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The smell of pine needles and salt air, the taste of lobster and saltwater taffy, the shock of cold green waves, and, most of all, the promise of endless beach—this is the Maine that draws upward of half the state’s visitors, those who never get beyond its Southern Coast. The southern Maine coast makes up just 35 miles of the state’s 3,500 coastal miles but contains 90 percent of its sand.

Beyond their sand these resort towns—and the villages within them—differ deeply. York Village and Kittery are recognized as the oldest communities in Maine; Wells dates from the 1640s, and Kennebunkport was a shipbuilding center by the 1790s. All were transformed in the second half of the 19th century, an era when most Americans—not just the rich—began to take summer vacations, each in his or her own way.