Start from 29 curated places around Old Orchard Beach, ME, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Joseph's By The Sea
Family-run for decades, this is the spot for the slow, proper OOB dinner — the rooftop terrace catches the last of the evening light over Saco Bay, and the kitchen leans into whatever's swimming that day: fresh haddock, Downeast lobster, chowder that's thick without being floury. The gluten-free program is unusually serious for a beach-town restaurant.
Bell Buoy Restaurant
A diner-style spot that's been feeding families at the center of OOB for generations — the baked haddock comes out in that particular New England way: moist, simply seasoned, with a breadcrumb crust that doesn't overshadow the fish. No reservations, no frills, and the wait runs long on summer weekends.
Trails & outdoors
Pine Point, Grand, and Surfside Beaches Trail
The most satisfying walk in the area is this 5-mile stretch along the sand, moving from the Pine Point tidal flats through OOB's main beach to Surfside Beach at Camp Ellis — a gradual shift from quiet marshland edges to the pier boardwalk to open Atlantic views. The entire trail is flat, so it's genuinely accessible regardless of fitness level.
Cascade Falls Trail
A half-mile loop in Saco that ends at a 20-foot waterfall — the trail is short enough to do in flip-flops if you're careful, wide enough for strollers, and has the feel of a proper woods walk despite being 10 minutes from the coast. The Fairy House Village along the path gets maintained by local families and changes every season.
Things to do
Palace Playland
Palace Playland operates from the same five-acre beach footprint it's occupied since 1902 — the Sea Viper roller coaster, a genuine carousel, a Ferris wheel with ocean views, and over 200 arcade games under one roof. It's a functional amusement park, not a nostalgia act; the rides are maintained and the kiddie-ride section is comprehensive enough that small children don't feel like an afterthought.
Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf
Two 18-hole courses with legitimate landscape design — not painted-plywood obstacles, but water features, constructed caves, elevation changes, and a waterfall. The layout is dense enough that different groups can separate on the same course without waiting constantly. Unusually well-maintained for a seasonal attraction.
Landmarks & sights
Old Orchard Beach Pier
The rebuilt wooden pier extends 500 feet into the Atlantic and anchors everything OOB does — it's where street performers set up, where the evening light hits the water just right, and where the entire beach community gravitates after dark. The shops and bars along the pier are tourist-grade, but the end of the structure, past the crowds, has an unobstructed ocean view that earns the walk.
The Temple
Ocean Park is a separate world from the amusement strip a mile north — a late-19th-century camp meeting community built around this octagonal Baptist temple and its historic halls. The Temple is an unusual piece of architecture: eight-sided, wood-framed, and still hosting services and weddings most summer Saturdays. The surrounding Temple Square has a working fountain, formal gardens, and none of the noise that defines the rest of town.