Perhaps the most magical aspect of Downeast Maine is its relationship with the Sea. The first European settlements here were, after all, sea-going cultures, and as recently as the 1900's the area was a major ship-building interest.

With tidal flows among the highest and lowest in the world, Maine's dramatic rocky coast remakes itself every twelve hours.

Just a few miles downriver from the Downeast Heritage Museum is Eastport, the deepest water seaport in the contiguous United States. The nearby lighthouse at West Quoddy Head, which is the easternmost point of the contiguous states, overlooks a seascape like no other.. Seals sunbathe on the seaweed-strewn shore and swim among the lobster trap buoys. Migratory seabirds wheel overhead as the rising sun makes the day's first landing on the country's eastern shore.

Beneath the waves is marine ecosystem of surprising diversity. Sea cucumbers, starfish, sea urchins, lobster, crabs, clams, and many other creatures live together in nearby Cobscook and Passamaquoddy Bays.

Fisherman have for centuries made a living from the life of the sea, whether tuna and sardines in the early years, or lobster and salmon today. There are few places in the world where one can take in both land-bound beauty and authentic sea villages in the same day.

The journey begins at the Downeast Heritage Museum, where children and adults can view some of the seagoing history of the region and watch the rising of the tide in the St. Croix River outside. At the touch tank, you can pet a live starfish, greet a lobster (carefully), or see what a sea cucumber actually looks (and feels) like. Then, if you like, take a trip downriver to the sea and back.