Things to Do in Boothbay Harbor, Maine: Footbridge, Fleet, and Festival
This page covers real, currently-operating attractions in and around Boothbay Harbor, Maine -- the Town of Boothbay Harbor itself (2020 Census population 2,027), not the larger surrounding Town of Boothbay, not Southport, and not West Boothbay Harbor, though that last one is genuinely inside Boothbay Harbor's own town line. Some of the region's best-known draws, including Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Boothbay Railway Village, sit just outside downtown in the neighboring Town of Boothbay; this page says so plainly rather than implying they're inside town limits. Hours, admission prices, and seasonal operating dates change year to year -- verify directly with each organization before planning a visit.
The Footbridge: Boothbay Harbor's Signature Photo Spot
The Boothbay Harbor Footbridge is a pedestrian bridge across the inner harbor, originally built in 1901 by Luther Maddocks for $1,500 to connect downtown to the east side of the harbor. It has been rebuilt and repaired repeatedly since -- damaged by ice in the winters of 1918 and 1928, rehabilitated in 1979, repaired in 2017, and given a major renovation in 2023 that raised its elevation to address sea-level rise and ice damage, widened the deck, added ADA compliance and programmable LED lighting, and added three new floats that tripled dockage capacity nearby.
Despite that 2023 work, the January 2024 storms still flooded the footbridge and knocked out its new lighting system, a reminder of how exposed the harbor's low-lying downtown really is. One important distinction for visitors: this fixed pedestrian span is not the same structure as the Southport Swing Bridge, a separate automobile swing bridge over Townsend Gut that connects the mainland to the island town of Southport. Both involve "Boothbay" and "bridge," but they are different bridges in different towns.
Windjammer Days: The Late-June Kickoff to Summer
Windjammer Days is a real, long-running maritime festival founded in 1962 by Captains David and Marion Dash, after they noticed sailing schooners gathering in the harbor during fog. Now organized by the nonprofit Friends of Windjammer Days, the festival is held in late June and features a boat parade, a blessing of the fleet, a lobster-eating contest, a cod fish race, and vintage boat displays -- a genuine community event built around the harbor's working and recreational sailing fleet, not a manufactured tourist promotion. Exact dates shift year to year, so check the current calendar before planning a trip around it.
Whale-Watching, Puffin Cruises, and a Day Trip to Monhegan Island
Cap'n Fish's Cruises runs whale-watching and puffin cruises, along with general harbor tours, directly out of Boothbay Harbor -- one of the more accessible ways to see Gulf of Maine wildlife without owning a boat. For a different kind of day trip, Balmy Days Cruises operates the Balmy Days II, a roughly 130-passenger boat built specifically for the run to Monhegan Island, giving visitors a full day to explore Monhegan's hiking trails, art studios, and the Monhegan Museum of Art & History before the boat returns. Boothbay Harbor is a genuine, currently-marketed departure point for Monhegan, distinct from any ferry service that may run from other Midcoast towns further up the peninsula.
The harbor itself is worth walking for its own sake before or after any cruise: it remains a real working waterfront, with named lobster wharves including Boothbay Lobster Wharf, Brown's Wharf, and Carter's Wharf operating alongside The Lobster Dock Restaurant & Marina and the downtown Boothbay Harbor Marina's visitor slips.
Damariscove Island: A Private-Boat Hiking Preserve
Damariscove Island sits offshore and is reachable only by private boat -- no scheduled public ferry to the island has been confirmed. Historically, it was one of the earliest English fishing and trading outposts in New England, predating the Plymouth Colony, and later home to the Damariscove Lifesaving Station. Today the island is a preserve managed by the Boothbay Region Land Trust and is popular with visitors who arrive by their own boat or a chartered one for day-hiking among its trails and shoreline.
Maine State Aquarium at McKown Point, West Boothbay Harbor
The Maine State Aquarium sits at McKown Point in West Boothbay Harbor -- an unincorporated village that, unlike some of its similarly-named neighbors, is actually located inside the Town of Boothbay Harbor itself. It's a state-run facility operated by the Department of Marine Resources, and it opens seasonally each year; for the 2025 season, it reopened on June 11 with new tanks and interactive exhibits. Because it's seasonal, confirm current-year opening dates before visiting.
Just Outside Town: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Boothbay Railway Village
Two of the region's biggest draws are genuinely worth visiting but are not, technically, inside Boothbay Harbor town limits -- both sit in the surrounding Town of Boothbay, a short drive from downtown. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, conceived in 1991 and opened in 2007, now spans more than 300 acres with 17 cultivated acres and is described as New England's largest botanical garden, drawing roughly 200,000 visitors a year from all 50 states and more than 60 countries.
Boothbay Railway Village, founded in 1964 and first opened to the public over Memorial Day weekend 1965, sits just outside downtown on Route 27. The 30-acre site features a narrow-gauge railroad, an auto museum with roughly 60 vehicles dating from 1902 to 1968, and relocated historic structures including an old Freeport train station and the 1847 Boothbay Town Hall. Both attractions are closely associated with "Boothbay Harbor" in regional tourism marketing, and downtown Boothbay Harbor is the nearest walkable town to each -- but neither is inside the town's own borders.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. This page covers the Town of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, distinct from the larger surrounding Town of Boothbay, the island town of Southport, and West Boothbay Harbor (an unincorporated village that is, confusingly, actually inside Boothbay Harbor's own town line). Footbridge facts (built 1901 by Luther Maddocks for $1,500, ice damage in 1918 and 1928, the 1979 rehabilitation, 2017 repairs, and the 2023 renovation's raised elevation, ADA compliance, LED lighting, and new floats) are drawn from the Boothbay Register article "'New' footbridge a piece of town history." January 2024 storm-flooding damage to the footbridge and its lighting is drawn from the Boothbay Register's "Storm damage comparatively low for Boothbay Harbor town property." Windjammer Days facts (founded 1962 by Captains David and Marion Dash, the Friends of Windjammer Days, and the festival's boat parade, blessing of the fleet, lobster-eating contest, and cod fish race) are drawn from the festival's own "About" page at boothbayharborwindjammerdays.org. Cap'n Fish's Cruises and Balmy Days Cruises facts, including the Balmy Days II's roughly 130-passenger capacity and its purpose-built Monhegan Island route, are drawn from Balmy Days Cruises' own Monhegan Island page. Working-wharf names (Boothbay Lobster Wharf, Brown's Wharf, Carter's Wharf) are drawn from the Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation's working-waterfront documentation. Damariscove Island facts (its early-1600s fishing-outpost history, the Damariscove Lifesaving Station, and its current status as a Boothbay Region Land Trust preserve reachable only by private boat) are drawn from the Land Trust's own site and Wikipedia's "Damariscove Island" article. Maine State Aquarium facts (its McKown Point, West Boothbay Harbor location, state operation by the Department of Marine Resources, and its June 11, 2025 seasonal reopening with new exhibits) are drawn from a Maine DMR press release. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens facts (conceived in 1991, opened in 2007, more than 300 acres with 17 cultivated acres, its description as New England's largest botanical garden, and roughly 200,000 annual visitors) are drawn from the Gardens' own "History" page at mainegardens.org. Boothbay Railway Village facts (founded 1964, first opened Memorial Day 1965, the 30-acre site, the narrow-gauge railroad, the roughly 60-vehicle auto museum, and the relocated Freeport train station and 1847 Boothbay Town Hall) are drawn from the Boothbay Register's 60th-anniversary coverage of the museum. Both Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Boothbay Railway Village are physically located in the surrounding Town of Boothbay, not the Town of Boothbay Harbor; this page states that distinction rather than implying either sits inside town limits. This page does not state current admission prices, hours, or operating status for any site or cruise operator; verify those directly with each organization before planning a visit. Nothing on this page is legal, financial, or real estate advice.