Location: Ogunquit
Top Things to do in Ogunquit
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What to do and see in Ogunquit, Maine (ME): The Best Museums
The motto of the resort town of Ogunquit, Maine, is "beautiful place by the sea," and with three and a half miles of sheltered white sand beaches, the residents are definitely not lying. Take a walk along the Marginal Way, a path that winds along rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean, or explore the town center on the local public transit - an old fashioned trolley. With art galleries, fresh seafood, and the summer stock Ogunquit Playhouse, the town of Ogunquit is a favorite vacation destination.
Restaurants in Ogunquit
1. Ogunquit Museum of American Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 466 reviews
Open Daily: May 1- Oct. 31, 10 am-5 pm Ogunquit Museum of American Art is closely tied to one of the earliest art colonies of the American modernist era. The museum honors founder Henry Strater’s vision to preserve and showcase American art by mounting innovative modern and contemporary exhibition programs. OMAA's permanent collection of over 2,000 works of American art, includes works by internationally known artists; Robert Henri, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Rockwell Kent, Jacob Lawerence, Peggy Bacon and Mark Tobey. The museum includes 3-acre sculpture garden overlooking Narrow Cove and the Atlantic Ocean. OMAA is the only museum in Maine dedicated exclusively to American modern art. General Admission: $10 Students/Seniors: $9/Children 12 and under: FREE Members: FREE
Reviewed By teampamandpaul - Newton, United States
We enjoy visiting the Museum of American Art every year while we are staying in Ogunquit. The permanent collection of 20th century art is worth seeing, and their are exhibitions are always fascinating. The museum includes sculptures in a garden-like outdoor setting located on a rocky promontory overlooking the ocean, a small cove, and Perkins Cove nearby.
2. Abacus
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 244 reviews
Reviewed By Mme_X - Wisconsin, United States
Lots of nice handcrafted items - carved wood jewelry boxes and cribbage boards, jewelry, tabletop items, art, lamps, greeting cards & calendars, etc. Good range of prices. Friendly, helpful service.
3. Panache Fine Jewelry and Art Gallery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 65 reviews
Celebrating 29 years! MAY HOURS; MON,WED-SAT 10-5, SUN 10-4, closed Tuesdays. Private complimentary parking on-site. 4 minute walk from Ogt.center. Paintings,Jewelry, Sculpture,Art furniture, and more! Social distancing and Covid protocols are easy in our freestanding spacious contemporary gallery.Our on-site complimentary parking area is exclusive for our clients while shopping inside the gallery.We offer a relaxed shopping experience. Watch our latest video on our google page. Largest selection of handcrafted in USA, unique jewelry. 14k, 18k white, yellow and Rose gold. Fashion forward 925 sterling jewelry. Imaginative oversized wall art, art glass, lighting, sculpture, tables, pedestals and mirrors. Custom sizes, colors, a specialty. We’ll have one of our talented American artists create pieces for you!! Shipping, or white glove delivery available.Located 1 hour from Boston. Open year round. ALWAYS NEW. ALWAYS DIFFERENT! JEWELRY.ART.HOME.
Reviewed By bhsc
Panache is at the top of my list whenever I visit Ogunquit, ME. The gallery not only has beautiful items, but they are artfully displayed. On my recent visit, I saw two items that I fell in love with, but was only purchasing one. Doreen cleared off an area and set the two pieces side by side so I could focus on each one. The service at the gallery is amazing and I left with an incredible vase. Already looking forward to my next visit next year!
4. Ogunquit Heritage Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
The Ogunquit Heritage Museum is an institution that collects, preserves and exhibits items and documents related to Ogunquit’s heritage.
Reviewed By Maurene_K - Dover, United States
In Ogunquit, I went to the Ogunquit Heritage Museum. It was a quaint home in a scenic setting. As I headed in, a man and a woman came walking up the street and came into the museum about a minute behind me. The three of us got a brief guided tour of the three rooms of the house with exhibits. Admission was free; however, there is a donation box. We learned that the museum was home is the Captain James Winn House, an 18th century Cape built circa 1780. The house was about 200 years older than Ogunquit’s existence as a town separate from Wells officially in its fiscal year in 1980. Most of the home’s original flooring, paneling, and hardware are intact. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The home's construction was very similar to that of my Aunt Anne's Cape-style house in West Bridgewater, MA which was built in 1695. As expected, the museum had exhibits and objects that related Ogunquit’s history as a seafaring community of fishermen and lobstermen as well as artwork that related to its past as an enclave for artists and other elements of Ogunquit’s cultural history. Furnishings in the keeping room depicted how people lived in the past. There were pieces of nostalgia on display. One was the sign from The Whistling Oyster, once a tearoom and then a restaurant. One room had a special exhibit of photos with brief biographies of famous people who had Maine roots or ties to Maine. One surprise for me was Rudy Vallée, who was born in Island Pond, VT but grew up in grew up in Westbrook, ME. The three Wyeths were represented for their time spent painting in Maine. And, of course, film and TV star Patrick Dempsey, a Lewiston native, was acknowledged. I also recognized photos of well-known Maine politicians U.S. Representative and later U.S Senator Margaret Chase Smith and U.S. Senator Edward Muskie, who was U.S. Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter. As expected, I found the photos and bio of author Sarah Orne Jewett of South Berwick and artist Winslow Homer, who settled in Prouts Neck. In the addition to the house, there was a small reference library and a two exhibits that I liked in the addition built by the museum. One exhibit was on a mantel and had large illuminated port and starboard lanterns. The other was a diorama in the corner of the room that kind of summed up Ogunquit’s past. I rate the Ogunquit Heritage Museum at 4.50 and can recommend a visit. If you found this review helpful, please click THANK below.
5. Don Gorvett Piscataqua Fine Arts Studio & Gallery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
Don Gorvett produces his memorable woodcut prints in his Studio and Gallery in downtown Portsmouth, NH. He is a graduate of the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and a past board member of the Boston Printmakers. Work can also be found at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA., Boston Athenaeum, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH., Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockport, ME., Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA., Museum of Fine Art, Boston, MA., Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA., Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA. Ogunquit Museum of American Art as well as other public and private collection. Artist Statement "These woodcuts express the abstract geometric shapes and distant configurations of our architecture in the Northeast. Upon the sea waters of estuaries and harbors, mirror the play of interweaving lights and darks of buildings and piers crowned by steeples and mast tops. I am fascinated by the ghostly quality of these buildings looming out of the mists, endowed with strength and endurance. For me, historic architecture represents a bridge between one life-span into another. Abandoned not by time, but by those who built them, our structures remain and continue to wage war with nature’s elements."
6. Sea Bell Gallery
7. The Green Heron Fine Art Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Voyager239725
Five of us descended on the Green Heron and found a beautiful selection of works by local artists, just right for mementoes and holiday presents. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to see next year's array. The Green Heron will be our first stop.
