Lubec and Eastport

Lubec is the end of the line, literally: the northeasternmost community in the United States, connected by a bridge to Canada. (Locals joke that although this isn’t the end of the earth, at least you can see the ends of it from here.) To get here, turn off Route 1 at Whiting and take Route 189 northeast for 11 miles. The tidal mixing of two bays at this point has long proven to be a popular hangout for massive schools of fish, and fish canning and packing plants once filled the town. Today Lubec is notable chiefly for its vistas of the ocean and offshore lighthouses; set a course for Quoddy Head if you crave high tides, early sunrises, and a view that would stretch all the way to Europe and Africa if not for the curve of the earth. En route to Eastport, the Pleasant Point Passamoquoddy Reservation offers some cultural diversions.

Situated on a small island across a causeway at the tip of America, Eastport (pctured above, 3 miles from Lubec by water, but 50 minutes by car) was once among the busiest ports on the entire East Coast. In the late 19th century it was home to nearly 5,000 residents and 18 sardine plants. The census now counts fewer than 1,500, and the sardine plants are gone, but Eastport’s historic downtown is gradually making itself over as an artsy place of writers, musicians, and other creative types attracted to the slow pace of life and closeness to the sea. While the town perennially works to jumpstart its shipping industry, the fishing industry here has also reinvented itself: Salmon farm pens now fill the near-shore waters.

Much of Eastport’s handsome 19th-century brick architecture remains on Water Street—a compact thoroughfare that also affords lovely views of Campobello Island and Passamaquoddy Bay. The majority of the buildings between the post office and the library are on the National Register of Historic Places. You’ll mostly see the work of architect Henry Black, who designed two-thirds of these Italianate buildings during a single hectic year after an 1886 fire razed the previous downtown. Look for his hand at the Eastport Savings Bank at 43 Water St., the Shead Building at 58 Water St., the M. Bradish Bakery at 68 Water St., the Masonic Block at 36 Water St., the Charles & M. A. Jackson Block at 74 Water St., and (we think) the Hayscale Block at 49 Water St.

If you’re into whirlpools, you’ve come to the right place: Just north of Eastport is the Old Sow, said to be the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. It’s a bit finicky and is impressive only during the highest tides. DownEast Charter Boat Tours (tel. 207/733-2009) in Lubec leads daily trips out for $85 for adults and $65 for kids 12 and under. The timing each day is based on the tides, so call for details. Otherwise, you can get a look at Old Sow from the seasonal ferry to Deer Island in New Brunswick, Canada.