We were so surprised by how much we loved Maine when we visited there last summer. We were not expecting to love it so much! And one of our favorite things was heading to a few different beaches while we were there. One of our stops was at Old Orchard Beach. While there was lots going on in that little town, here are 3 things not to miss.

1. Old Orchard Beach Pier

The Old Orchard Beach Pier is just classic. Walking above on the pier you get a typical pier experience: souvenir shops, places to eat and views of the ocean. It is made of all wood and is such an iconic experience you just have to do it! It is also fun to walk underneath the pier down on the beach. It makes for some great photo opps.

2. Food

Right in downtown Old Orchard Beach, near the pier, are lots of great food options. There’s lots of classic pier type food (fried everything, ice cream and treats, burgers, etc.) as well as your classic Maine fare (lobster, crab, and other sea food). We stopped at a couple of food joints on our way to the beach for lunch and had a yummy variety of not-so-great-for-you foods, but it was ok because we were on vacation right?

3. The Beach

There are a few beaches located within Old Orchard Beach but we went to Old Orchard Beach Downtown and the Pier. It was a nice, but crowded, area. There were pretty good waves and it was quite a bit deeper than other beaches we went to on our day in Maine, but it was really fun to watch the kids play in the water and even see some surfers! We also watched a lot of boats and parasailors as well.

Sum Up:

Old Orchard Beach is a great, classic Maine beach town. There is a great old pier to go on, a fun beach, rides, water activities, lots of yummy food options and souvenir shops. It is definitely worth a stop next time you’re in the Southern part of Maine.