Ogunquit Beach, Maine | The Beach That Has It All

Centuries ago, the Abenaki people named this slice of land along Maine’s southern coast “Ogunquit,” meaning “beautiful place by the sea.” In the late 1800s, artists descended on what was by then a fishing village, and visitors have been coming ever since to this beautiful beach, which stretches over three miles north to meet the sands of Wells.

When the tide goes out and the beach widens, you feel as if you can walk forever, your feet dipping into, then out of, the sea. Sunbathers and kite flyers spread along the sand. When you want a different vista, you can take to the Marginal Way, a mile-long cliff path that lets you stroll above the pounding waves; its end point, in Perkins Cove, is still a fishing harbor where lobster shacks and ice cream stands and shingled shops await.

For families with young ones, just steps away from the main beach there’s a slender, sheltered beach on a tidal river where the water is calm, the sand dotted with little pools—all perfect for sand castle builders. When the tide goes out, kids ride their inner tubes to the Atlantic, then race back to do it again. There’s also parking at three separate beach spots, as well as a trolley that goes to and fro, picking up people from hotels and a downtown filled with shops and eateries right on the other side of a walking bridge.

I have a friend who says Ogunquit is “the one place that I can truly relax and drop my guard and just enjoy life—it is my happy place.” And when you’ve had enough of sun and sand and surf, there’s an open-sided shelter where you can sit back and watch the sun slowly fade, and make plans for the next day that awaits.

Find more in “Take It Outside,” our 2021 guide to the best ways to love the New England outdoors.

Mel Allen

Now editor at large, Mel Allen's first byline in Yankee appeared in 1977 and he joined the staff in 1979 as a senior editor. Eventually he became executive editor and led the staff as editor from 2006 to 2025. During his career he has edited and written for every section of the magazine, including home, food, and travel, while his pursuit of long-form storytelling has always been vital to his mission as well. He has raced a sled dog team, crawled into the dens of black bears, fished with the legendary Ted Williams, profiled astronaut Alan Shephard, and stood beneath a battleship before it was launched. He also once helped author Stephen King round up his pigs for market, but that story is for another day. Mel is author of Here in New England: Unforgettable Stories of People, Places, and Memories That Connect Us All (Earth Sky + Water LLC, 2025).

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