Machias, Maine: Dining, Lodging & Shopping Guide

Machias is one of the larger towns in eastern Maine’s Washington county. It features a few motels, a university, a variety of dining, a museum, and many different stores. The smaller neighboring town of East Machias also has a number of attractions, which are included in this guide as well.

DINING: Some of the options for dining in Machias and East Machias, Maine include Riverside Takeout, the Thirsty Moose Cafe, Helen’s Restaurant (see helenspies.com), the Hing Garden Chinese restaurant, the Fat Cat Deli & Pizzeria, the Blue Bird Ranch Family Restaurant (East Main St., see norumbegablue.com), the Shake Pit (take-out), a Taco Bell restaurant, Subway and Quizno’s sandwich franchises, a McDonald’s restaurant, and a Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin Robbins combination restaurant. According to the Maine Office of Tourism website (visitmaine.com), the Fat Cat Deli & Pizzeria offers seating outdoors with a water view, as well as delivery. The Riverfront Inn also has a restaurant. Some additional dining is available in the nearby towns of Jonesport and Milbridge.

SHOPPING: The town offers a good variety of shopping, including groceries, various supplies, electronics, books, gifts, and pharmacies. Stores in Machias, Maine include a Hannaford grocery store, a Family Dollar discount store, Parlin Flowers & Gifts (parlinflowers.com), a farmer’s market, Main Street Discount, the Whole Life Natural Market (health food store; wholelifemarket.com), a consignment shop, a Radio Shack franchise, an office supply store, Jim’s Books, a few antique shops, an art supply store, Machias Hardware, Coffin’s True Value Hardware, a Sears store, and Sandy’s Sales (East Machias, see sandyssales.com). There are two pharmacies in Machias; a Rite Aid (with drive-through) and a pharmacy in the Hannaford grocery store.

LODGING: For lodging, Machias, Maine offers the Margaretta Motel, Machias Motor Inn (machiasmotorinn.com), Seagull Motel (along the river), Broadway Inn Bed & Breakfast (broadwayinn.us), Riverfront Inn, and the Wildflower Inn/B&B.; According to the Machias Motor Inn’s website, rates start at $84/night for two people (as of August 2007) during the period from June 15th to October 15th, but are reduced ($70/night) for the rest of the year. Some lodging is available in the smaller towns in this part of Maine, and the city of Eastport offers a wide variety of lodging.

EDUCATION: The University of Maine at Machias (umm.maine.edu) has a variety of programs and degrees; according to their website, the university offers Bachelor’s degrees in twelve different academic programs, as well as licenses and certifications. The town also has elementary and high schools (both public and private) and a Christian school.

AUTO-RELATED: Automotive related businesses in Machias and East Machias, Maine include several gas stations (Irving/Mainway, Mobil, Gulf), Gary’s Coastal Auto Repair, Carquest, Blueberry Ford (new and used cars), multiple used car dealers (according to maps.google.com, these include: Pro Tech Motors, Whitney’s Used Cars, Hatt’s Used Cars), NAPA Auto Parts, an auto body shop (East Machias) and a car wash. It also has a taxi service, according to whcacap.org.

OTHER: Additional establishments in this town include the Burnham Tavern Museum (burnhamtavern.com), a hospital (dech.org), a chiropractor, a library, an animal hospital, a laundromat, a self storage facility, Bad Little Falls Park, police & fire departments, various government offices, banks, and a Career Center. Machias and East Machias both have post offices. The town also has a yearly blueberry festival (machiasblueberry.com).

For more information on Machias and East Machias, visit the area’s Chamber of Commerce website at machiaschamber.org.