GETAWAYS
Rediscovering Ogunquit A traditional Maine lobster dinner
the way to go tours inc.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE A. SMYCZYNSKI
DAY TRIPS Oct. 29 - New National Comedy Center Jamestown, NY Dec. 2 - All Is Calm, All Is Bright Buffalo Choral Arts Soc. St. Joseph’s Cathedral Dec. 13 - BPO’s Holiday Pops Feb. 19 - 26th Annual Best of Buffalo
MULTI-DAY TOURS Dec. 5 - 8 - Christmas: Pittsburgh & Amtrak to Washington DC Feb. 1-9 - Rhapsody of the Seas Western Caribbean from Tampa March 9-10 - Philadelphia Flower “Flower Power” (happens to be 50th Anniversary of Woodstock) May 20-24 - Outer Banks July 6-13 - Royal Princess Alaska Cruise “Voyage of the Glaciers” Aug. 3 - 13 - 2020 Splendors of Eastern Europe incl. Oberammergau’s Passion Play Aug. 11 - 19 - Colorado Rails & Parks
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Ogunquit's Nubble Lighthouse
O
gunquit, Maine, known as “The Beautiful Place by the Sea,” is a great place for a getaway. The first time my husband and I went to Ogunquit on the southern coast of Maine was pre-kids, almost thirty years ago. We recently made a long-overdue return this past summer with our two youngest children, ages sixteen and twenty-two. I imagine that fall would also be a nice time to visit, as hotel rates are lower, and the area is less crowded. While there are some seasonal attractions and restaurants open only through October, many places are open year-round. And if you can’t visit now, this is the perfect time to start planning for next summer! On our first trip years ago, we took a leisurely two days to get there, staying overnight in Vermont. For this trip, we had a limited number of vacation days, so we drove it in one day; it’s a little over 500 miles, or ten hours with a stop for lunch and a couple bathroom breaks. We stayed in the same hotel, Anchorage by the Sea. Besides having a beautiful view, the resort overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and Ogunquit Beach and is within walking distance to most attractions, the beach, shops, and restaurants. Amenities include indoor and outdoor pools, a restaurant, and a huge lawn overlooking the ocean, with plenty of lounge chairs for relaxing. Since it was overcast the morning of our first full day in town, we decided to check out the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, just a short drive from our hotel. Ogunquit has long been known as an artists’ colony, and this museum, which opened in 1953, is the only museum in Maine devoted to American art. For a small museum
www.foreveryoungwny.com | October 2018
it has an impressive collection of permanent and changing exhibits, including a three-acre oceanside outdoor sculpture garden. The sun was shining after we left the museum, so we drove to nearby Cape Neddick to see the Nubble Lighthouse, one of the most photographed and painted lighthouses in the world. Anyone who knows me knows that I have an obsession with lighthouses, so this was a must-see on our trip! We brought along copies of photos we had taken by the lighthouse and other Ogunquit locations back in 1989 and recreated some of them on this trip. Dinner was at the Ogunquit Lobster Pound, a mainstay here since 1931. Open seasonally April through October, one of the unique experiences at this restaurant is selecting your live lobster from the tank to be cooked fresh, then cut and cracked for easy eating. I hear it also has good desserts, but we were so full after dinner that we didn’t have room to indulge.
The next day, we walked along the renowned Marginal Way, a one-mile long scenic walkway along the ocean, which goes from Shore Road near the hotel to Perkins Cove, an area with numerous shops and restaurants. We spent some time browsing through the shops, which have everything from t-shirts to fine art and jewelry, before embarking on a boat tour to the Nubble Lighthouse with Finestkind Scenic Cruises. To say I took a lot of photos of the lighthouse would be an understatement. Our third day in Ogunquit was a beach day, and we got up very early to watch the sunrise over the ocean before breakfasting at the Wild Blueberry Café, which specializes in blueberry pancakes. When we arrived at the beach it was high tide, so the beach area was relatively small, but it got bigger as the day went on. The kids managed to collect quite a few seashells as the tide went out. My son was intrigued by the pizza delivery guy we saw riding around town on a moped. When he found out that they delivered to the beach, he told me that’s what we should have for lunch. I have to admit it was fun having a pizza delivered to us at the beach! Later in the day we enjoyed a Maine shore dinner (steamed clams, boiled lobster, corn on the cob) at the Beach Lobster House. The most delicious blueberry pie was included with the dinner. Our last full day in town turned out to be a rainy day, but that was OK, as we planned to check out all the shops in town, and probably spent more than we should. Many of the shops feature artwork and other items made by local artists. We really enjoyed our visit to the Beautiful Place by the Sea. Hopefully we won’t wait another twenty-nine years to return! FY For more information: Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce, 207-646-2939, www.visitogunquit. org or https://www.ogunquit.org/ Christine A. Smyczynski is a freelance writer and blogger and author of Western New York Explorer’s Guide.