Maine Travels: Old Orchard Beach

Kids on Main Street at OOB!

The first full day that we were in Maine, we went to Old Orchard Beach.  This town has some family significance in that my grandmother's family used to own the Staples Inn, which is currently a bed and breakfast at the top of a hill that looks down on OOB.  Growing up in Maine, my husband and I used to go to OOB every summer so, we wanted the kids to have the experience.

OOB has changed a lot since we left Maine 20 years ago.  There are a lot more condos and the town itself has built up.  There are still shops selling beach ware on the main drag, but the pier and entrance to the beach have changed.  There's now a water fountain, places to sit and a larger police presence than I remember.  The water was still cold,and there was still a prevalence of French speaking people in the area.  My French is very rusty, but its hard to miss the old man in the Speedo commenting on how warm the water is in Maine opposed to Quebec.

Elijah's face sums up my opinion on the improved Pier.

Change is not always a good thing.  One of the main reasons to go to OOB was to walk on the Pier and see the view.  My grandmother use to tell us about the night club and shops that were on the Pier when she was growing up, but she always described the view. The Pier used to be a happening place and I think that's what all the improvements were supposed to be about, but they missed.  There are several restaurants on the Pier and a Bar at the end that advertises live entertainment.  The Pier is so littered with restaurants and nick knack shops that you can no longer see the Atlantic Ocean.  Hello, main draw to walking on a Pier is to see the beach and the ocean.  Now you have to sneak into some outside seating or pay 10.00 for a beer to see any type of view.  All of us were very underwhelmed.

Colin enjoying pier fries and vinegar

To be honest, the only reason to go to OOB is to eat pizza, pier fries and fried dough.  At least that's what we told the kids.  The objective was to make sure that my husband didn't leave OOB feeling like the Goodyear Blimp, but still enjoyed OOB classic food from our childhood. When your 40 you can't eat like your 16 any more, but with the smell of ocean air and grease, your mind will tell you that you can!  Some of the kids were brave enough to try fries the French way (meaning doused in vinegar).  After two boxes of fries were finished we took the kids to the beach to play in the water (really we took them to the beach to make room for fried dough, but they bought the swimming idea).

Someone got thrown in!

I have birthed Southern children.  They are accustomed to the Atlantic of the Panhandle that runs about 70 to 75 degrees. We did warn them that the water would be a lot colder than what they were used to, but some of them jumped right in anyway.  There were quite a few people with wet suits on, but there were just as many with little to nothing on.  Josie put her toes in and decided it was too cold, but before she could make it back up to the blanket, her older brother threw her in. The boys played on boogie boards and now that their older, we didn't have to pull anyone out when their lips got blue.  People at OOB are a lot less concerned with what swimming attire that they wear than the beaches we normally frequent.  Even my younger boys commented on how many moms with stretch marks, guts, and tattoos were wearing bikinis.  My youngest even told be I looked pretty good and my daughter thanked me for modesty at my age (read I was wearing boy shorts and a very sportive bikini bra top and nothing was hanging out or falling out).  We didn't stay on the beach but for an hour.  It was crowded and the kids thought the water was a little cold for an all day affair.  There is an outdoor shower to wash away the beach and free clean bathrooms in the amusement park.

The reason I have fond memories of OOB is fried dough, dipped in vanilla soft serve ice cream.  Can't leave OOB without some.  Elijah also has a fondness for this dessert and the two of us usually eat our weight in the stuff when we can find it.  To my Southern friends there is a difference between New England fried dough and funnel cake.  Both are worth breaking the diet for!  We like to eat our fried dough loaded with cinnamon, sugar and powered sugar.  It's messy and sticky and there is no point in cleaning up until your done!  Your going to make a mess, but it is a yummy mess.  The dough is sweet and hot and dipping it the soft serve ice cream makes sure you don't burn your mouth (because some of us can't wait until its cool enough to eat).  With bellies full we headed to the car for our next adventure..... Portland Headlight!