Day Trip to Ogunquit, ME

We went on this trip the third week of September and it was an easy, 50-minute drive from Rye Beach. The weather was in the high 60s, which on the coast can mean “cold” if cloudy or “hot” if sunny. Lucky for us - we got a sunny day with mild winds. 

Perkins Cove

When we arrived in Ogunquit, we drove straight to Perkins Cove. (We like to start in a busy part of town). Perkins Cove is a charming, waterfront area with shops, restaurants and a harbor. The first thing we did was check out the harborside, spotted with fishing boats. From there, we climb the nearby footbridge which is hand-operated by pedestrians. That’s right - when tall boats need to get into the harbor, they ask someone on the bridge to push a button to lift the leaves. 

We walked around Perkins Cove and browsed the shops. There were home and jewelry stores, souvenir shops, art galleries, etc. One of our favorite shops to browse was Sea Glass Jewelry. The store was on the 2nd level (so look up to spot it!). Inside, it was spacious and had a nice variety of sea glass jewelry. We LOVED seeing the different shades of blue sea glass (cobalt, aqua, seafoam) but our most favorite piece was the red sea glass because it’s rare. 

We grabbed our lunch at the Footbridge Lobster and dessert at Perkins Cove Candies (the sea salt caramels tasted so good!). We took our food to the public picnic tables on the harbor and ate lunch with amazing views of the fishing boats and the original Barnacle Billy’s.

Marginal Way

After lunch, we walked the Marginal Way, which starts at Perkins Cove. This is a short, easy walk (1.25 miles) that offers stunning views of Maine’s coast and the Atlantic Ocean. The trail is paved smooth with benches along the way to stop and enjoy the view. The trail winds with the coastline which makes it an interesting walk. There are even spots to walk out onto the rocks. One of the things you get on this walk is height. The Marginal Way is 68 feet above sea level - which provides a thrilling view of the ocean. 

Ogunquit Beach

Marginal Way ends with a gorgeous, overhead view of Ogunquit Beach. Ogunquit Beach is beautiful and looked (to me) like it belonged in the Caribbean. It had light beige sand and turquoise water. The beach is WIDE and it looks like you can walk out very far. How fun for kids! After taking in this view, we walked to Shore Road where there are tons of galleries, shops, and restaurants. We didn’t get a chance to explore Shore Road - but it gave us a reason to come back some time soon. 

Visit more New England towns: Newburyport, Rockport, Rye Beach.