Fish are tourists too!

It's no coincidence that shortly after we open our doors for the season at The Mariner Resort, the striped bass migration makes its way into our local tidal rivers. After all, is there any other reason to be in Ogunquit if The Mariner isn't open? ;).....okay, maybe there's a few.

If you were to ask a local fisherman, "What brings the stripers to Ogunquit this time of year--every year?" They might respond with some fisherman type jargon--such as "The presence of bait fish", or "Rising water temperatures", but we at the Mariner Resort figured out the "real" reason why stripers are here.

After countless hours of research, sleepless nights, and more pie charts than one man handle the-- staff at The Mariner Resort developed the formula to prove once and for all, Why striped bass come to Ogunquit around this very same time each year...... Our great mid-week specials!! Duh!

With such great prices this time of year, not even the stripers can resist a trip to beautiful Ogunquit. So don't let those fisherman fool you. The real reason why the stripers are here is because the Mariner Resort is open for the season, and we offer such irresistible mid-week specials this time of year. Be sure to set the hook on great deal before they are gone!

Why do we celebrate Independence Day with fireworks?

       Every summer we know that we will see the beautiful of fireworks displayed in the dark sky. July 4 or the weekend before, is always the most popular time to witness fireworks. The fireworks represent the 13 gunshots that rang out to celebrate the 13 colonies and their Independence from England. No matter what the holiday or reason behind it, everyone loves to Oooo and Awww at the impressive sites. Make sure you join us at The Mariner Resort next time and view the Fireworks from beautiful Ogunquit, ME.

Lighthouses, A Maine Sight to See

One of Maine most beautiful sights to visit is our lighthouses, and with about 65 lighthouses in the state it’s no wonder why we are known as the lighthouse state. Maine has more lighthouse than any other state except for Michigan and New York, and more costal lighthouse than anywhere else is the U.S. So, while you are staying here with us at The Mainer Resort here are a few lighthouse that I think are a must see during your stay.


One of my personal favorite to visit is Portland Headlight at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. This is the lighthouse where Longfellow wrote his poem ‘The Lighthouse’. Fort Williams Park is a beautiful place to enjoy a nice sunny day outside with the family, as one of Maine’s most popular attractions it’s no doubt that it’s a beautiful place to see. The keeper’ quarter is now a museum, and there is also a gift shop.

Construction began on Portland Headlight in 1787, it stood 72 feet tall and its light first illuminated in January of 1791. The headlight underwent many changes from 1813 to 1882, from being lowered and heightened to new lenses being upgraded, today when you visit the lighthouse, look for the scars left behind from the several changes.

Another popular lighthouse to see is The Nubble Lighthouse in Cape Neddick. This along with Portland Headlight is one of the most photographed lights in Maine. Built in 1879 this lighthouse has a Victorian style keepers’ house with gingerbread trim. The public is not allowed on the property but there are occasional tours by Friends of Nubble Lighthouse, otherwise it is easily viewed from Sohier Park in York Beach, which is about 200 yards away.

My third recommendation for lighthouses to visit is The Boon Island Lighthouse; built in 1811 this lighthouse is on a tiny island which is about 6 miles off the coast of York. Due to its location this lighthouse has taken many beatings from storms and has been rebuilt several times. This is Maine’s tallest lighthouse as it stands at 137 feet. This lighthouse is also not accessible to the public, but it can be seen from Sohier Park, off of Nubble Road, in York Beach, and by a local lighthouse cruise.

With some many lighthouses in Maine to see those were just a few, and all within less than an hour drive, Portland Headlight, is your best choice if you want to get up close and personal, but the other two are also great choice to bring photos back home to show friends and family. Come stay with us at The Mariner Resort and view these wonderful sights!

Harvest Moon

The full moon that is closest to the fall equinox is what is known as the Harvest Moon. The term harvest moon steams from the days before electric lights, and when the farmers had to depend on the bright moonlight to help extend their work day after sunset, giving them more time to prepare their crops for the early morning farmers market.


This year (2010) we experienced the “Super Harvest Moon”. This happens when the night of the harvest moon coincides with the night of the fall equinox. This year the event happened on September 23rd in the early morning about 5 and a half hours after the autumnal equinox, the last time this occurred was in 1991, and it won’t happen again until 2029. Although this has past, there are many beautiful things here in Ogunquit to see while staying at The Mariner Resort.

Fall Foliage

    Thousands of visitors come to Maine in the Fall to view our beautiful and vibrant fall foliage. The trees change from green to red, yellow, orange, purple, and brown. It is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is cool, and comfortable, you can wear a sweatshirt, or a t-shirt and be comfortable either way. It’s the time for annual fairs, apple picking (nothing like a crisp and tart apple right off the tree!), hot apple cider, and hot cocoa, but the splendor of the fall foliage is what really brings people to New England.


    According to mainefoliage.com the following types of trees produce yellow leaves: Green and black ash, basswood, beech, birches, butternut, and elm. In the maple species - boxelder, mountain, silver, striped and sugar, mountain ash, poplar, serviceberry, willow, and witch hazel. Red and scarlet leaves come from Red, mountain, and sugar maples; black, red, scarlet and white oak; hornbeam, sumac and tupelo trees. White ash and witch hazel produce purple leaves, and white and black oak generate brown leaves.

    The changes in color are a result of the trees preparing for the change of season, summer to winter. The leaves stop producing food due to the change of daylight and temperature, which affects the chlorophyll and causes the green pigment to break down and as a result we see the underlying colors. Other aspects of the weather also affect the color, vibrancy and depth of the colors, such as; amount of sunshine, moisture, and temperature (warm days and cool but not freezing nights) all affect the foliage.
     The best week for Peak Color in southern and coastal Maine is October 13th-19th according to mainefoliage.com. You will find peak color south of Portland, Sebago Lake region, Bridgton, Limerick, Waterboro, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Wells/Ogunquit, and York. So make you reservation here at The Mariner Resort, sit on the balcony with your coffee or hot cocoa and take in the beautiful foliage as you look out towards the marsh and ocean. Don’t forget to bring your camera because you’ll want to share and remember these beautiful images!

A rainy day vacation is still a vacation!

Of course we wish the most beautiful days for your vacation, and we have been having amazing weather so far this summer, but as we all know, we can’t control the weather. My motto is “Never let the rain dampen your vacation, just remember you aren’t at home!” because you could be at home cleaning or doing laundry, or at work answering phones, and compiling reports, but you’re not, and don’t let unruly weather ruin your vacation, it’s nothing anyone can control, just make sure you know what to do when the bad weather affects your trip. Here are a few ideas of things you can do if it does rain on your vacation.


Go shopping! It’s probably one of the top 2 best things to do in rainy weather. You could go to the Outlet malls in Kittery (about 20 - 25 mins. south), or take a drive up to South Portland, and go to the Maine Mall (about 45 – 55 mins. north). You can never go wrong with shopping on a rainy day!

Go to a movie or play. This is may be the most popular choice among rainy day activities. See an off Broadway show at the Ogunquit Playhouse, Hackmatack Playhouse, Arundel Barn Playhouse, or the Booth Theater. What could brighten up a cloudy day more than an upbeat song and dance! Wells Five Star Cinema offers the latest films, a popular rainy day choice, or even just a great place to escape the heat!

Visit a museum there’s several to choose from, in Portland there is The Children’s Museum or the Portland Museum of Art. Here in Ogunquit/Wells there is: Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Wells Auto Museum, among others.

We are also only about an hour and a half from Boston, take the Amtrak Downeaster and spend the day in the city, visit the Boston Museum of Science, or the New England Aquarium. There is always something to do!

There are several activities that can busy up a rainy summer day, so don’t let it bad weather day ruin your vacation, if none of these ideas suite you, stay here at the resort and relax with a movie, we have DVD players in the office for $1 a day, and popcorn for sale in the office also.

“Oh say, can you see…”

   It looks like we may have some beautiful weather for the holiday weekend, and The Mariner Resort is filling up quickly with excited guest ready to celebrate, and with Independence Day just around the corner, I thought it’d be appropriate to do a little research of this nation’s day of independence, and why we celebrate this great day.

   Until July of 1776, 13 colonies were under the rule of King George III. These colonies were beginning to become dissatisfied with the taxes they had to pay to England. You may remember learning about “Taxation without representation” in high school, meaning these colonies were paying taxes, but had no representation in the English Parliament, and therefore had no say in what decisions were made. In 1774, the first 13 colonies formed the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1775, the King’s troop began to descend on Concord, Massachusetts, where Paul Revere’s famous words were shouted “The British are coming, the British are coming!” This marked the beginning of the struggle for independence, for the next year England and the colonies would struggle to make any agreements.

   In June of 1776, after all hope was gone for the colonies and England to repair their differences, a committee was formed and created a formal declaration of independence. The committee was headed by Thomas Jefferson and other members included: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. On July 4th a vote was taken and 9 out of the 13 colonies voted in favor of the declaration. Although the signing of the document wasn’t official completed until August, the 4th of July has been accepted as the official anniversary of our nations independence.

   Now with your brief history lesson complete, enjoy your holiday with your families and be safe! Come see us soon at The Mariner Resort!

Information obtained from.