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Maine > South Coast > Things to Do and See > 80 Great Things to Do in Maine

Inn at Tanglewood Hall

611 York Street York Harbor, ME, 03911 Phone: 207-351-1075

Seaside activities are abundant with this comfortable, scenic inn as your launching pad

Although you may never want to leave the cozy, elegant 1880s Inn at Tanglewood Hall, there is plenty to do once you leave your four-poster bed or your rocking chair on the wraparound veranda. Walk along the York Harbor Cliff Walk, watch lobster boats and sloops come in and out of the harbor. Catch a sunset over Nubble Lighthouse. Stroll along the streets of York Harbor village to York Harbor Beach. Or, enjoy the surf at Long Sands or Short Sands beaches. Need more ideas? Go whale watching, kayaking, hiking or biking. Or head farther afield (but not too far) to the Kittery Outlets; dine in foodie-centric Portsmouth, N.H.; visit Stonewall Kitchen; check out the lovely Maine coast towns of Ogunquit and Kennebunkport.

Inn at Tanglewood Hall is now open! - Book your stay today!

Jonathan's Ogunquit

92 Bourne Lane Ogunquit, ME, 03907 Phone: 207-646-4777

Make your Maine trip special with dinner at Jonathan's Ogunquit

Make your next trip to Maine's seacoast special with lunch or dinner at Jonathan's Ogunquit. Our menu offers both innovative dishes and long-time local specialties. Love seafood? We have boiled Maine lobster with drawn butter, seafood stuffed haddock, or seafood chowder with fresh scallops, shrimp, and lobster. Looking for something else? How about wild mushroom pappardelle, eggplant napoleon, or a hand-cut Black Angus steak? We strive to serve sustainable, local foods whenever reasonably possible. Check our website for the schedule, and plan for a show in our Listening Room. We've brought top regional and national acts to the area, including comedy great Paula Poundstone, jazz legends Tuck & Patti, and folk favorites Jonathan Edwards and Aztec Two-Step.

Funtown Splashtown USA

Route 1 Saco, ME, 04072 Phone: 207-284-5139

It’s a long, fun list of exciting rides and water park features at this amusement park

With dozens of exhilarating rides and water park features, Funtown Splashtown USA presents a challenge for those who want to do it all – but give it a try! There’s the Flying Trapeze, Grand Prix Racers, Tempest in the Tea Cups, Tilt-a-Whirl: And you’re only getting started. Experience hairpin turns on the Wild Mouse roller coaster or zip through the woods on the Excalibur wooden coaster. Check out the bumper boats and bumper cars or head to the water park to zoom down slides or rocket through translucent or completely dark tubes. There’s a wading pool, an aquaplane area and splash pool for little guests. A family owned and operated business, Funtown Splashtown puts guest safety first and is strictly following CDC guidelines.

Gotta Dance

The Dance Hall, an institution that celebrates music, dance, and free spirits, presents summer concerts in 2021 at John Paul Jones Park, overlooking the bridge in Kittery. Concerts are 6 to 7 p.m. on a range of dates – check the Hall’s website. Get the spirit of the occasion just b scanning some of the performers’ names: Bucket List Band, Soggy Po Boys, Crown Jules, Flying Home Band, Lookie Lookie, Django By The Sea Gypsy Jazz. Dance like no one’s watching!

Farm Visits Are Fun

It can be fun to visit a working farm on your vacation, especially when the farm owners run a farm stand and are really revved up about good food and about describing their farming life to visitors. Frinklepod Farm at 244 Log Cabin Road in Arundel is a place of inspired farming. Frinklepod Farm was founded a decade ago to provide healthy food, preserve agricultural land, and help inspire a new generation of farmers. Travelers (and everyone) are welcome to shop at the farm stand, buy seedlings are garden products, and take a guided walk or a class on the farm. Some class titles are “East the Weeds” and “Put Plants on Your Plate.” The farm is open year-round. 207-289-5805

Old Orchard Beach = Classic Summer Fun

Old Orchard Beach on Maine’s south coast could be a stage set for old-fashioned, on-the-loud-side summer beach fun. The social epicenter of the 7-mile long stretch of wide, sandy beach is the Palace Playland amusement park, an oceanfront playground since 1898. The streets of the town have a carnival atmosphere, with arcades, amusement rides, food, motels, gift shops, clubs and The Pier. Street dances and fireworks happen regularly. The beach itself has lifeguards in season and it is handicap-accessible. Surfing is allowed.

Beach Plum Farm Offers Seaside Strolls

Beach Plum Farm, at 610 Main Street in Ogunquit, is a 22-acre site with remnants of an old New England salt-water farm, natural landscapes and wildlife habitat. At the farm there is a half-mile easy walking loop which circles the fields and community gardens. Down by the salt marsh, you can see bayberry, beach plums and a variety of coastal birds. Benches provide spots to sit and contemplate. Lots of birds to see; please leave your dog at home. The farm is headquarters of the Great Works Regional Land Trust.

Wood Island Lighthouse tours off Biddeford maine

Insider View of a Historic Lighthouse

The Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse offer tours to Wood Island and the lighthouse in July and August (weather permitting). This historic lighthouse, built in 1808, is a picturesque keeper's house connected to the stone tower. Wood Island is an uninhabited island at the mouth of the Saco River off the coast of Biddeford. During tours, the lighthouse tower is opne to visitors age 10 and older. Reservations open on June 1. Reserve your tour. 207-286-3229.

Discover the Secrets of an Estuary

The Wells Reserve at Laudholm at 342 Laudholm Farm Road in Wells is a National Estuarine Research Reserve. Vistors can walk seven miles of easy-to-moderate trails to experience the beauty of south coastal Maine. Trails are available year round for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. You can take a guided tour with a trained naturalist. You may kayak the quiet waters of the Reserve’s estuary while watching for wildlife. Discovery Program Trail Guides are self-paced trail guides paired with activity backpacks that hold everything you need for a half-day of investigation. Fun for kids age 6 to 12. Open daily Memorial Day to Columbus Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: 207-646-1555

home and away gallery in kennebunkport ME

Beautiful Baskets Are a Sample of Maine Art

Home & Away Gallery at 26 Maine Street in Kennebunkport specializes in Inuit, Eskimo, and Native American arts and jewelry. The baskets, some made by people of Maine’s Wabanaki tribes, are stunning, and they make a wonderful memento of your visit to this seaside state. The Gallery also offer Native American beadwork and sculpture and jewelry, baskets, Zuni carvings, and more. The Gallery also hosts artist events and special exhibit. Open weekends, and other times by appointment or chance. 207-967-2122. [photo courtesy of Home & Away Gallery]

Here, Stonewall Means Tasty Eating

Maine’s Stonewall Kitchen is one of those up-with-the-bootstraps stories of a small group of friends that began producing jelly, jam, and specialty vinegars at home and then … boom. Stonewall Kitchen is now an empire of specialty foods. Its flagship story is located delightfully close to travelers: next to Route 1A at the York exit (exit 7) off of Interstate-95. Come and enjoy the beautiful presentation of preserved foods, condiments, sauces, pancakes mixes, and syrups. Also at the home store are cookbooks, cookware and all sorts of neat gifts for cooks in your life. Stonewall Kitchen Café, next door, offers tasty aid and comfort to travelers. 800-826-1752

Carson Name Still Defends the Earth

The author whose seminal work, “Silent Spring,” launched the American environmental movement is the namesake for the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, consisting of a patchwork of properties along 50 miles of coastline from Kittery to Cape Elizabeth, with a headquarters on Route 9 in Wells. The refuge serves as protected region of valuable salt marshes and estuaries for migratory birds. Visitors are welcome to hike on the developed trails of the Refuge. is permitted in several rivers and creeks in the Refuge. Phone: 207-646-9226.

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