Each of the coastal towns that make up this part of the state has one or more beautiful sandy beaches as well as something unique to offer visitors. Kittery, on Maine's southernmost border, is the state's oldest town and is best known for its shipbuilding (the Portsmouth Navy Yard is actually in Kittery) and its outlet shopping.

The Yorks include York Village, York Beach, York Harbor, and Cape Neddick. The Old York Historical Society offers tours of six historic buildings showing three centuries of life in a coastal Maine Village, and also has a museum shop selling reproduction items relating to life in historic York, and a library with an extensive collection of genealogical information.

Maine's southernmost lighthouse, Cape Neddick Light, also known as Nubble Light, is located on a small island just off York's shore and is one of the most picturesque lighthouses in Maine. York Beach is popular with tourists and is home to York's Wild Kingdom, an amusement park with a zoo.

Just north of The Yorks is Ogunquit, best known for charming Perkins Cove, a tiny turn-of-the-century fishing village, and the Marginal Way, a scenic, mile-long footpath lined with sea roses that hugs the shore past granite cliffs overlooking crashing surf. The town is also well known for its artistic community, with galleries, private studios and summer theatre. Ogunquit Beach is a three-mile-long stretch of white sand that is extremely popular with tourists.

Wells has its own miles of white sandy beach, and is home to the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge, a popular spot for birding enthusiasts, and the Wells National Estuarine Reserve, a wildlife preserve with seven miles of hiking trails through salt marshes, woods, and coastal dunes.

The Kennebunks consist of Kennebunkport, the summer home of George and Barbara Bush, and Kennebunk. The Kennebunks offer a combination of fine sandy beaches and rocky coast. Dock Square in Kennebunkport teems with boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants on the Kennebunk River. Ocean Avenue provides a scenic drive from Dock Square, past the Bush compound at Walkers Point and other impressive shorefront homes. The Seashore Trolley Museum, a popular tourist attraction in Kennebunkport, contains nearly 200 trolleys and railroad cars. The town of Kennebunk is known for its three fine beaches, stately homes, and the Brick Store Museum, a center of regional arts and history.

Biddeford and Saco, on opposite sides of the Saco River, are mill towns with attractive 19th-century homes. Biddeford Pool is home to the Maine Audubon Society's East Point Sanctuary, a dramatic oceanfront bird sanctuary with a rocky shoreline and distant views of Wood Island Light and Old Orchard Beach. Ferry Beach State Park is a small park in Saco with nature trails and a nice sandy beach.

Old Orchard Beach is Maine's most popular summer destination. Its four-mile-long beach slopes gently to the sea, warming the water to a comfortable swimming temperature. An old 500-foot pier is crowded with food vendors, arcades, and games, and the Palace Playland amusement park is located on the beach right next to the pier. This area of Old Orchard Beach is the scene of numerous summer concerts, festivals, and other summer events.

Scarborough Marsh in Scarborough is Maine's largest salt marsh, and can be explored by canoes rented at the Nature Center. Prouts Neck Wildlife Preserve and Bird Sanctuary, and the tiny beach at Scarborough Beach State Park are the other main attractions of this town.

Finally, just south of Portland is the upscale community of Cape Elizabeth, home to Two Lights State Park, Portland Head Light, Crescent Beach State Park, and Fort Williams Park, which offers picnic facilities, hiking, sports and recreation areas, an historic fort, and ocean views.

That brings us back to Portland.

The following collections of Net Links for these coastal towns include links to dining, lodging, attractions, events, and other information.

York
Ogunquit
Wells
The Kennebunks

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