In 1829 the first Public House opened. In 1837 tourists were paying a small amount to stay at a local farm while they visited the area. In 1942, trains could be taken from Boston to Portland. Over the years Old Orchard developed into a major resort. At one point, planes were able to take off from the beach, as well as, some automobiles racing on the sand. Most of the large hotels were destroyed in the fire of 1907. The oldest hotel still standing on the beachfront in Old Orchard at this time is The Ocean House Hotel & Motel, circa 1895, located at 71 West Grand Avenue. It retains its original parlors and character. In 1923, when discrimination in lodging was rampant and Black musicians were denied rooms in other local hotels, the
Cummings' Guest House opened at 110 Portland Avenue to offer lodging to Black visitors. It was operated by Rose and Edward Cummings Jr. and prominent guests included
Duke Ellington,
Cab Calloway,
Count Basie, and
Lionel Hampton. The guest house operated until 1993.
Attractions The seaside amusement park
Palace Playland is located in Old Orchard Beach. The amusement park dates back to 1902 and sits on four acres of beachfront property. Palace Playland is one of the last old-timey oceanside amusement parks in
New England. Old Orchard Beach was home to one of the first
carousels in the United States, and in the past there were two carousels with hand-carved horses and other animals.
Noah's Ark, a kid-friendly, boat-shaped funhouse with hand-carved figures of Noah and his family, was designed to provide an exciting but not frightening experience for a 5-year-old. The entire structure would rock back and forth while guests meandered through dark passages. Colored lights would flash, loud klaxons would sound, and compressed air would shoot from the floor. On the Jack and Jill slide, two people would be placed on a large hemp mat in a wooden bucket, which would take them to the top of a tall tower and dump them onto a metal slide for a quick ride down. The current 2019 version of
Palace Playland consists of a newly built
Ferris wheel, a arcade, and 25 rides for both children and adults. The new Ferris wheel replaces the tall, decades old Sunwheel with one that is environmentally sound and technologically superior. and a brand new roller coaster opening in 2018 known as the “sea viper” Every Thursday the beach has a firework show at the pier at night. This occurs in the summer from Memorial Day until Labor Day.
The Pier Three versions of the Pier were constructed by people and modified by nature. The first, long, was built of steel in 1898. When the ribbon was cut on July 2, 1898, it was a “global cultural icon,” at 1,825 feet the longest steel pier in the world, created by Berlin Iron Bridge Co. at a cost of $38,000. At its end was the Pier Casino, a ballroom with room for 5,000 dancers. Shortly after its completion a storm reduced its length by . It was rebuilt, but 10 years later, after another storm, the pier was shortened to and the Casino was moved. In the interwar period, the Casino hosted such acts as
Guy Lombardo,
Louis Armstrong,
Benny Goodman,
Xavier Cugat and
Frank Sinatra. After the war Old Orchard became somewhat downscale, becoming known as a destination for
blue-collar partygoers. A fire in 1969 destroyed Noah's Ark, the two
carousels, the Whale's Mouth, the Mine Ride, and the Jack and Jill slide. The Casino was demolished in 1970. The current incarnation of the pier was built in 1980 after being destroyed by a
blizzard in 1978. The current structure stretches into the
Atlantic Ocean. The wooden walk way is lined with souvenir shops, carnival-style foods, and a night club at the end of the pier. ==Sports==