Wells
Wells has seven miles of beach, which is more continuous sand than any of its better-known neighbors, and a stretch of Route 1 lined with seafood restaurants that have been in the same families for decades. It is less polished than Ogunquit next door and considerably cheaper,…
The town is really three beach communities (Wells Beach, Drakes Island and Moody) separated by tidal rivers and marsh, plus the working strip inland along Route 1.
What Wells is known for
Beaches and fried seafood. Wells Beach is the main strand with the jetty at its southern end; Drakes Island is quieter and residential; Moody sits at the Ogunquit line and is the smallest of the three. All have paid parking in season and all fill by mid-morning in July.
The other side of Wells is conservation. The Wells Reserve at Laudholm protects a large stretch of estuary, salt marsh and upland around a nineteenth-century saltwater farm, with seven miles of trails and a beach at the end of one of them. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge has a short interpretive loop nearby. Together they make this the best birding on the southern coast.
Where to eat
This is the town's real distinction. Congdon's Doughnuts (4.8 across 4,066 Google reviews) has been on Route 1 since the 1950s. Mike's Clam Shack (4.4 from 3,075 reviews), Billy's Chowder House (4.4 from 2,967 reviews) out on the marsh, and Fisherman's Catch (4.6 from 1,825 reviews) are the fried-seafood institutions. The Steakhouse (4.5 from 2,249 reviews) is the alternative when you have had enough clams.
Getting here and when to go
Wells has one of the few Amtrak Downeaster stops on the coast, which makes it unusually easy to reach without a car from Boston or Portland. By road it is directly off I-95 exit 19.
July and August are the season and the beaches are genuinely busy. June and September give you the same coast with parking. Most beach businesses close from late October, though the Route 1 restaurants keep longer hours than you would expect.
Common questions
Are the beaches in Wells public?
Most of them. Wells Beach, Drakes Island and Crescent Beach all have public parking and lifeguards in season. Moody Beach is the exception: a court ruling left the beachfront owners holding title to the dry sand, so the public may walk the wet sand below the high-tide line but not settle in above it. Signs mark where that line falls.
What is the Wells Reserve at Laudholm?
A protected estuary and research reserve built around an old saltwater farm. Trails run from the farm buildings out through fields and woods to the salt marsh and down to the beach, and the visitor center explains what you are looking at. It is the best walking in town and stays remarkably quiet even in high summer.
Is Wells quieter than Ogunquit?
Wells is the spread-out one. It runs for miles along Route 1 and the shore road, built around cottage rentals, family motels and long beaches, and you drive between things. Ogunquit is compact and walkable, with a denser restaurant and gallery scene and more life after dark. Families lean toward Wells; couples on a short trip usually prefer Ogunquit.
Is Wells the antiques capital of Maine?
That is the town's own claim, and it rests on the run of antique shops and multi-dealer barns strung along Route 1 through Wells. Stock tends toward New England furniture, paper ephemera and nautical pieces, with quality varying widely from one barn to the next. It is a browsing errand rather than a destination, and it saves a rainy beach day.
