Old Orchard Beach, ME

Directions: Click here for Google map

If you like taking long walks on the beach with your dog, but without the crowds, then Old Orchard Beach in the off season is a great place to visit.

We recently spent a weekend at Old Orchard Beach and enjoyed the warmth of early spring while the area was still very quiet.

The sandy beach is approximately 7 miles long, dog friendly in the off season, and we found a dog-friendly ocean front motel. Cooper was very happy to have his very own "people-sized" bed in our room!

Here are the positive features:

• Beautiful beach for miles of walking/running with your furry friend
• Dog friendly lodging abounds (search Google or see below for where we stayed)
• Lodging was inexpensive
• No crowds while we were there in March
• Some shops & restaurants are open year-round (see below for the places we visited)
  
• A fun spontaneous get-away: we reserved our hotel room just hours before we checked in
  

Negative features:

• Dog friendly lodging is not very high class - but it's better than nothing!
• There are no private areas for your dog to go potty, so bring a few bags to pick it up
  
• During the day in peak season, dogs are not allowed on the beach

Where we stayed, ate, and shopped:

• Sandpiper Beachfront Motel, right on the ocean: www.sandpiperbeachfrontmotel.com
• Board Silly, a fun game store for adults & kids: www.boardsillyonline.com
  
• Michele's Garden Cafe, serving a good breakfast: click here for more info
  
• Run of the Mill Public House and Brewery, serving great dinners: click here for more info

All in all, we had a great time at Old Orchard Beach in March. The blanket of stars in the evening, beautiful ocean sunrise in the morning, and mild weather during the day were perfect - and we had it mostly to ourselves!