32 Best Sights in The Southern Coast, Maine

This small, somewhat secluded stretch with gentle surf is favored by locals, particularly families. It's near a shady park, restaurants, and other attractions. Between late May and late September leashed dogs are allowed only before 8 am and after 6:30 pm. Amenities: lifeguards (seasonal); toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Ten miles east of Biddeford lies Ocean Park, a vacation community founded in 1881 by Free Will Baptist leaders as a summer assembly with both religious and educational purposes, following the example of Chautauqua, New York. The 1881 Temple, in an unusual octagon shape, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the community hosts an impressive variety of cultural events, from concerts to sand-sculpture contests. There's even a public shuffleboard area for vacationers not interested in the neon carnival attractions in Old Orchard Beach just up the road. Get an old-fashioned raspberry-lime rickey at the Ocean Park Soda Fountain, at Furber Park.