Ogunquit’s one of New England’s most beloved summer getaways, and it’s not just because of its lovely seashore. When you stay with us here at the Admiral’s Inn, you’ve also got some fabulous cultural offerings at your fingertips, including two homegrown artistic institutions that have been local fixtures for many decades: the Ogunquit Playhouse and the American Museum of Art!
When you stay at the Admiral’s Inn, you get special deals at both of these destinations. Read on to learn more about what’s on tap at the Playhouse and the museum this summer—and why you should definitely pay them both a visit!
The Ogunquit Playhouse
It’s not called “America’s Foremost Summer Theatre” for nothing! The Ogunquit Playhouse has been going strong since the 1930s, when Walter and Maude Hartwig established the company as part of the “Little Theatre Movement” spreading Broadway-worthy productions beyond New York City. The Playhouse was unique among summer theatres of the time—many of which occupied barns or other preexisting buildings—in that it was specially constructed for its purpose. From the start, the Playhouse enjoyed a reputation for world-class theatre: Among the luminaries who took to the stage in its early days were Ethel Barrymore and Bette Davis. It continues to live up to that reputation with each season, all these decades later.
In 2016, the Ogunquit Playhouse is marking its impressive 84th season with a typically topnotch lineup of shows, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Million Dollar Quartet, a musical about Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins that dominated the Playhouse box office last season and returns by popular demand.
As a guest of ours at the Admiral’s Inn, you enjoy up to 20% off tickets to Ogunquit Playhouse shows. Take advantage of that great discount and enjoy a performance at one of America’s most venerable and respected summer theatres!
The American Museum of Art
Another mainstay of Ogunquit cultural life, the American Museum of Art ranks as Maine’s only museum dedicated exclusively to American art. Henry Strater, a Kentucky-born painter who honed his craft in Ogunquit, made a name for himself in Paris as part of the Lost Generation, and then returned to settle permanently in our oceanfront hamlet, established the museum in the early 1950s.
The American Museum of Art’s the perfect place to delve into Ogunquit’s rich artistic heritage, as it displays many works produced by the community’s prestigious artist colonies and schools, including those of Charles Woodbury and Hamilton Easter Field (under whom Henry Strater studied).
As usual, the museum’s offering a number of programs and special events this summer, including “Totally Tuesday Talks” (through August 23), which feature guest lectures on art topics, and “Stories by the Sea” (through August 31), a storytelling and artwork activity geared toward four- to eight-year-olds.
The American Museum of Art’s another of our local partners here at the Admiral’s Inn, and as our guest you get complimentary admission!
