Here in Ogunquit, Maine, we’re famous for our seashore beauty—on full display, for example, from the sands of Ogunquit Beach or the idyllic course of the Marginal Way footpath. And the Colonial Inn, we’re convinced, is the best place to experience that New England coastal scenery.
But what happens if you wake to a drizzly or downright deluge-y morning? Well, fear not: Ogunquit’s just as wonderful a place to be on a rainy day as a sunshiny one. In fact, there’s a special coziness in such weather, when this famous resort town feels most like the maritime village it is.
You can stay nice and warm and dry in the Inn itself, of course, but if you’d like to get out and about in the damp, here are five of the best rainy-day activities in Ogunquit to choose from!
(1) Take in Ogunquit museums!
Ogunquit’s fortunate to have more than one excellent museum, and leaky skies are the perfect excuse to explore their exhibits. The Ogunquit Museum of American Art has a rich array of local and national pieces on display, plus a great lineup of temporary exhibitions this summer: from Ernest Hemingway & Henry Strater, which documents the relationship between Hemingway and the artist who founded this museum, to John Marin: On the Verge of Wilderness, which’ll be rich in Maine imagery.
You can also explore the Ogunquit Heritage Museum and the Ogunquit Fire Company Fire Museum, both of which offer great peeks at the town’s backstory.
(2) Prowl the galleries!
Ogunquit’s been a well-known mecca for art since the early 1900s—your visit to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art will fill you in on the history—and the town boasts a whole slew of excellent galleries. What better way to wile away a rainstorm than hopping between them?
(3) Go antiquing!
Now here’s a classic rainy-day pastime: antiquing! And with a perch at the Colonial Inn, you’ve got one of the most impressive concentrations of antique stores in New England right at your fingertips: Route 1. There are more than 50 antique shops studding this main drag between Arundel and Kittery, so treasure hunting comes easy!
(4) Take in a show!
Whether it’s world-class stagecraft over at the Ogunquit Playhouse or a film at the historic Leavitt Theatre, no need to take a “raincheck” on local entertainment within a stone’s throw of the Colonial Inn…
(5) Grab an umbrella and embrace the wet!
We’ve got umbrellas available for our guests at the front desk, so why not pick one up and then hit the streets, downpour be darned? You’ll always have a cozy haven to return to in the Colonial Inn, after all!