16 Alternatives to Ogunquit

In Abenaki, Ogunquit means Beautiful Place by the Sea. It’s the perfect name for this Southern Maine Beaches coastal town, but there’s a lot more than just stunning scenery here. 

This isn’t a town you can pin to just one thing. It’s wide beaches that stretch for miles, a cliffside path where waves hammer the rocks, galleries and playhouses that fuel its artistic streak, and a reputation for being one of Maine’s most welcoming, inclusive communities. 

In many ways, Ogunquit brings the best of Maine’s coastal charm into one location. If you’re looking for Ogunquit alternatives while visiting Maine, we’ve rounded up the best comparisons to add to your itinerary. 

Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor may sit far Downeast from Ogunquit, but it’s every bit a full-package destination. You get sweeping ocean views, a lively downtown, and direct access to something bigger. For Bar Harbor, that something is Acadia National Park.

Where Ogunquit shines with its sandy shoreline and Marginal Way, Bar Harbor delivers dramatic hikes, island scenery, and whale-watching tours. Miss the beach? Sand Beach and a collection of hidden beaches deliver more variety. 

Old Orchard Beach

If Ogunquit’s long sandy stretch feels peaceful and refined, Old Orchard Beach is its extroverted best friend who never seems to run out of energy. The beach in OOB stretches twice as long as Ogunquit, with salt air and lively atmosphere lining the coast. 

The vibe shifts to carnival rides, arcade lights, and fried-dough stands lining the pier. Families come for the amusement park atmosphere and the easy, all-day beach setup. It’s an alternative if you want a daytime swap from Ogunquit’s calmer scene, or prefer pier fries to fancy dining.

Kennebunkport

Kennebunkport and Ogunquit share the same Southern Maine beach stretch, but the personalities diverge. Ogunquit leans on its artsy, inclusive vibe, while Kennebunkport is known for its polished downtown, historic inns, and a long-standing draw for presidents and summer residents.

Finding a beach in Kennebunkport feels like you’re in on the secret, but you also get to experience coastal waves crashing on rocks. Ogunquit might be better suited for surfing, but in Kennebunkport, you can paddle to islands in calmer waters.

Kennebunk

Parlay a trip to Kennebunkport across the river to Kennebunk, and you get more of those stellar Southern Maine Beaches. Instead of one long stretch, Kennebunk gives you scoops of seashore from the breakwater to the calm waters of Mother’s Beach. 

Kennebunk also includes the Lower Village and Maine Street, much like Ogunquit offers downtown and Perkins Cove. 

Plus, the Kennebunks also offer romantic inns, stately resorts, and off-the-beaten-path rentals, as any good alternative to Ogunquit would. 

Wells

If Ogunquit feels a little too polished, Wells offers a more laid-back version of the beach town experience. Its shoreline stretches for miles across Wells Beach, Crescent Beach, and Drake’s Island, giving you plenty of room to spread out without the same level of crowds. 

The town itself is quieter, with family motels, antique shops, and casual seafood shacks taking the place of theaters and galleries. It’s an alternative if you want the sand without the scene.

York

York feels like three towns in one, which makes it an easy alternative to Ogunquit. York Beach delivers the sandy shoreline and arcades, York Village has the shopping and small-town charm, and York Harbor brings in a dose of history with old homes and a quieter waterfront. 

You still get the mix of beach days and coastal strolls, but York trades creative art for colonial history along with the iconic Nubble Light. York also offers a cliff walk that’s about one-third the length of Ogunquit’s Marginal Way.

Camden

Camden has the same all-in-one feel as Ogunquit, just packaged differently. Instead of long sandy beaches, you get mountains rising straight from the sea, with hiking trails in Camden Hills State Park that reward you with big views over Penobscot Bay. 

The harbor is lively with schooners and yachts, and downtown has the same walkable mix of shops, galleries, and restaurants. If Ogunquit is beach-first, Camden is where you trade sand for seaside scenery that climbs skyward.

Monhegan

If Ogunquit’s art colony vibe draws you in, you’ll want to visit Maine’s OG art colony on Monhegan Island. Artists started coming here in the mid-1800s, before Ogunquit’s art colony took shape, and the island still carries that legacy in its studios and small museum. 

On Monhegan, you leave the cars behind and take a 10-mile boat trip to this island that barely covers one square mile. The Abenaki called Oguinquit the Beautiful Place by the Sea, while Monhegan’s name translates to out-to-sea island.  

What you find instead are cliffside trails, crashing surf, and a fresh artistic eye for plein air painting in a more rugged landscape.

Bath

Where Ogunquit grew up around its fishing village roots, Bath earned its stripes as a shipbuilding powerhouse. The Kennebec River still anchors that identity, with Bath Iron Works turning out naval ships and the Maine Maritime Museum telling the town’s story.

Downtown is lined with 19th-century brick blocks, more working Maine than resort Maine. You still find plenty of shops with unique Maine goods, much like Ogunquit.

Missing the sand? Drive 30 minutes south to Phippsburg, where Popham Beach mixes history with miles of shoreline. Erosion is slowly reshaping it, so see it while you can. Ogunquit Beach will be waiting.

Boothbay Harbor

Boothbay Harbor was once a rusticator stop just like Ogunquit, drawing summer visitors for its ocean views and sea air. The arts are part of its DNA too, though not as widely recognized as Ogunquit’s galleries and theaters. 

Today, the town is best known for its boat tours and the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, but the creative undercurrent is still there if you look for it. It feels less spotlighted than Ogunquit, yet just as rewarding.

New Harbor

New Harbor gives you many of the same draws as Ogunquit, like ocean views, lobster shacks, and easy access to the water, but with more breathing room. Instead of jockeying for space on the sand, you can take scenic drives along the Pemaquid Peninsula and stop at coves, lighthouses, and rocky overlooks. 

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is the real centerpiece here, unlike Ogunquit, where the only “lighthouse” is actually a water treatment cover.

Bangor

Ogunquit may have set the scene in The Stand, but Bangor is where Stephen King drew much of his inspiration. The city is the model for Derry in It, with real places like the Thomas Hill Standpipe and Kenduskeag Stream woven into his stories. Even King’s ominous former home still hosts writers’ retreats. 

If Ogunquit inspired a few pages of King’s famous books, Bangor delivers the thrill of walking through a literary legend’s hometown. Plus, if you’re looking for more modern performance art, Bangor brings it big time. 

Cutler

If the Marginal Way in Ogunquit leaves you wishing for more cliffside drama, Cutler is the supersized version. The Bold Coast Trail stretches for miles along towering sea cliffs, with seabirds wheeling overhead and waves hammering the rocks far below.

It has the same thrill of walking above the ocean, only wilder and longer than Ogunquit’s tidy 1.5-mile path. This Downeast spot feels remote, but the payoff is some of the most breathtaking coastline in Maine.

Portland

Portland packs more art into a small city than almost anywhere else in Maine, and it’s open year-round. The Arts District centers on Congress Street with the Portland Museum of Art, dozens of galleries, and First Friday Art Walks that turn the streets into an open-air exhibit.

Add in live music, theaters, and a food scene that rivals cities much larger, and Portland becomes both an alternative to Ogunquit’s artsy vibe and a perfect add-on for anyone chasing culture along the coast.

If your idea of art leans toward the written word, you can also tour the childhood home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Cape Elizabeth

Cape Elizabeth is a magnet for anyone who sees the world through a lens, a canvas, or a sketchpad. Portland Head Light, perched above Fort Williams Park, is said to be the most photographed lighthouse in the country, and it earns the attention. 

Beyond that, rocky coves, windswept beaches, and hidden trails create endless subjects. For painters, photographers, or daydreamers with a phone camera, Cape Elizabeth offers the kind of scenes that never get old.

Castine

Known as Under the Elms and By the Sea, Castine lives up to its name. The tree-lined streets give this seaside town a graceful, shaded feel that sets it apart from Ogunquit’s busier sidewalks. 

This Midcoast gem is also home to the Maine Maritime Academy, a handful of shops and cafés, and a harbor that feels refreshingly untouched by mass tourism. Those who would prefer to walk (or ski) the woods instead of a long stretch of beach will love the options in Witherlie Woods. Yet you can still get waterfront time at Wadsworth Cove Beach.

More than One Beautiful Place by the Sea

While Ogunqit will always be a beautiful place by the sea, it has seen a surge in tourism in recent years. If you’re looking for an alternative, you’ll find these beautiful options while still getting the same vibes.

It’s not easy to pick the perfect Maine coastal town to visit, but that’s why so many people keep coming back to Maine year after year.