Last Updated: May 2026
This was our last campground in Maine before turning north toward New Hampshire and Vermont for the fall foliage. We had two things on the agenda: a visit to the Apple Store in Portland (our iMac’s video card had failed, followed immediately by the hard drive — a clear sign it was time for retirement), and a few days exploring the southern Maine coast. Apple takes the recycling seriously: they ship the old hardware back to California where it gets broken down into components for new products. A dignified end for a machine that had served us well on the road. With that errand sorted, we had the coastline to ourselves as the season wound down.
Paradise Park Resort Campground
Paradise Park Resort Campground is located in Old Orchard Beach, close to Portland. We arrived at the tail end of the season — their big end-of-summer weekend had just wrapped up, and 70 RVs pulled out the morning we settled in. The campground went from packed to nearly empty overnight, which suited us perfectly. Hurricane Jose was bringing rain, so the quiet suited our pace.
We pulled into a site facing a lake with a fountain — a pleasant view to wake up to. 50-amp service and 50 psi water pressure. Since we pulled in rather than backed in, the sewer connection ended up on the wrong side of the coach, but there was a dump station on-site that handled it without drama. Two pools and spas on the property, but both were closed for the season. Late September in Maine has that feeling of things quietly shutting down for winter, and Paradise Park had it in spades — in a peaceful way, not a melancholy one.
The grounds had the quiet, slightly wild feeling of a campground past its peak — mushrooms pushing up through the leaf litter, fallen apples scattered under the trees. We genuinely enjoyed it.
Old Orchard Beach
Old Orchard Beach has history that predates the amusement park by two centuries. Thomas Rogers settled the area in 1657, and the town takes its name from Rogers’ old abandoned apple orchard. By the 1800s it had become a popular tourist destination, and the amusement park dates to 1902. The Pier was first built in 1898, and the Casino at its end once hosted the kind of entertainment lineup you’d expect only in a major city — Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and Guy Lombardo all performed there. Today the streets are lined with fast food and novelty shops, which has its own kind of cheerful, unpretentious beach-town charm.
Being here at the very end of the season meant virtually everything was closed — the rides, most of the shops, the restaurants. But the beach was wide open, and it stretches for miles. Jake was in his element. The scale of the beach is genuinely impressive: long, flat, and sandy in a way that contrasts sharply with the rocky Maine shoreline we’d been exploring for weeks.
Kennebunkport, Maine
Kennebunkport is about 30 minutes from Portland by car. It has a long shipbuilding and fishing history, but today it is best known as an upscale coastal resort town — and it earns that reputation without apology. The downtown area is genuinely attractive: compact, walkable, and well-stocked with souvenir shops, art galleries, bed and breakfasts, bars, and restaurants. Beyond the downtown, the surrounding neighborhoods reveal a different character — restored sea captains’ mansions, yacht clubs, manicured golf courses, and quiet streets lined with old trees turning to fall color. It is easy to see why it draws summer visitors year after year.
St. Ann’s Church
The standout of the Kennebunkport visit was St. Ann’s Church, an Episcopal church built in 1887 on a rocky point right at the water’s edge. The setting is extraordinary — the stone church surrounded on three sides by the ocean, with views across the mouth of the Kennebunk River and out to sea. It is genuinely one of the more picturesque church settings we have encountered anywhere in our travels. The architecture is simple and dignified, and the combination of weathered granite, salt air, and open water makes it feel like it belongs to the coastline rather than merely sitting on it.
Sunsets
The sunsets at the end of our Maine stay were spectacular — the kind of big, saturated skies that only seem to happen when you’re standing at the edge of the Atlantic in autumn. We watched them from the campground and from the water’s edge, and they felt like a proper send-off from one of the finest stretches of coastline we had traveled all summer.
Visitor Information
Old Orchard Beach is a seasonal destination — the amusement park, most restaurants, and many shops operate Memorial Day through Labor Day. Arriving in late September, as we did, means a quieter experience with limited services but a practically empty beach. If the full carnival atmosphere is what you’re after, aim for July or August.
Kennebunkport is accessible year-round, though it too is quieter in the shoulder season. St. Ann’s Church grounds are open to visitors; check seasonal service times if you’d like to attend a service. The church is located at 11 Church Street, Kennebunkport, right on the water at Walker’s Point.
Practical Tips for RV Travelers
Paradise Park Resort Campground in Old Orchard Beach offers 50-amp service and a pleasant setting — particularly at the end of the season when the grounds go quiet. If pulling into your site rather than backing in, confirm the sewer connection side before you level; the pull-through orientation may put the hookup on the wrong side of your rig. A dump station is available on-site. The wooded and water-view sites are reportedly excellent, though those run only 30-amp.
Kennebunkport and Old Orchard Beach are both easily accessed as day trips from the campground. Old Orchard Beach’s main street has limited parking in season; arriving early or late in the day avoids the worst of it. For Kennebunkport, the downtown lot near Dock Square is the practical starting point for exploring on foot.
