Things to Do in Ogunquit, Maine
The best things to do in Ogunquit, Maine, are walking the Marginal Way along the cliffs, spending a day on Ogunquit Beach, and poking around Perkins Cove. Ogunquit is a small York County town of 1,577 people that split from Wells and became its own town in 1980.
Painters found Ogunquit around the turn of the 20th century. Charles Woodbury ran an art school here, and Hamilton Easter Field opened a summer school in 1911, turning old fish shacks at Perkins Cove into studios.
Marginal Way
This paved 1.25-mile path runs along the rocky shore from Shore Road to Perkins Cove. It dates to the 1920s and joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. You’ll pass the small Lobster Point light on the way.
★ Good to know Stay on the path; the cliffs are steep and only fenced in places. It’s free to walk.
Ogunquit Beach
The town’s main beach is a mile and a half of fine pale sand and dunes on a barrier peninsula. The Ogunquit River runs behind it, and a bridge first linked it to the mainland in 1888.
★ Good to know It’s the town’s signature beach, so pair it with the Marginal Way and walk rather than drive between the two.
Perkins Cove
This little harbor was a fishing village, first called Fish Cove, and settlers fished here from the 1620s. The basin was dug out after 1880 to shelter boats. A wooden double-leaf pedestrian drawbridge crosses the channel, and the art colony turned its old fish shacks into studios and rentals.
★ Good to know Walk the Marginal Way one way and end in the cove instead of driving in.
Ogunquit Museum of American Art
Artist Henry Strater opened this museum in 1953 on land once owned by Charles Woodbury. It holds more than 3,000 works from the late 1800s on, including Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and Alexander Calder. Three acres of sculpture gardens sit over Narrow Cove.
★ Good to know It’s seasonal, open daily from April into early November. Kids and members get in free.
Ogunquit Playhouse
Walter and Maude Hartwig started the Playhouse in a downtown garage in 1933 and moved it to its current building on Main Street in 1937. It’s one of the last summer-stock theaters still producing musicals, and more than 100,000 people come each season. Its New Works Program has launched world premieres since 2016.
★ Good to know The season runs roughly May into early November. Buy tickets only from the Playhouse’s own site.
How long is the Marginal Way in Ogunquit?
It’s 1.25 miles, paved, and runs along the cliffs from Shore Road to Perkins Cove. Most people walk it one way and back, or end in the cove.
How long is Ogunquit Beach?
About a mile and a half of sand and dunes on a barrier peninsula, with the Ogunquit River behind it.
When is the Ogunquit Playhouse season?
The Playhouse runs a summer-to-fall season, roughly May into early November, with musicals and new works.
What other Maine coast towns are near Ogunquit?
Kennebunkport is a short drive up the coast. Farther north are Camden and Bar Harbor. See all our small towns in Maine.
Where to find them
- Marginal Way Shore Road to Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME 03907 Directions
- Ogunquit Beach Ogunquit, ME 03907 Directions
- Perkins Cove Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME 03907 Directions
- Ogunquit Museum of American Art 543 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME 03907 Website Directions
- Ogunquit Playhouse 10 Main St., Ogunquit, ME 03907 Website Directions
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Where to stay in Ogunquit
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