Things to do in Ogunquit Maine in a Day

Hi friends, welcome back! You might’ve noticed I’ve been a little MIA lately. Like many of you, my summer has been consumed with travel. Unfortunately, that means I haven’t had as much time to craft blog posts as I would like. It also means my credit card bills are abnormally high! As many of you can attest to, traveling is fun, but it does not come cheap. What better way to document my adventures than by discussing them in the context of this finance blog?

My latest adventure was a day trip to Ogunquit, Maine and planned entirely by my amazing fiancé. For those of you who have never been, the area gives off all the quintessential New England vibes! In this post, I’ll share with you how we spent our day in Ogunquit and the total cost of the trip.

Traveling to Ogunquit, ME

Ogunquit is a super easy day trip for anyone like myself who lives in Massachusetts northshore area. By way of car, it takes about 1 hour 15 minutes from where I live. However, if you live further away, it might be worthwhile to stay overnight. Because it’s a somewhat small destination, I wouldn’t recommend staying any longer than a week.

The biggest hurdle to visiting Ogunquit, in my opinion, is the parking situation. During the summer, parking is very limited and if you are lucky enough to snag a spot in a public lot, it’s usually only 2 or 3 hour parking. Alternative parking options include valeting your vehicle if you eat at a local restaurant or paying for all-day parking at one of the available lots.

We spent an estimated $13 on gas and $25 on parking, bringing our total travel costs for the day to $38.

Explore the Shops in Perkins Cove

Once we found parking, we wasted no time getting started with our first activity of the day: exploring local boutique shops. We visited a candy store, a coffee shop, an art gallery, an olive oil store (I know it sounds weird, but you get all sorts of free samples so totally worth it), and a pottery studio.

Our total spend from shopping was as follows:

Food and drink – $16

Gifts – $64

Home furnishings and kitchenware – $7

If you add all that up, the total cost of our shopping adventure was approximately $87. Not too bad, right?

Marginal Way Walk

With our pockets a little lighter than when we first arrived, we sought one of the most popular and FREE attractions Ogunquit has to offer: The Marginal Way. The Marginal Way is a paved 1.25 miles long ocean-side cliff walk that connects from Shore Road to Perkins Cove (visitmaine.com).

As you can tell from the pictures, the views from all angles are breathtaking! And I don’t just say that because I’m in the above photo. 😉

Ogunquit’s Beaches

Ogunquit has built a reputation as a beach town, so for all you beach lovers out there, definitely make sure to check out Ogunquit! In fact, according to Ogunquit.org, Ogunquit Beach has been named as one of the top 25 beaches in the U.S. for the past 3 years by TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice.

Even though you have to pay for parking, a beach day offers a budget-friendly vacation option. And if you don’t want to deal with parking, take advantage of Ogunquit’s bus and shuttle options.

One perhaps unique feature about Ogunquit’s main beach is the river that flows through and empties directly into the ocean. So, if you’re looking for the lazy river experience, look no further! Simply remember to pack a tube.

Want to learn more about the lazy river at Ogunquit Beach, check out this article from In Your State; Ogunquit is #3 on the list.

Dining Options in Ogunquit

Unfortunately, we were a bit rushed when it came to lunch. That said, I can’t honestly say we explored all our options. We stopped at one of the first places we found, called The Maine Catch.

Although there was no ocean view, we soon discovered, to our delight, that the food was delicious. My fiancé ordered a lobster roll and I went with a fried chicken sandwich. The total cost for lunch came out to $84.

Other options that might be worth checking out would be Barnacle Billy’s or Oarweed because of parking availability. Or, go by TripAdvisor’s top 3 picks: Blue Bistro, Cove Cafe, and That Place.

Sunset Sailboat Cruise

One of the highlights of the trip was the sunset sailboat cruise. Although, I can’t say whether it truly qualified as a sunset cruise. Clouds were out in abundance. And we even had the joys of getting rained on while out at sea.

Nevertheless, our captain handled the boat like a pro and we had an amazing time! If you’re interested in doing the same sailboat cruise we did, check out thefinestkindcruises.com.

We even got to see some of Maine’s wildlife up close!

The sailboat cruise was exceedingly affordable at a cost of $42 per person. We also gave a well-deserved $20 tip, which brings our total cost for the sailboat cruise to $104.

Total Cost for a Day in Ogunquit

Between travel and parking costs, our shopping excursion, lunch, and the sailboat cruise, the total cost for our day trip to Ogunquit amounted to $313. In my opinion, it was totally worth it! We had so much fun exploring Ogunquit and we were already planning a second trip back before we left.

Curious to know what else your money can buy you? Check out my latest stock pick vs. discretionary purchases to weigh in on which you believe is the better deal.