The Kennebunks and Southern Maine

Like many of Maine’s coastal towns, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport first prospered as a shipbuilding center. In the late 1800s, affluent summer visitors would arrive by train from Boston to enjoy the beaches, rivers, and small town life. The nature of tourism in Kennebunk gradually changed with the arrival of the automobile. "Touring" and "day tripping" led to the disappearance of the many large wooden hotels that lined Kennebunk's beaches, replaced by tourist cabins and more recently with today’s inns and bed and breakfast.

One of most revered more recent developments (1985-1995) was the designation in 1974 of a historic district, which runs from Main Street to Kennebunk Landing's village. This pointed the way to an appreciation of the architectural riches of the town. Today, the town remains a popular year-round tourism destination offering a vibrant downtown shopping and dining destination.

Southern Maine is filled with wonderful towns and villages.  Visitors to the Kennebunks love to visit Kittery for its outlet shopping, York Beach and York Village for its fabulous beaches, Historic area and zoo, Ogunquit for its lovely restaurants, shops and scenic walks, and Portland, for all its fabulous foodie finds.

In Kennebunk, Mother's & Gooch's Beach on Beach Avenue are the perfect place to walk, sun yourself, play in the surf, look for sand dollars or just enjoy the sight of the waves rolling into shore. There's no better place to be on July 4th, when fireworks explode overhead in a myriad of glittering lights. 

Goose Rocks Beach on King's Highway, Off Route 9, North of Kennebunkport Village is a favorite with walkers and sunbathers. It's 3-miles long with a wide, smooth expanse of powdery sand, and offers up views of Eastern Goose Rocks and Timber Island, just off the coast.  This nearly 4-mile out and back oceanside walk meanders past both sandy and rocky stretches of beach along Beach Avenue from Gooch's Beach past Lord’s Point all connected by sidewalks and offering stunning views of ocean waves and historic shorefront homes.  Enjoy the fresh sparkle of the beach at sunrise, the warmth of the midday sun or the romance of an orange and purple sky reflecting off the water at sunset. 

Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport offers another stunning walk along rocky ocean cliffs with rolling hills and wonderful views of Walker’s Point, the Bush family compound. Sidewalks ensure a safe walk, and benches situated at various points along the way invite you to stop, breathe and take in the view of the peaceful or sometimes turbulent ocean below. Ocean Avenue is also a perfect spot to view Kennebunkport’s spectacular sunsets.

Kennebunk and Kennebunkport beaches are easily accessible with roadside paid parking (free after mid-September). Some of the inns offer daily parking passes for guests to borrow. Be sure to speak with your innkeeper about beach access. 

Just a few miles down the road, the wide sandy beaches of York and Ogunquit offer another option for those who would like to venture outside Kennebunkport.

Some of the Kennebunkport innkeepers’ favorite spots for great seafood including Nunan’s Lobster Hut, Cape Pier Chowder House and Pier 77 in Cape Porpoise, as well as Hurricane Restaurant and Alisson’s in Dock Square and Mabel’s Lobster Claw on Ocean Avenue. Wonderful chef-owned restaurants include farm-to-table fresh 50 Local, Musette, located in an historic home in the heart of Cape Porpoise, and Via Sophia by the Sea Kennebunk, where guests rave about the oysters. Those in search of that perfect lobster roll or eager to satisfy a craving for fried clams must try Port Lobster on Ocean Avenue, Alisson’s and The Clam Shack in Dock Square. For fun, upscale casual fare and fabulous craft cocktails, Old Vines Wine Bar and Pedro’s Mexican in Kennebunk Lower Village never disappoint! For truly memorable fine dining experiences, there’s Ocean Restaurant, the White Barn Inn, and Earth at Hidden Pond. Visitors can take in Kennebunkport’s stunning water views at Arundel Wharf, Hurricane, Stripers Waterside, the Spirit of Massachusetts moored in the Kennebunk River, or any of the restaurants on the Cape Porpoise Pier!

For foodies who may want to venture out of the immediate area, just a half hour drive north will bring you to Portland, Maine, named America’s 2018 Restaurant City of the Year and well-known as a foodie haven.  From specialty food purveyors to unique restaurants to a great collection of food trucks, Portland is a perfect day trip for those who love to eat.

For shoppers, Dock Square and Kennebunk Lower Village offer an eclectic and upscale collection of art galleries, shops featuring apparel, gifts and homewares, and of course, souvenir and t-shirt options too! Specialty shops in both towns abound, from Minka, a modern boutique featuring all-natural, locally made accessories, home goods and apothecary, to Dock Square Emporium and Beach Grass for coastal themed gifts and housewares, to Maine-ly Drizzle with over 50 olive oils and vinegars to taste and buy. How about creating your own custom-scented candle at SeaLove candle bar and boutique? Fine Print Booksellers, tucked into a scenic waterfront side street, will help you find that perfect book to accompany you on your Maine vacation. 

As you cross the bridge into Kennebunk Lower Village, be sure to stop at Honeymaker Mead Room for a very special tasting experience! Maine Art Hill, with its breathtaking wind sculptures and an ever-changing selection of fine art is a must see. Lower Village treasures can be found along Port Road, including stained-glass kaleidoscopes by Sue Rioux, Maine whoopie balls and other sweet treats at Auntie’s House and locally crafted and curated seacoast-themed gifts and homewares at the adorable Cottages at Morningwalk – well worth the quarter-mile walk to the top of the hill!

Area shopping options within a 25-mile radius include the Kittery Outlets as well as a myriad of boutique shops in Portsmouth New Hampshire, Ogunquit and Portland.

If the outdoors call to you, try fly-fishing or kayaking on the Mousam River, hiking and biking on conservation trails throughout the Kennebunks and nearby Laudholm Farm or Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge in Wells. Learn about lobstering and take a ride with the Rugosa lobster boat crew, view the lighthouses on a high-speed New England EcoTours thrill ride along the coast, or take a leisurely afternoon or sunset sail aboard the Schooner Eleanor or Pineapple Ketch. You may even spot some majestic whales on a whale watching cruise, all available from May through October in and around Kennebunkport. Bicycle, scooter, SUP and kayak rentals and tours are great seasonal options too.  

Arts and heritage attractions provide alternative visitor enjoyment at the Brick Store Museum or the historic Nott House.  Open year-round, the Brick Store Museum celebrates the human experience in the Kennebunks through art, history and culture, while the Nott House, or “White Columns”, built in the late 1800’s by a wealthy shipbuilder, offers tours and a wonderful carriage barn gift shop.

Venture a little further up the road to Portland, and you’ll find the Portland Museum of Art, the largest and oldest museum of art in Maine, and the brand-new Portland Science Center, both offering changing exhibits.

The Kennebunkport Festival in June offers a week-long celebration of foods and wines too.  For six days each year this festival celebrates the excellence of Maine’s chefs, artists, musicians, wine purveyors, and beer makers while surrounded by the beautiful scenery, people, and enduring charm of Kennebunkport. Demonstrations, tastings, art tours, and more from the finest in Maine talent are showcased during this chic event.

Harvestfest in Kennebunk offers up a traditional fall festival with costumes, crafts and food. This year, the Zombie walk and food drive was added making for some colorful photos.

Nearby in Ogunquit, a spectacular fireworks display celebrates July 4th and an August Sidewalk Art Show rounds out the summer in Ogunquit.  In Portland, the October Harvest on the Harbor has become one of the top food, wine and tasting events in the country.  It’s a don’t-miss for visitors to Southern Maine.

Your Inns Along the Coast innkeeper is there to help assist you in planning and booking your activities during your stay.  You’ll find plenty of brochures and materials about what to do in the region, and better yet, a wealth of knowledge from your innkeeper about how to fill your day for a memorable getaway.

30 min. South is the village of Ogunquit where you can walk 1 mile along the coast on the “Marginal Way”; shop in the unique shops in Perkins Cove; attend plays and musicals at the “Oqunguit” Playhouse; or visit the “Ogunquit Museum of American Art”.

Further South is the Village of York, home of “Stonewall Kitchens” a wonderful place to shop eat or take cooking classes. You can also visit the York Historical Society and “Jefferds Inn” that at one time was owned by Captain Jefferd’s father.

While in York be sure to look at  “Nubble Light” and visit York Beach, then in Cape Neddick, and climb or drive to the top of Mt. Agamenticus, the tallest spot in Southern Maine, and the first mountain spotted in the Northeast by John Cabot in 1497.

Portland the largest city in Maine is 40 minutes north where you can walk in the “Old Port” with its many shops and restaurants; take the Casco Bay Line Ferry to the islands in Casco Bay, and visit the the Wadsworth-Longfellow House.