It was a gorgeous summer Friday, 80 degrees, blue skies, flowers in the yard, and the weather forecast promised more of the same for the weekend ahead. As I wrapped up a work-from-home day and prepared to pick up my kids from summer camp/ preschool, I dreamed of a beach weekend. A quick google search for available hotel rooms in Maine, a text to my husband "what would you say to a 1-night adventure to Ogunquit Maine if I packed for you?"...and 3 hours later we were on the road, arriving at our destination just after sunset.
The Ogunquit-York Beach area of Maine is a convenient 1.5 hour drive from where we live near Boston. We stayed at Sea Rose Suites, which was conveniently located easy walking (or trolley ride!) distance to restaurants, the beach, and other sights noted below. There's a lovely outdoor pool as well as an indoor pool, and the all-suite rooms are perfectly set up for families. We will be back for sure if we stay in the area again!
After fueling up, we continued our walk into Perkins Cove to the start of the Marginal Way walk. The sun was bright but there were some welcome breezes off the ocean. The kids loved checking out every single view point/ sitting area, climbing out over the rocks along the path, and running ahead to lead the way. Marginal Way offers beautiful views over the ocean, peeks into the manicured yards of beach houses we dreamed of being invited to, a cute little light house, and periodic stairs down to rocky beaches.
The Marginal Way path ends in downtown Ogunquit near a cluster of cute shops, tempting restaurants and the beach. We let the kids pick out a boogie board to buy at the cute toy shop Cricket's Corner, and then let them lead the way across two bridges out to the beach.
Ogunquit beach is fun- super soft sand and waves just big enough to be exciting but not scary for little kids. But it's not the peaceful, natural experience that we're used to at Grandma & Grandpa's house on Cape Cod. Ogunquit beach is lined with hotels and clam shack restaurants and packed with people. It's got convenient amenities- a nice bath house for rinsing off/ changing, lunch options nearby, and a trolley stop so that you don't have to walk all the way back again with tired sandy kids at the end of the day. We spent a few hours digging in the sand, mastering the new boogie board and having a lunch of hot dogs and fried clams (and protecting them from the eager seagulls!). The kids were super excited for the short trolley ride back to our hotel.
We made the most of our 1-night hotel stay by relaxing for a bit at the pool, and then taking advantage of the restrooms near the indoor pool to rinse off and change back into dry clothes.
With a little over an hour to kill before an early bird dinner, we hopped in the car for the scenic Shore Road drive into York Beach and out toward the Nubble Light House. Little kid napped in the car in the parking lot while we climbed on the rock nearby with big kid.
We drove back to Perkin's Cove in Ogunquit foor dinner at The Trap, which had yummy Tuna Poke bowls and a refreshing glass of Vinho Verde, plus hamburgers and pasta salad for the kids. We ate outdoors on the deck, which was open to the rocky shoreline with tidal pools that beckoned for exploring, but we were disappointed when the waitress called our kids back onto the deck and explained the beach was private, and they were not supposed to allow customers out there. Luckily we had come prepared with crayons and activity books.
We capped off a fun day with ice cream after dinner and then hit the road for the short drive home, arriving just in time for a quick bath before bedtime. After a busy, fun day we all slept well!
Looking to spend more time in this part of Maine? Check out our day trip to nearby York Beach (blog post here!)
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