Old Orchard Beach

Old Orchard Beach is Maine's quintessential seaside resort — a lively, nostalgic town where a Victorian-era boardwalk tradition meets modern family entertainment. The town's iconic 7-mile crescent of white sand beach backed by a traditional pier stretching into the Atlantic is one of the most recognizable New England beach vistas, offering warm(er) water temperatures by northern Atlantic standards, a broad sandy tidal flat ideal for children, and horizon-to-horizon views of the Maine coast. The beach fronts a dense cluster of seafood restaurants, fried dough shops, and accommodation ranging from vintage motor courts to contemporary hotels.

Palace Playland, the centerpiece of the Old Orchard Beach boardwalk, is the only traditional seaside amusement park remaining in New England — a beloved institution with tilt-a-whirls, bumper cars, a large wooden roller coaster, and a classic Ferris wheel that has operated continuously since the park's early twentieth century origins. The pier itself, rebuilt after storm damage on multiple occasions, hosts restaurants, souvenir shops, and concert stages at its seaward end, and the weekly Thursday night fireworks display over the pier is an Old Orchard Beach summer institution.

Old Orchard Beach has a particularly strong French-Canadian connection — proximity to Quebec (3 hours by car from Montreal) has made the town a beloved summer destination for generations of Québecois families, and French is widely spoken throughout the resort district in summer months. This cultural mix gives the boardwalk a slightly continental flavor unusual for a New England resort, and Quebecois food truck-style pastries and snacks appear alongside the traditional Maine clam chowder and lobster rolls.