History
Old Orchard Beach has an incredible past, dating back to 1653. Its first settler, Thomas Rogers established "Garden by the Sea" in 1657. The "old" apple orchard from which the town got its name Old Orchard Beach, was a landmark to sailors for many years, it was on high land above the long sand beach. The owner of the orchard saw the potential for a summer resort and built the first Old Orchard Beach boarding house.
That was just the beginning. As more people found leisure time, and wanted to escape the rat race pace of big city life, they looked to Maine, and specifically to Old Orchard Beach. Accommodations and attractions of all sorts were built to bring in the tourists. Stores, amusement parks, a racetrack and various other attractions were built to attract the masses, which came to include entertainers like Duke Ellington, Guy Lombardo and public figures like Charles Lindbergh and wealthy families like the Fitzgerald's and the Kennedy's.
The town has preserved some of the town's history, a conscious effort to revitalize the downtown area and its immediate surrounding Historic District buildings such as the Thomas L. Cleaves Home now the Atlantic Birches Inn Bed and Breakfast was built in 1902 by renowned architect John Calvin Stevens. This re-vitalization effort a has resulted in new Victorian lighting, wide, brick, tree-lined sidewalks and an outside dining courtyard complete with fountain in Town Square and a newly renovated Town Hall.
Old Orchard Beach is a community in which residents and tourists alike may take full advantage of a restful day on our seven-mile stretch of wide-open beach. Enjoy any of the 25 rides and arcade games at Palace Playland, our seaside amusement park. Funtown/Splashtown USA is home to one of the largest wooden roller coasters in the country as well as a new ride featuring a 200 feet free fall descent.
If one is looking for the "quieter side" of Old Orchard Beach, try camping, hiking or biking in the nearby Ferry Beach state park in Ocean park, canoeing and bird watching in the saltwater marsh nature center area of Scarborough/Pine Point. There are few experiences that can compare to the peacefulness and privacy of strolling the sands of Old Orchard Beach looking for seashells and then coming back to relax and revitalize yourself at the Atlantic Birches Inn bed and breakfast.
Understand
Make sure that if you need cash, you get it in the town or elsewhere before going out for a night on the pier. The only ATM there has a surcharge of $4.50 and can have quite a line in the evening.