Old Orchard Beach

Old Orchard Beach is the quintessential New England seaside resort — a seven-mile sweep of broad, sandy beach along Saco Bay in southern Maine, backed by a lively beachfront town that has drawn vacationers for well over a century. Its gently sloping sand, warm-for-Maine water and classic boardwalk atmosphere make it one of the most popular beaches in the Northeast.

The beach is anchored by the historic Old Orchard Beach Pier, lined with shops and eateries reaching out over the water, and by Palace Playland, a beachfront amusement park with a Ferris wheel and rides right on the sand. Families have come for generations to swim, sun, ride the rides, watch summer fireworks and stroll the pier. A beloved classic of the Maine coast, Old Orchard Beach is a treasured seaside icon of the state.

Old Orchard Beach offers classic seaside fun — swimming and sunbathing on the broad, sandy beach, riding the rides at the beachfront Palace Playland amusement park, strolling and dining on the historic pier, playing in the gentle surf, beachcombing the long flat sand at low tide, watching summer fireworks, and enjoying the arcades, shops and eateries of the lively town. Swimming, the amusement park and the pier are the signature draws. The combination of a long sandy beach, a historic pier and a beachfront amusement park makes Old Orchard a beloved family destination.

Summer (late June through August) is the season, when the water is warmest (still bracing — this is Maine), the amusement park, pier and town are in full swing, and the beach is liveliest (and busiest), with weekly summer fireworks. Late spring and early fall are quieter, with pleasant beach walking but cooler water and reduced services. Low tide reveals a vast flat beach. Summer is the highlight for the full seaside-resort experience — come on a warm summer day for swimming, the rides and the pier, and stay for the fireworks.

The shore of Saco Bay was long used by the Native peoples of the region. Old Orchard Beach became a fashionable seaside resort in the late 1800s, reached by railroad, with grand hotels, a long pier (rebuilt several times after storms and fires) and amusements drawing crowds, including many French-Canadian visitors who made it a beloved tradition. Palace Playland and the pier carried the classic resort era into the present. Old Orchard Beach preserves this seaside-resort heritage and its broad sandy beach, a treasured icon of the Maine coast.

Old Orchard Beach is a long barrier beach of fine sand along Saco Bay, built and shaped by waves and currents that carry sand (much of it delivered by the Saco River) along the shore. The broad, gently sloping sand and the wide flats exposed at low tide are classic features of such a sandy embayment, in contrast to Maine’s mostly rocky coast. Dunes and salt marshes lie behind parts of the shore. The sand supplied by the river, the waves and currents, and the gentle bay created this broad, sandy beach.

Saco Bay and the beach host gulls, terns, sandpipers and other shorebirds, with seabirds and waterfowl offshore and the occasional seal in the bay, while the salt marshes and the mouth of the Saco River behind the beach support herons, egrets and a rich birdlife. Beachcombers find shells, crabs and intertidal life on the flats at low tide. The sandy shore, marsh and bay support coastal wildlife. While Old Orchard is mainly a resort beach, the shore and nearby marshes offer birdwatching, especially shorebirds along the sand.

Old Orchard Beach is part of a sandy barrier-beach, dune and salt-marsh system along Saco Bay, where the beach, the dunes behind it and the marshes at the Saco River mouth provide habitat and protect the shore from storms. These sandy and marsh habitats are increasingly rare and valuable on Maine’s rocky coast, and sensitive to development and erosion. Protecting the dunes (which stabilize the beach), the salt marshes and the water quality of the bay sustains both the ecology and the broad sandy beach that draws generations of visitors.

Old Orchard Beach holds a treasured place among the icons of Maine — the state’s classic seaside resort, a seven-mile sandy beach with a historic pier and a beachfront amusement park that has been a summer tradition for generations of families, including a beloved destination for French-Canadian vacationers. Its nostalgic boardwalk atmosphere embodies the timeless joy of the New England seashore. Old Orchard Beach is a cherished seaside icon of Maine.

Old Orchard Beach is in southern Maine on Saco Bay, between Portland and the Kennebunks, just off Interstate 95 and U.S. 1, about 20 minutes south of Portland. The beach is free and public, with the town, pier and Palace Playland right at the shore; parking is paid and fills on summer days (there is also seasonal train service to the town). The town has hotels, restaurants, arcades and amusements. Check the town of Old Orchard Beach for parking, the amusement-park and pier hours, and the fireworks schedule before visiting.

The town and the state work to protect Old Orchard Beach’s sand, dunes and water quality. Visitors help by staying off and protecting the fragile dunes and dune grass (which hold the beach together), carrying out all trash, respecting nesting shorebirds and any roped-off areas, not disturbing the salt marshes, and following beach rules. The dunes, marshes and water quality are sensitive to heavy summer use. Protecting the dunes, the marshes and the clean water sustains both the ecology and the broad, sandy beach that is the heart of this classic resort.

Swim near lifeguards where present and heed flags and warnings — the surf, currents and cold Maine water can be hazardous, and rip currents occur, so watch children closely and don’t overestimate the cold water. The sun and heat call for sun protection and hydration. The vast flat at low tide means a long way back to deep water for swimming. Watch for incoming tides. The lively town and pier draw big summer crowds. Respect the surf and currents, the cold water, the sun, and the tides on the broad beach.

The public beach is free; parking is paid. Stay off the protected dunes and dune grass. Respect any roped-off nesting-shorebird areas. Pets, alcohol, glass and fires are restricted on the beach (rules vary by season and area — check town ordinances). Carry out all trash. Lifeguard zones and flags govern swimming. Drones and commercial activity may require permits. Follow town beach rules and any seasonal restrictions. Check the town of Old Orchard Beach for parking, pet rules, fireworks and current regulations before visiting.

The city of Portland 20 minutes north, the historic town of Saco and Biddeford, the Kennebunks (with their beaches and Bush family compound at Walker’s Point) to the south, the beaches and salt marshes of the southern Maine coast, and the Saco River lie near Old Orchard Beach. Saco Bay and the southern Maine coast define the region. Old Orchard Beach anchors the classic resort coast of southern Maine, a centerpiece of a Maine beach vacation, easily combined with Portland, the Kennebunks and the southern Maine beaches.

Come on a warm summer day for the full classic-resort experience — swim in the (bracing) surf, ride the rides at beachfront Palace Playland, stroll and snack out on the historic pier, and stay for the weekly summer fireworks. Arrive early for parking (or take the seasonal train), bring sun protection, and explore the vast flat beach at low tide. Stay off the fragile dunes, swim near lifeguards, and pair your visit with Portland or the Kennebunks just down the coast.