A Day in Calais, Maine and Machiasport, Maine
A ninety-minute drive east of Mariaville lies the U.S.-Canadian border. There, the town of Calais, Maine (pronounced callus; population ~3,000) is kept alive by regular border-crossing traffic and the occasional holiday-maker. I’ll be honest: There’s not a ton to do in town. We arrived around 10 a.m. on Sunday, in time to stroll along the waterfront walkway (really, a gravel path) and pose for pictures among the lupines.
After reconnecting with Main Street, we walked back to our car via the shopping district and stumbled upon a coastal auction event—something you may want to plan your trip around if you’re into antiquing. There were pieces of solid wood furniture, old buoys and lobster pots, and some interesting home decor pieces up for grabs. On Main Street itself, for sure check out The White Birch Exchange, a cute gift shop with locally sourced gifts, and My Favorite Things 2 for all things witchy. Think chime candles, smudge sticks, and crystals.
Lunch was forgettable haddock fish and chips at the last restaurant this side of Canada. Jo’s Diner does have two outdoor picnic tables, though, in case like us you bring the dog everywhere you go.
Next, we angled toward Whitlock’s Mill lighthouse. We missed the turn Google Maps said to take and ended up at the rest area four miles outside of town on Highway 1. It was a lucky break: the rest area was lush, green, and offered picture-perfect views—including of the lighthouse we’d meant to see all along!
An hour further south on 1, you come to Machiasport and the Fort O’Brien State Historic Site. Again, there’s nothing to do there except sit on the hill by the cannon and admire the sea, or read the odd historical plaque on your way back to the car. The fort is known as the birthplace of the U.S. Navy.
From Machiasport, it’s a three-minute jaunt into Machias proper, a town of 2,000 with a McDonald’s, a Hannaford’s grocery, and other major chains, but still sadly lacking in local mom-and-pop shops or any cool coffeeshops. (For the best small-village coffeeshop we’ve found, try The Paisley Loon in Cherryfield!) State Route 192 took us home.
Overall, the June day was warm and sunny and we enjoyed a pleasant, four-hour-round-trip drive. But if endless forests of green (with a quick glimpse of the bay every now and then) aren’t your thing, it’s probably a day trip you can skip.
