The institute also hosts artist talks and has a campus about a mile from downtown with a public waterfront park on Duck Cove Road. Information and maps about its properties are on the website.