But the cove was unprotected by a headland or breakwater from Atlantic storms, so fishermen had to protect their boats by hauling them ashore each night.

The resulting tidewater basin is called Perkins Cove, spanned by a manually operated draw footbridge.

With a one and a half-mile beach of pale sand and dunes forming a barrier peninsula, connected to the mainland in 1888 by bridge across the Ogunquit River, the village was discovered by artists.

Marginal Way, a scenic trail dating back to the 1920s, runs along the coast from Perkins Cove to Ogunquit Beach.

Ogunquit was named America's Best Coastal Small Town in USA Today's 10 Best Readers' Choice 2016.

[8] Ogunquit is a destination for LGBT tourists, with numerous LGBT-owned and -operated hotels, restaurants, bars, theaters, and other businesses.

[10] The Wells-Ogunquit Community School District provides education for students of all ages in the coastal southern Maine towns of Wells and Ogunquit.

[11] Ogunquit's Marginal Way,[6] a 1.25-mile (2 km) trail with views of the coast, is neatly paved, and the treacherous cliffs are, in places, fenced.

The path leads from the downtown shopping area to the fishing village in Perkins Cove, now an outdoor mall with jewelry, clothing, and candle boutiques.

Ogunquit Beach is the name of a geologic unit on Mars[17] which was once underwater or on the shore of an ancient lake.