When we arrived in southern Maine, the first stop we made was for about an hour at York Harbor Beach. We were very happy to finally get to see the ocean. It was the first time that my kids saw the Atlantic Ocean. The weather was perfect and we all enjoyed getting hit by some small cold sea waves and smelling the salty air. The York Harbor Beach is quite perfect for families with small children. It is within a small bay next to York's harbor, a nice landscape and some beautiful historical property and brewery. This beach was less buzzling and crowded that the popular York's Long Sand Beach and Short Sand Beach. We actually drove along the Long Sand Beach in this sunny afternoon and there was a lot of car traffic.
Around 5pm, we've setup our tent and other camping stuff at Dixon's Campground. The campground was conveniently located at Cape Neddick between York and Ogunquit. The place was well managed and cute. However, if you are looking for an intimate and wildlife camping experience, you are definitely at the wrong place. Most camping sites are extremely close one to another. Most people use the campground as a dormitory while visiting the seashore during the day. If you think about Dixon's this way, at a nice place to rest after a beach day, then should be satisfied since silence hours are very well respected. There is also a nice pool to refresh yourself in after spending the days on the salty beaches.
In the evening we went to get a glimpse of Ogunquit. Almost a mile out of the campground going there we ran into some slow 15 minutes traffic just to get to the main Ogunquit intersection. Be mindful that, as a visitor, you can only leave your car in town through paid parking. We went to the near to town part of the beach in the evening as the tide was coming back up. It looked quite nice but decided it would probably be too crowded during a nice sunny day. Walking down to Perkins Cove takes about 15-20 minutes from the main intersection.
Other places we went to are Kittery Point's outlets (GAP, Old Navy, ...), Portsmouth water park and slides (Water Country), Hampton Beach, Rye Harbor for a lobster trip, Saco, South Portland, Cape Elisabeth and Old Orchard.