Bristol Parks and Recreation - Maine

09/13/2026

At the end of a beautiful Saturday, we want to thank everyone that came out for Maine Lighthouse Day today, as well as what was our closing day at the beach.

The beach was scheduled to close at the end of the day Sunday, but with rain forecast all day, the beach won't be open. It has been an amazing and very busy season. Our attendance numbers at the beach beat last years record numbers there, and we had a lot of new visitors that visited for the first time this season.

Thank you all for being so supportive of everything we do. We have already broken ground on our new restrooms at lighthouse park, and the Sandra Lane community playground work we plan to begin this fall.

Just a reminder, dogs are not allowed on the beach until October 15th. Many people continue to use the beach after we close so we ask that you leave your dogs at home if you visit. October 15th dog days can begin. Thank you for an amazing beach season, and a great lighthouse day.

09/12/2026

Its a beautiful day for Maine Lighthouse Day. We have artists out painting around the park today, and doing children's activities. After watching the artists paint, you can go into the gallery and purchase art from the artists you have seen and met while here.

The lighthouse tower is open to climb until 5 courtesy of the Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. They are an all volunteer group that is responsible for the maintenance of the tower itself and separate from the park.

Maine Lighthouse Day runs until 5pm today so you still have plenty of time to come visit.

09/11/2026

We love Maine Lighthouse Day and all of the activity around the park that day. Admission to the park is free for the day with the park open 9am-5pm.

The Pemaquid Art Gallery will once again be an active part of Maine Open Lighthouse Day on Saturday, September 12. For Pemaquid Art Gallery artists, the day has an added attraction: the opportunity to paint the landscape that has inspired generations of artists. Throughout the day, members of the Pemaquid Group of Artists will be painting en plein air around Pemaquid Point. Visitors can watch artists work as they capture the dramatic coastline, lighthouse, rocks, water and ever-changing light directly from the scene. There will also be family friendly activities hosted by the gallery.
The 2026 Pemaquid Art Gallery artists include Bobbie Applegate, Debra Arter, Stephen Busch, John Butke, Dianne Smith Dolan, Gwendolyn Evans, Sarah Fisher, Lindsay Grant, Kathleen Horst, Annie Houle, Hannah Ineson, Will Kefauver, Jan Kilburn, Barbara Klein, Katey Lapinski, Patti Leavitt, Sally Loughridge, Jon Luoma, Judy Nixon, Charles Nowell, Deb Paul, Alexandra Perry-Weiss, Paul Sherman, Gary Smith, Cindy Spencer, Liliana Thelander, Barbara Vanderbilt, Bob Vaughan, Candace Vlcek and Sherrie York.

The lighthouse tower will be open to climb 9am-5pm, depending on weather. The tower is operated and maintained by the Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, an all-volunteer group that is separate from the park, and they will talk about the history of the lighthouse while you are waiting to climb. There is a 46 inch height requirement in order to climb. We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow for a fun day with fellow lighthouse lovers.

09/10/2026

This was lost at Pemaquid Lighthouse Park Wednesday August 9th. We believe it fell out of a vehicle in the parking lot. If this belongs to you, please let us know. We have it at the entrance booth to the park.

09/02/2026

From Steve. Yes, he does get to leave the beach the sometimes. The final piece of the puzzle complete! The supports are installed . There have been some dedicated folks that have made the past two years possible . Thank you all ! We are done!

When we did the Bell House repair, the brick "feet" were put in for the beam support, but we have not had a chance to get the support posts in yet. They needed to do some modification to attach to the beam as we did not want to put the same bolt system in that was on the previous beam. Steve is now cleaning and making the inside of the actual bell tower safer so that can be open to the public. When that is open, people will be able to see how the fog bell worked because that tower is where the weights for the pulley part of the Stevens Mechanism were housed. We have the diagram itself in the Bell House, along with all of the parts we found in the ceiling and attached to the original beam, including the cable for the pulley. We can't recreate or rebuild the mechanism (though don't put it past Steve to find a way eventually), but just seeing the history and how it worked it interesting.

09/01/2026

As summer 2026 is coming to an end, we are excited knowing it is also the beginning of the process of building the new Pemaquid Beach Community Playground in Memory of Sandra Lane. Sandra was the person that started the push for a playground at the beach, and with her passing it is only appropriate that the park is in her name.

We plan to go out to bid soon for the actual equipment and design for the playground, and have had several well-known playground companies do renderings to give us ideas. We would like to break ground this fall to start doing the site prep work for the area, then do the playground install when that is completed. Obviously the weather may be a factor, but our goal is to have the first phase of the playground in for the children to enjoy for summer 2027.

If you would like to donate, you can scan the QR code on the flyer, or go to https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6HF57DLEHEAUE

08/31/2026

As the sun sets on another amazing season at Pemaquid Beach, we wanted to give an update on closing dates and hours.

The beach is now open 9am- 5pm every day, and will close for the season Sunday Sept. 13th. This year is a late Labor Day so the closing date is also later than normal. With everyone back to school, the beach isn't as busy as it has been, but we also don't have as many staff as we had earlier in the season. Because of that, we may close early or not open on days where the weather isn't looking good. On those days, you can still go to the beach, but the restrooms and rentals wouldn't be open, though there is a porta-potty available. Just a reminder, dogs are not allowed at the beach until October 16th.

Mimi's at the Beach will be closing for the season Sept. 7th, and will be open 11am- 3:00pm daily until then. Those days and hours are weather dependent like the beach itself. Check their page for updates to their dates and hours. https://www.facebook.com/Mimisonthebeach/

Coastal Rivers Discovery Center is now closed for the season there. They had a great season and were able to educate a lot of children about all of the natural habitat around the beach and the animals that live there.

Thank you for a great beach season, and you still have 2 weeks left to enjoy. Closing day for Pemaquid Lighthouse Park will be Sunday October 18.

08/23/2026

It's a little foggy, but there is a great turn out for the Pemaquid Triathlon this morning. There are 160 individuals and 34 relay teams competing so watch for bikers and runners on the roads around Bristol this morning.

08/19/2026

This is why we have the rules for no regular size shovels, holes only knee deep to the shortest person digging, and fill in your holes when you walk away from them. This person is lucky to survive because sand hole collapse kills people every summer. If there was a younger child with him, they probably would not have been so lucky. Be safe out there everyone.

Crews dug for nearly an hour to rescue a young man who got buried in sand up to his chest on a beach on Cape Cod on Tuesday.

08/17/2026

This Sunday is the Pemaquid Triathlon, and you still have time to register. You can register as an individual, or as relay if you want to get together with a friend or 2 to do it as a team. Registration closes this Saturday at noon.

If you are visiting the area Sunday, please be cautious as you drive along Route 130 through Bristol to the beach, and on Huddle Rd as there will be bike riders along those roads, along with Route 32, and Lower Round Pond Rd between 9am and noon. Also, be aware there will be traffic control people at the entrance to the beach with cars being stopped when bikes or runners are entering the park. The website below has the information on registration, course maps, and times for bib pick-up and check-in. We will see you this weekend.

The Pemaquid Beach Triathlon is on Sunday August 23, 2026. It includes the following events: Triathlon and Relay.