Springtime in Ogunquit—nothing like it! Now’s an absolutely perfect time to come visit this famous seaside resort town: the weather’s warm, some of our best-loved attractions are opening their doors, and the crowds of summer are still a ways down the road.
Choose the Colonial Inn for your spring perch here: We’re kicking off our 2017 season this month, and can’t wait to host you! Let’s run through five of the best springtime activities here in our aptly named “Beautiful Place by the Sea.”
(1) Visit Ogunquit Beach
One look at this 3.5-mile-long sandy seashore between the Ogunquit River and the open Atlantic, and you’ll see why it’s regularly ranked among the finest beaches in New England. It may not be quite be swimming season just yet, but Ogunquit Beach in spring is a lovely place to stroll, sunbathe, and beachcomb.
(2) Explore Perkins Cove
Whether you’re in the mood for shopping, art appreciation, or sampling fresh Maine seafood, turn those toes toward Perkins Cove! This gem of a fishing village has boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, and cafes aplenty, all set in a ridiculously photogenic nook of a harbor. Perkins Cove is also a convenient place to hop aboard a sightseeing cruise or fishing charter.
(3) Walk the Marginal Way
No better way to connect the first two destinations on this list, Ogunquit Beach and Perkins Cove, than via the Marginal Way, Ogunquit’s famous paved seaside footpath. It may only be a hair farther than a mile, but the Marginal Way packs in a crazy amount of oceanfront beauty. Strolling or sitting, nothing can so revivify the spirit like this serene walkway’s brine-kissed air and seascape vistas. And this time of year there are some blooming gardens to revel in, too!
(4) Go Museum Hopping
Within a happy stroll of your guestroom or suite at the Colonial Inn, you’ve got some terrific museums to take in this spring. The Ogunquit Museum of American Art, which opens May 1st, introduces visitors to Ogunquit’s immensely rich artistic heritage as well as artwork from beyond the region. The museum’s upcoming 2017 exhibitions include Ernest Hemingway and Henry Strater—which chronicles the relationship between the legendary “Papa” and Ogunquit painter (and Museum of American Art founder) Henry Strater, both members of the so-called “Lost Generation”—and SALT/SEA/STONE, showing off the striking landscape photography of Carl Austin Hyatt.
Then there’s the Ogunquit Heritage Museum, telling the town’s history from inside the 18th-century home of Captain James Winn, and the vintage firefighting equipment displayed at the Ogunquit Fire Company Fire Museum.
(5) Go for a Hike
The natural beauty of the Southern Maine seacoast beckons you to Ogunquit’s hinterland. Spring is a marvelous time to go hiking along the flanks of Mount Agamenticus , seeking out vernal wildflowers, or amid the fertile and bird-rich saltmarsh and seaside woods of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Ogunquit in spring casts quite the spell, all the more so because it’s still on the quieter side of things ahead of its busy summer season. Come experience the magic with us here at the Colonial Inn!