The Palace Playland, a vintage beachfront amusement park, is the fitting symbol of Old Orchard Beach – tacky and fun in equal measure. Its arcade games, carousel, Ferris wheel, children's rides, fried clam stands and souvenir shops have been a source of summer fun for more than 60 years. Side note: thanks to Quebecois tourists, this may be the only beach fun park in the USA where, on any given summer day, more visitors speak French than English.
Palace Playland
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
11.09 MILES
Founded in 1882, this well-respected museum houses an outstanding collection of American artists. Maine artists, including Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper,…
10.98 MILES
Four miles southeast of Portland on Cape Elizabeth, 90-acre Fort Williams Park is worth visiting simply for the panoramas and picnic possibilities. Stroll…
10.99 MILES
Fort Williams Park, on Cape Elizabeth, has rolling lawns dotted with bunkers and gun emplacements. Within the park stands the beloved, and much…
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28.5 MILES
Not quite a zoo but a great place to view native Maine wildlife, this park is a bucolic reserve with picnic tables, short walking trails and animal…
11.94 MILES
Portland is graced by a handful of handsome lights, including the 1875 Portland Breakwater Light with its Corinthian columns. Dubbed the 'Bug Light'…
11.33 MILES
The revered American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) grew up in this Federal-style house, built in 1785 by his Revolutionary War–hero…
12.14 MILES
Built in 1807 atop Munjoy Hill, this seven-story brick tower was originally used to alert shipowners when their ships were heading for home. Now restored,…
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29.21 MILES
York, called Agamenticus by its original Native American inhabitants, was settled by the British in 1624 and granted a charter by King Charles I in 1642…
Nearby attractions
2.57 MILES
A pretty stretch of beach, inland walking areas, a small nature center, picnic spots and a rare (for this far north) grove of tupelo trees can all be…
2. Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center
3.56 MILES
Maine's largest salt marsh huddles under the wind about 5 miles northeast of Old Orchard and Biddeford. The Audubon Society and the state Department of…
5 MILES
Biddeford Pool refers to many things: a large tidal pool, a small, well-kept town that surrounds said pool, and a quiet beach cove that feels a world away…
9.37 MILES
If you're, like, really into specific genres of urban mass transit, you're in for a treat here: on the outskirts of town, this family friendly museum has…
10.3 MILES
This home preserves the Colonial residence of George Tate, Maine's last British 'mast agent' (mast agents procured New England white pine trees as…
6. International Museum of Cryptozoology
10.31 MILES
Bigfoot, yetis, specter moose and other cryptids share the spotlight at this one-of-a-kind museum. Cryptids are animals thought by mainstream science to,…
10.98 MILES
Four miles southeast of Portland on Cape Elizabeth, 90-acre Fort Williams Park is worth visiting simply for the panoramas and picnic possibilities. Stroll…
10.99 MILES
Fort Williams Park, on Cape Elizabeth, has rolling lawns dotted with bunkers and gun emplacements. Within the park stands the beloved, and much…