So I'll start by saying if you come at the wrong time, this attraction is probably 2 or 3 stars. If…read moreyou come at the right time, it's a solid 4 stars (maybe 5 if you add in the marine life). We took a cruise excursion that took us here first thing off the boat, unfortunately nothing was reversing so it was like ok a big body of water and a paper mill. We went about our tour and on the way back to the ship, I guess we had some extra time, so we went back by the falls. This time, it was reversing!! Definitely a very unique thing to see. Keep your eyes open for cute little sea animals (seals, otters, etc).

This is a place you want to visit twice on the same day. We went in the morning to see the tide…read moregoing out, then came back 6 hours later to watch the tide coming in. The pulp mill in the pictures has been set up to be green. It emits almost no smell and cleans the water before it goes back into the harbor. Depending on the number of tour buses, this can be one of your busiest stops. I suggest taking a video each visit so you can really see the difference between the tides.

My kids first time on a boat. We all loved it. Up to 6 can fit. What a once in a lifetime…read moreexperience. My son even helped with buoy hunting.. The seals were a real treat too. The captain surprised us with homemade raspberry crisps too. So yummy!! I highly recommend taking the long drive to get here.

Took the whale watching tour, 2 kids, 3 adults. Friendly staff. We spotted some porpoises and they…read moretook us to a seal spot and we hung out with them for a while. No whales, but you can't plan on wild animals. Beautiful scenery on the way in and out, so bring the camera along. There are a lot of people on that boat, so get comfortable. Kids will either fall asleep or feel sea sick, so recommend they close their eyes to sleep.

The day started off sunny and continued through a great tour of the harbor and surrounding coast…read moreline. Unfortunately no whales were spotted but no for lack of searching. We did see some seals playing the the water and eagles. Tyler is terrific and worth the trip

Students of International Relations may be familiar with a phenomenon called "Soft Power…read moreDiplomacy". Often this takes the form of international media programming and information distribution that may be criticized (rightly or wrongly) as propaganda, often because of its asymmetrical nature (to its intellectual critics, as a means of broadcasting the narratives of "Empire" at the exclusion of individual experiences). We might take such examples as the U.S. Agency for Global Media and its oversight of Voice of America. However, such Soft Power Diplomacy can also take more bilateral forms, in which two sovereign states emphasize their mutual contributions over the years, with the motivating principle being that a history of good relations makes for a future of good relations. Funded by the governments of the two participating countries, Campobello Island's Roosevelt Campobello International Park (located in New Brunswick, Canada) provides a fruitful and demonstrative example of positive bilateral relations that are maintained through Soft Power Diplomacy of this type. Occasionally, as with many historical museums in its genre, the more problematic aspects of history are swept under the rug (such as FDR's emergence as a rising star in the Democratic Party at a time when it was known largely as a party of southern segregationists such as Woodrow Wilson and Josephus Daniels, or - also a thorny issue - FDR's wartime persecution of Japanese-Americans). To address these matters, however, is not the point of this museum. Rather, it is to build on FDR's reputation as a wartime president who overcame great odds (both personal and political) and in so doing to emphasize goodwill between Canada and the United States. In this, the Roosevelt Campobello National Park is successful. Guided tours are provided of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's summer home, and there is a Living History presentation available by an actor portraying First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, herself elevated to legendary status as one of the most powerful and influential First Ladies of the United States in history. Both of these features are conveniently close to the park-and-museum's in-house restaurant and cafe, on the lower floor of a lovely little cottage overlooking the water. In the main lobby and gift shop are placards that discuss Canada's aid to stranded American travelers during 9/11 as well as both wartime military cooperation and peacetime agreements between Canada and the United States (such as USMCA, the renegotiated version of NAFTA developed and ratified under the prior US presidential administration). This park and museum are worth attending, though with the same critical thought that ought to be applied in any Public History setting. In this case, Public History serves as an item in both countries' diplomatic toolkit. To this purpose, the museum and park certainly achieve their intent.

The park consists of various hiking trails, scenic places along the coast, and FDR's summer…read morecottage. FDR's cottage is nicely preserved. They allow you to walk through most of the house, which apparently is furnished with all original pieces. It's one of the nicer old homes I've visited. Mullholland Lighthouse is also in the park. It's a smaller lighthouse that's situated directly across from Lubec, ME. If you're looking for a nice photo of quaint Lubec, you should be able to get a nice one here. There is no charge to get into the park or the cottage. I don't believe it's part of the park, however, since it doesn't have a Yelp entry, I'll also mention the East Quoddy Head Lighthouse. This lighthouse is at the northern tip of the island and is definitely worth a trip. They charge $5 (US or Canadian money accepted) to walk to the lighthouse at low tide, and another $10 if you want to go inside the lighthouse itself (I did not go inside.). The walk to the lighthouse consists of climbing up and down 4 flights of (very rusty) stairs and walking over beach rocks. However, the walk is worth it since you can get some up-close shots of the lighthouse as well as a sense of the power of the sea and what it was like to be a lighthouse keeper.

A friend mailed me a flyer for Captain Riddle's Whale Watch Cruises, and as it was a girls weekend…read moreto take pictures at first light (Lubec, ME is the Eastern most point on the continental US) we decided to pack our passports, and add a Canadian fishing/whale watching trip to the agenda (Campobello Island is just over the bridge from Lubec. Seriously, you need a passport to drive five minutes away). I don't think that we had ever been on a commercial Whale Watch, and Holly wanted to fish, so it was win/win. My sister Holly (shh... don't tell her I'm adopted) and I grew up on Maine's amazing Penobscot Bay - we take the sea and all of it's beauty for granted sometimes. Our trip with Brandon on the Captain Riddle's Whale Watch Cruise was amazing. All we could talk about on the drive home was planning to bring the whole family for a cruise. We could imagine them on the boat, laughing, watching the porpoises surface and dive, the eagles (both Bald and Brown) literally soaring overhead, the seals sunning themselves on the rocks, with the light houses in the distance bearing witness. I can't help but gush, it really was THAT amazing. Did I mention that we were on the sunset cruise? It was a small intimate trip, we had six adults and four children with us. This was the trip of a lifetime for the kids. They were so excited that all they could do was grab and point whenever they saw some new sea creature. Did I mention that the trip was even more delightful because excitement is infectious. We were so close to a minke whale that all one woman could do was squeal and say, "I am so excited I think I am going to pee myself" (don't worry, she didn't have an accident. there is a head (bathroom) right there on the boat - she made it in time!), She was so excited that she forgot to push start when she was trying to video the whale. As the sun set, and the lights of Eastport, Maine twinkled on the horizon, Brandon piloted the boat to the perfect spot, and we dropped our fishing lines in the water. Within 10 minutes, one of the boys caught 3 mackerel. What a thrill for an 11 year old boy from Alberta, Canada who, before that afternoon, had never even seen the ocean. (this is the stuff of childhood memories) Holly caught a mackerel and three herring. I caught a herring, and immediately called to Brandon in typical girly girl fashion and asked him to take it off the hook and throw it back in the water. (Holly was horrified, and I will catch grief about this for years to come) It seems that I have no problem gutting and cooking fish, but catching them is a bit much for me. Captain Brandon was my knight in shining armor, and saved the day. (he even filleted the fish at the end of the trip for the people who were going to take their catch home). We are already planning our trip back. Next time, we'll bring the whole extended family (siblings, kids, spouses, grandmother) and I'll take more pictures to scrapbook memories of an amazing 2 1/2 hours so we can reminisce and fondly remember it for the rest of our lives. I've added some of my pictures, so you can see what I am writing about. Let the pictures justify my flowery prose. I promise, my next Yelp review will be written as a cynical NYC Girl - but thanks to Captain Riddle, this cynical NYC girl who takes notes from Dorothy Parker took a vacation and found her inner Judith McNaught.

We spent an excellent morning out on the bay. It ended up being just our family on the boat for the…read more10 AM departure. The close dock meant we didnt have to travel far to see the wildlife. The captain was friendly and informative. We were able to see seals, porpoises, eagles, cormorants and a minke whale.

Fabulous day out on the water... Although we took the whale watching tour a little bit early in…read morethe season, there was plenty to see. I imagine this ride would have been amazing for a birder - but I just found it really cool to see puffins floating on the water, and different birds soaring above - with the first mate naming each as they passed. For the whales... well, it took a little bit of time to find them, but once the captain and mate did - the experience was breathtaking. I've been on whale watches before - out of Boston, Gloucester, and P-town - but I don't remember feeling this close to the majestic creatures. A humpback calf entertained us (it really seemed to want to show off!!) with breaches and jumps and swimming under the boat. I'm no marine biologist, but this outfit really seemed to respect the whales' space too. Engines off when we were close... instructions to softly cross the boat when needed as stomping will scare them... and if there were other boats coming in to the space (rare) - this boat kept a distance, and/or departed for another spot. First mate Durlan (? sorry, bad with names) was very knowledgeable about the whales and the birds and took great pics. Had nothing but respect for the captain - he seemed perfect for the job. I happened to be able to spend some time with another employee of the outfit - just along for the ride and to take some camera shots. Jenn works part time in the office, but was a great ambassador for the tours. I learned tons about the birds and whales... and Grand Manan. Whether in awe (and yes, crying) at the actions of these noble creatures, or listening intently to the birding banter between other passengers.... to say that it was an enjoyable outing would certainly be an understatement.

Peter and Durlan are super professional and awesome tour guides. You won't be disappointed. I…read morehighly recommend their services when visiting Grand Manan Island

We took a boat tour around Oak Island. If you're a fan of the History channel show you will love…read morethis. Our guide Colin was extremely informative and funny too! He took us all the way around the island and explained everything we were looking at. The island is private so you can't go on it but we got very close. The boat is smooth and comfortable.