Old Orchard Beach

[boog204]

Looking to do a quick getaway with my wife and 6 year old this summer and was considering Maine. I know nothing about OOB other than it looks to have lots to do for a 6 year old (she'd love the amusement park) and it seems to either be loved or hated. I like that I can get a decent hotel right on the beach for easy access etc, but is the area a bit seedy?

 

[Drumguy]

I've only driven through, lots of people, looks fun. I have a place up on Lake WInnipesaukee. Winni is a great area for families - Wolfboro, Meredith and Laconia are larger towns where there are rentals. Also North Conway and the Mount Washington area are great family places.

 

[Umami Zen]

I've only driven through, lots of people, looks fun. I have a place up on Lake WInnipesaukee. Winni is a great area for families - Wolfboro, Meredith and Laconia are larger towns where there are rentals. Also North Conway and the Mount Washington area are great family places.

There are a few rocks in Lake W. for the uninformed casual skipper LOL

 

[Kenny11]

I know people who like to vacation in Maine. I never have because I imagine the water is too damn cold to swim in. 6 year olds usually don’t care about the water temperature though.

 

[mauconnfan]

Looking to do a quick getaway with my wife and 6 year old this summer and was considering Maine. I know nothing about OOB other than it looks to have lots to do for a 6 year old (she'd love the amusement park) and it seems to either be loved or hated. I like that I can get a decent hotel right on the beach for easy access etc, but is the area a bit seedy?

That was a good spot 20 years ago when we wanted to bring our son somewhere fun for a long weekend. The beach, the amusement park and plenty of things to do within miles was great. There were nicer hotels than others no doubt but it’s been so long since I’ve been there I couldn’t tell you which ones. Good luck boog!

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Looking to do a quick getaway with my wife and 6 year old this summer and was considering Maine. I know nothing about OOB other than it looks to have lots to do for a 6 year old (she'd love the amusement park) and it seems to either be loved or hated. I like that I can get a decent hotel right on the beach for easy access etc, but is the area a bit seedy?

'seedy' is a relative description, and compared to some of my relatives, oob ain't seedy. on behalf of ur kid, excellent beach + excellent amusement park = big fun and big memories. don't forget the ice cream part!

 

[87Xfer]

'seedy' is a relative description, and compared to some of my relatives, oob ain't seedy. on behalf of ur kid, excellent beach + excellent amusement park = big fun and big memories. don't forget the ice cream part!

Ask locals where to find a good, fresh Maine whoopie pie. It'll change your kid's life.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

We spend two weeks just NorthWest of OOB on Sebago Lake every year. Its nice and way quieter than the SE coast tourist towns. Still a quick drive to Portland and not bad to Freeport or Kennebunk either. Water is usually really nice in July and August. I couldn’t imagine swimming off the coast of Maine until like Labor Day.

 

[storrsroars]

Haven't been to OOB since the 80s. Had been there as a kid in the 60s and enjoyed it. But when I went back 20 years later, it was kinda tawdry and the official language was Quebecois. I'd be somewhat surprised if it got better. And water temps were in 50s in July.

Might be better off in Hampton Beach in NH?

We spend two weeks just NorthWest of OOB on Sebago Lake every year.

Regarding Sebago, do they still have a lot of seaplanes there? As a kid I used to be fascinated watching them take off and land. My dad was planning on buying a motel either on Sebago or in/near Franconia Notch but died before he could pull it off. Love the area, hiked there for years, probably my favorite place in northeast US.

 

[gtcam]

OOB is hit or miss, especially in respect to lodging. Are there "seedy" areas? Yeah but if your quick getaway is only a few days, research the hotels and you should be all set.
Myself, I enjoy the Kennebunk Beach/Wells Beach/Ogunquit/York Beach areas - Ive been up and down the Maine coast for decades and not every area is good (funwise) for kids
My kids loved Boothbay Harbor but you know kids will swim in any water
My grandfather grew up in Bar Harbor, beautiful area and the Acadia Nations Seashore area is gorgeous but that is a long haul.
The Sebago Lakes area is nice - spent lots of time on Long Lake/Pond - I heard the rentals on the lakes, because of Covid protocol lifting are ridiculously high this summer
I am heading up to spend a week starting 05/24 (1st day of no mask rule in Maine!!!) in Ogunquit and Scarborough
Good Luck

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I had friends that loved Old Orchard Beach ,I never actually stayed except overnight but driving through in the 1990’s it reminded me of Old Savin Rock.
Before my wife decided to get on a plane we would take car trips .
We stayed mostly on the East Coast and Amish country was a favorite of hers.
We also did New England and one year we did the Maine Coast
stopping at the outlets for some shopping .
We went as far as Bar Harbor where we stayed. Its a great and scenic drive.
We got a late start home and decided to spend a night somewhere in the Portland area as we were returning via the inland route.
It was the fall and the beginning of leaf season and hotels were booked for miles around . This clerk at a booked hotel found us a room in Old Orchard Beach . It was rainy an visibility wasn’t great went we drove through late at night, but we found the the motel. It wasn’t great but the room was clean and we were tired . The lady who checked us in mentioned something about their train. We didn’t think much of as we were tired
and went to sleep.
Less than an hour later we were woken by a loud sound as the entire
room started shaking . We literally thought we were in the middle of an earthquake. Looking out the back window it was a speeding freight train,
as the tracks were less than 20 feet from the rear of the motel but it seemed a lot closer.
We never went back but we will always have that feeling of terror as a memory of Old Orchard Beach.

 

[HooperScooper]

I wouldn't say Old Orchard Beach is seedy. I'd say more like cheesy. Depends what you want but that whole boardwalk area with the amusement park is cheesy and the general vibe of the OOB area, at least to me, is pretty low brow. I guess for a couple days and to keep your 6 year old occupied it couldn't be too bad. If you go there I'd stay at the highest level place you could. We went once when the kids were little for a long weekend and I would never go back.

When my kids were that age we did a week near North Conway, NH and had a blast. The amusement park Story Land is made for kids your daughter's age. Can't really go there past age 7. My kids were 4 and 7 and they loved it. It's well run and relatively inexpensive for an amusement park. We went to some of the other amusement parks around there like Santa's Village, which was about an hour from North Conway. Also did some easy hiking. Plenty of stuff to do around there. The accommodations near North Conway were much better than anything we saw around Old Orchard Beach and the restaurants are much better also.

If you're looking for a beach area you could do much better than OOB. Just my opinion.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

We spend two weeks just NorthWest of OOB on Sebago Lake every year. Its nice and way quieter than the SE coast tourist towns. Still a quick drive to Portland and not bad to Freeport or Kennebunk either. Water is usually really nice in July and August. I couldn’t imagine swimming off the coast of Maine until like Labor Day.

Same here and in the same area. If you're up there around July 4th and see someone walking around Naples in Husky gear with two young kids in tow (also wearing Husky gear), it's probably me.

 

[Kathy]

There are a few rocks in Lake W. for the uninformed casual skipper LOL

A few? Seen quite a few boats perched atop the witches in Sunday mornings when I would go down to the dock to drink my coffee. Owned a place on Governor's Island till 2018. Beautiful lake and so much to do with kids outdoors. Ruggle's Mine, Polar Caves, The Flume, The Basin, Cog Railway, Conway Scenic Railway, Santa's Village, Lost River Gorge, Hobo Railway, the Mt. Washington (ship on the lake) ... I could go on. After 35 years of summers up there not much we didn't do or see.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Same here and in the same area. If you're up there around July 4th and see someone walking around Naples in Husky gear with two young kids in tow (also wearing Husky gear), it's probably me.

We stay in Windham so right close by. Love the minigolf in Naples! We’re actually up the second and third week

 

[Drumguy]

I wouldn't say Old Orchard Beach is seedy. I'd say more like cheesy. Depends what you want but that whole boardwalk area with the amusement park is cheesy and the general vibe of the OOB area, at least to me, is pretty low brow. I guess for a couple days and to keep your 6 year old occupied it couldn't be too bad. If you go there I'd stay at the highest level place you could. We went once when the kids were little for a long weekend and I would never go back.

When my kids were that age we did a week near North Conway, NH and had a blast. The amusement park Story Land is made for kids your daughter's age. Can't really go there past age 7. My kids were 4 and 7 and they loved it. It's well run and relatively inexpensive for an amusement park. We went to some of the other amusement parks around there like Santa's Village, which was about an hour from North Conway. Also did some easy hiking. Plenty of stuff to do around there. The accommodations near North Conway were much better than anything we saw around Old Orchard Beach and the restaurants are much better also.

If you're looking for a beach area you could do much better than OOB. Just my opinion.

To add to the North Conway area, there's a little river you can float on at a State Park, Diana's Baths, there are a couple of ropes courses, there's an alpine slide at Attatash.
Also get a sitter and head over to Ebenizer's Pub across the Maine line, best beer pub in the US.

 

[BoukofJames]

Went jet skiing at Old Orchard Beach while staying in Portland last summer. Saw a MASSIVE sunfish.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

We stay in Windham so right close by. Love the minigolf in Naples! We’re actually up the second and third week

Yep, Steamboat Landing? Many, many great memories up that way over the years.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Went jet skiing at Old Orchard Beach while staying in Portland last summer. Saw a MASSIVE sunfish.

never even heard of that , looked it up...wild

 

[VCE]

We used to vacation in Maine every August in the 80s and 90s. OOB was definitely seedy at the time. We’d stay in Ogunquit and hit Wells and York beaches. Riding bikes around town was nice.

Always took a day or two to go to Hampton Beach, usually one for the beach and one for the various arcades and shops. We would hit up the Bratskellar restaurant (pizza) or the Kittery trading post on the way back.

the water was COLD in August, as low as 55 one year, but in a good year maybe low 60s.

 

[Umami Zen]

A few? Seen quite a few boats perched atop the witches in Sunday mornings when I would go down to the dock to drink my coffee. Owned a place on Governor's Island till 2018. Beautiful lake and so much to do with kids outdoors. Ruggle's Mine, Polar Caves, The Flume, The Basin, Cog Railway, Conway Scenic Railway, Santa's Village, Lost River Gorge, Hobo Railway, the Mt. Washington (ship on the lake) ... I could go on. After 35 years of summers up there not much we didn't do or see.

Sally's Gut?

 

[UC313]

Pine point is maybe a mile or two up the road. Nice beach. Less crowded. We rented a cute little one bedroom cottage there a few summers ago.

check out new england ecoadventures in kennebunk. An old uconn buddy of mine runs it.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

We used to vacation in Maine every August in the 80s and 90s. OOB was definitely seedy at the time. We’d stay in Ogunquit and hit Wells and York beaches. Riding bikes around town was nice.

Always took a day or two to go to Hampton Beach, usually one for the beach and one for the various arcades and shops. We would hit up the Bratskellar restaurant (pizza) or the Kittery trading post on the way back.

the water was COLD in August, as low as 55 one year, but in a good year maybe low 60s.

Ogunquit was probably the nicest town along the coast .
I believe we stayed there Overnight.

 

[Kathy]

Sally's Gut?

Done it many times - was one of my husband's favorite spots to bring guests that had never been there before. Area near Melvin Village was tricky. Used to ski behind Timber and fish near Nipple Rock, off of Bear or near Pitchwood.

 

[Deepster]

I wouldn't say Old Orchard Beach is seedy. I'd say more like cheesy. Depends what you want but that whole boardwalk area with the amusement park is cheesy and the general vibe of the OOB area, at least to me, is pretty low brow. I guess for a couple days and to keep your 6 year old occupied it couldn't be too bad. If you go there I'd stay at the highest level place you could. We went once when the kids were little for a long weekend and I would never go back.

When my kids were that age we did a week near North Conway, NH and had a blast. The amusement park Story Land is made for kids your daughter's age. Can't really go there past age 7. My kids were 4 and 7 and they loved it. It's well run and relatively inexpensive for an amusement park. We went to some of the other amusement parks around there like Santa's Village, which was about an hour from North Conway. Also did some easy hiking. Plenty of stuff to do around there. The accommodations near North Conway were much better than anything we saw around Old Orchard Beach and the restaurants are much better also.

If you're looking for a beach area you could do much better than OOB. Just my opinion.

I have great memories bringing my daughter to Story Land and Santa’s Village. Both were well run, affordable and clean visits back in time.