We spent a four-day weekend in August at the Old Orchard Beach Campground in Maine, sitting on the town line between Saco and Old Orchard Beach. In April when we were at a camper show purchasing our RV, we picked up flyers from different vendors in attendance – one of them being this campground. This campground seemed inviting and caught our attention. It looked family-friendly, close to Old Orchard Beach, and reasonably priced.
We like to pick campgrounds that aren’t just big fields chuck full with as many campers as can possibly fit. So when we looked through this flyer, we opted for a section of the campground called “Black Forest.”
The other sections were either residential or more crowded. This section is known as the most wooded section of the campground. While it is no Vermont State Park as far as woods go, it definitely is more wooded than the other sections.
One thing we did not experience on this trip was sunny, warm weather and blue skies. The wildfires in Canada caused the haze you see in the below photos. While they did make for pretty pictures, it isn’t an ideal thing you want to see. We would have preferred some sunnier weather for the beach, but we were still on vacation in Maine and it wasn’t raining!
This campground had plenty of items to keep us and the kids entertained. Two playgrounds, multiple swimming pools, a basketball court, a wiffle ball field, cornhole boards, dog parks, and a pickleball court. Not all of us had played pickleball before, but now we are all hooked. We played at least 6 games, worked up a sweat, and laughed along the way. We went online and ordered our own set of paddles while we were still at the campground so we could play anywhere! Here are the ones we bought:
Many of the campgrounds we’ve looked at staying at down south have pickleball courts so we will surely get a lot of use out of them. We need to study the rules as there was some debate!
Our actual site was overlooking the playground in the Black Forest section, which was a very popular spot for the camping kiddos. Jesse had no problem backing into the site, which was wide enough for our camper, slide, and awning, with room to spare.
The complaint we had: the firepit placement. If you recall our post from the Twin Mountain/Mt. Washington KOA, the firepit was right up next to the road so there was constant foot and bike traffic while we sat by our fire each night. This site was a similar situation. If you look at the picture of our site above, you can see between the two pine trees the black fire pit. It was far away from the “outside living area” of our camper right up by the road. And as you can see, it was very close to the neighbor’s pickup.
If that’s all we had to complain about – we’re doing good. We still got to enjoy the fire. We just would have preferred the fire pit to be closer to the camper so we could play games at the picnic table under the awning light and still be by the fire. Not all of the sites were set up this way, but ours (Site 451) was. Next time we will book a pull-through site closer to the pool. Our kids are grown enough to not want to play at the playground, so no real need for us to be at the site we were at.
When looking at our campground on Google Maps, we found there was a mini-golf place only a few minutes away. We had been planning on returning to Pirate’s Cove, however found this place and decided to give it a try. Check out our short video of Schooner’s Mini Golf in Saco, ME:
Also nearby was Old Orchard Beach – hence the name of the campground. OOB is known for the small tourist shops, fresh seafood restaurants overlooking the ocean, as well as the waves that crash and are great for boogie boarding. There is something for everyone here. When we were there for the 4th of July it was much busier. (The trolley driver said it was the most people they’d seen there since before COVID!) We were pleased this time was much less congested. Still full of vacationers having fun, but you could sit on the beach and walk around without bumping into people.
After many requests from the kids, we decided to hit Palace Playland again. Read our review from when we were there on the 4th of July. This is an amusement park for all ages that overlooks the ocean. While you can buy tokens for individual rides, we let the kids each get an unlimited pass and let them ride til their hearts were content. We have just as much fun watching them do their favorite rides again and again.
Jesse and I did pay for one ride to do – and that was the Ferris wheel. And look at the view!
You may have seen the pier before, but have you seen it from above? Ride the Ferris wheel if nothing else! The smog and cool breeze didn’t allow for anyone to stay in the water for long, but the rides more than made up for that!
The one other thing we had to make sure we did while in Maine was have seafood. We returned to a favorite place of ours, Sea Salt Lobster.
Why we ever order anything but steamers is beyond me! We always order them and wish we had more. They were delicious! We had a bit of a long wait, but it was a Saturday evening and the food was delicious. If you’re ever in the area – definitely check this place out.
While there are many options to choose from in the Old Orchard area, we do recommend the Old Orchard Beach Campground. It is more spread out than some of the alternatives. It has amenities for the kids and adults alike. And it is close to everything. Even the wildlife…
Check out these great deals from Amazon! (As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you!)
Alpha Grillers Meat Thermometer Digital - Instant Read Food Thermometer for Cooking Grilling Air Fryer Griddle Probe Kitchen Gadgets Essentials BBQ Accessories Grill Gifts for Men Him Dad Fathers Day
$14.97 (as of March 14, 2025 12:22 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Abardsion Women's Casual Basic Going Out Crop Tops Slim Fit Short Sleeve Crew Neck Tight T Shirts
$9.97 (as of March 14, 2025 12:22 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The chipmunk is so cute🥰
The view from the Ferris wheel looks amazing!
I had fun there with you guys!
Next time, we should bring Grandmie and Grandpa! 😉