Picturesque Port Clyde is at the southern end of the St. George peninsula, and Route 131 passes through bucolic areas with clapboard farmhouses, saltwater meadows, and weathered buildings. It is easy to imagine Port Clyde when most of its families were engaged in ship-building or in catching and canning fish. Even today, Port Clyde is a working harbor filled with the boats of lobstermen and fishermen. Art galleries are plentiful in Port Clyde, and several well-known artists live or work there.
Port Clyde has a humid continental climate with relatively big temperature differences between seasons. Summers are warm and can be hot. Winters are cold and can be severely cold. Rains come during summer thunderstorms and the occasional tropical storm. Snow is common and can be heavy and deep. Temperatures in Port Clyde range from an average high of about °C (65°F) in July and August to an average low of about °C (22°F) in January and February. Precipitation is at its lowest (just over two inches) in the late summer and at its highest from November through January (just under four inches). Snowfall comes from November to April and is greatest (19 inches) in late December and January.
Visitors to Port Clyde will want to visit the Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum. Located at the harbor entrance of Port Clyde, it is one of the most photographed lighthouses in New England. This Port Clyde landmark was one of the stops on Forrest Gump's cross-country run. Picnickers are welcomed at on the lighthouse grounds which are open every day from sunrise to sunset. The Museum and Gift Shop are open from Sunday through Friday from 1pm to 5pm and on Saturday from 10am to 5m from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Visitors to this Port Clyde Museum will find lighthouse memorabilia and tools used in lobstering and quarrying as well as the history and people of the Saint George area.
The Monhegan Boat Line transports people from Port Clyde past the Marshall Point Lighthouse then through the waters of Monhegan Bay to Monhegan Island. Along the way, visitors will see a wide variety of birds, and they may see porpoises or small whales. The route passes near Seal Rock where families of seals bask in the sun.
Monhegan Boat Line in Port Clyde offers a variety of experiences. The nature cruises include a visit to Eastern Egg Rock and the recovering Puffin colony that had nearly become extinct. Commentary includes lobstering in Port Clyde. Monhegan's Lighthouse Cruise tours an array of coastal lighthouses including those at Marshall Point, Whitehead, and Southern Island (now owned by Jamie Wyeth). Guides tell the history of the lighthouses during the tour. Sunset Cruises in the Port Clyde area take advantage of the golden hues of the landscape and the end-of-day activities of lobstermen, seals, and osprey. Snacks, including wine or beer, are available on the sunset cruises. Monhegan Boat Line also offers charters for group outings and special occasions.
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