Kennebunkport, Maine is an ideal escape in the summer, as everyone knows. But a visit to the Kennebunks in the off-season is just as rewarding. Maybe even more so, as the crowds have left and a level of calm is restored to this coastal town. Kennebunkport, Maine has something to please every kind of traveler. Read on to discover my favorite places to visit in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine.
Oftentimes, the best trips are the least planned, last-minute escapes. The ones that fall into your lap at just the right time. Instead of thinking, ‘I can’t.’, you think, ‘Why not?’.
When my college friend, Amy, invited me to visit her in Kennebunkport, Maine, where she has lived for the past five years, I went full-speed ‘Why not?’. While I could only get away for a brief mid-week stint, I soon realized that even 36 hours in Kennebunkport, Maine could feel like a leisurely holiday when exploring new territory without an agenda. I was in need of some time on the beach, and Kennebunkport Maine beaches are known to be spectacular.
SAFARIS AND CIRE
Amy works for CIRE, a high-end travel company that plans holidays for business and leisure travelers. With its niche being superlative customer service, and boasting the motto ‘making impossible arrangements possible’, CIRE’s name has become synonymous with outstanding quality.
CIRE (pronounced sire) was hosting a talk on Africa, one of my favorite destinations. Eric Hrubant, the company’s effervescent founder, invited me to come. Why not? A visit to Kennebunkport, Maine was just what I needed.
The talk with the engaging speaker, Kelly Berry, from African Travel, Inc, was the initial impetus for the trip. But I was equally excited to spend an entire day solo—wandering, walking, eating, and shopping.
Amy was busy preparing for the evening’s event, but eagerly handed me a map and a list of her favorite haunts. Kennebunkport, Maine beaches, boutiques, and restaurants are among them. Armed with local knowledge and my camera, I was ready to go.
KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE: PERKS OF THE OFF-SEASON
April is considered off-season in Kennebunkport, Maine. But I could feel the low buzz of activity as the shops, restaurants, and hotels were preparing for the onslaught of tourists that would soon descend upon the town. Some of the places I wanted to explore were still closed, which gave me ample ammunition to revisit.
The town of Kennebunkport was beautifully quiet, which meant I didn’t fight crowds as I walked and shopped, or waste time searching for parking. The beaches were undisturbed, and I had the shells all to myself.
The film, The Truman Show kept popping into my head, and for obvious reasons. Everything looked so strikingly utopian. I remain convinced that the ducks had on/off switches.
KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE: BEACHES RULE
Arriving around 4pm on Tuesday, Amy and I drove directly to Gooch’s Beach. Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine beaches are known the world over, and it was easy to see why. The late afternoon sun highlighted the clapboard houses that lined the serpentine beach drive.
The water was still, the tide low and glassy, and the beaches virtually empty. There was a brisk chill in the coastal air, and all looked calm and peaceful. Another allure of the off-season in the Kennebunks. I could immediately see why Amy had chosen to give up the fast pace of NYC in favor of this picturesque locale.
As the sun disappeared, it reminded me of my favorite snooty and intellectual, yet rarely used, art school words—chiaroscuro. The contrast was so dramatic, with sweeping brushstrokes of light and dark where the sand met the sea. The shadows elongated as if on a time-lapse video. The clouds quietly hovered and picked up the colors of what the sun left behind.
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KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE: GOING SOLO
The next morning I decided to go back to the Kennebunkport, Maine beaches to capture them in the morning light. The three crescent beaches that hug the coast in nearby Kennebunk are Gooch’s Beach, Middle Beach, and Mother’s Beach. Each with its own topographic personality.
Middle Beach is mainly rocks, and I amassed quite a collection of shells there, making sure I didn’t accidentally take any concealed snails back to DC. (Note past mistakes, some smells you never forget).
The white sandy beaches that line the Maine coast undoubtedly look different when the tourists arrive, but today they were barren and soundless.
Visit the Kennebunks: Highs and Highlights
Snug Harbor Farm, without question, was the highlight of my morning. I’m certain the staff wondered if I was ever going to leave, and after about an hour I reluctantly did, if only because I knew there was so much more to explore and so little time to do it.
A combination of farm, boutique, greenhouse, nursery, and dovecot, Snug Harbor was the antidote for my all too often, nature-starved life.
Each of the greenhouses was more exquisite than the next, some containing seemingly never-ending rows of artfully designed succulents. Some with tall potted greenery, such as curry and lavender, that were pruned to look more like popsicles, than plants.
Fuschia, Cypress, Coleus, and green and silver Santolina filled the nurseries. It was a garden circus, and I most definitely overstayed my welcome.
THE SNUG HARBOR BIO
Landscape designer, Anthony Elliott, bought Snug Harbor in 1998 and has since cultivated his love of traditional English gardens to create this local oasis. Martha Stewart cites Snug Harbor as one of her favorite sources for gardening advice. Well done, Mr. Elliott.
Miniature horses wander the farm, as well as pretty, colorful roosters, and fluffy white pigeons that appear to have been recently tumble-dried. There is the resident bunny and, I’ve read, a ghost or two, as well.
LOBSTER X 2: KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE
When faced with choosing my only lunch in Kennebunkport, it was a given that I would have a lobster roll—a Maine staple. Armed with Amy’s recs, Alisson’s was without question the place to go. I was advised to sit at the bar and order the lobster roll and award-winning clam chowder.
In one of the few times I’ve defied my all-knowing friend, I decided to double down on lobster: ordering lobster roll and lobster bisque. Too much of a good thing? Hardly. The lobster bisque was especially mind-blowing with just the right balance of texture, creaminess, and saltiness.
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EAT, DRINK, SHOP IN KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine
Being that this was a mini-break, I meandered around town at a faster pace than usual, soaking up all that the Kennebunks had to offer. My shortlist of Amy’s shortlist follows:
Old Vines Wine Bar: Tuesday night we cozied up to the bar and ordered a Mediterranean platter to go with our wine. Low-lit and convivial, we grabbed a few stools and settled in for the night.
Maine Art Hill: A collection of galleries and pop-up studios that highlight local artists. The open and brightly lit gallery was designed by the owner, John Spain, who has been in Kennebunkport for 30 years. There is art at price points that will work for just about everyone.
Dock Square Emporium: Also at 30 years in Kennebunkport, this lovely little shop has local crafts and unique home decor, honey, cookbooks, terrariums, and succulents. I zeroed in on some glass and rattan cases to display my ever-growing shell collection.
Melanie, the owner, couldn’t have been more cheerful and hospitable. At the time I arrived, she’d just opened a damaged shipment of honey—a gooey, sticky mess. Instead of being annoyed, she was laughing about it with the customers. Kennebunkport is the kind of place that somehow manages to make tourists feel like locals.
Even more to do in KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE
H.B. Provisions: The ultimate general store. Wine, coffee, Maine gifts, Bush paraphernalia, baked goods, and just about anything else you might need to picnic in the Kennebunks. If I had another lunch to spare, I would have grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of rosé and sat on the water’s edge to enjoy the afternoon view of the local church.
Minka: A beautifully curated artisan boutique. Home decor, accessories, and handbags are all chosen with obvious care. The owners have thought through every detail in displaying their wares—grouping items, not only by product but inventively, by color palette. The designer in me was dazzled. A standout in a town of inviting boutiques.
GOOSE ROCKS BEACH
Amy’s boss, Eric, had generously given me his car to explore. I would have been more than happy driving Amy’s fabulous blue pick-up truck, bought on auction, sight unseen, by her husband. It still has the faded imprint of the ‘Kennebunk Parks and Recreation’ logo on the doors.
Eric insisted, which is how I was able to peruse the Maine beaches and coast. I started at Goose Rocks Beach and winded my way down toward the exclusive enclave, Hidden Pond. Then, I stopped to watch the lobster pots unload before heading south toward the Bush compound. I chose the indirect, scenic route, not heading from point A to B, but rather a complicated, yet scenically satisfying, zig zag.
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SCENIC HIGHWAYS OF THE KENNEBUNKS
As I drove out of town the next morning, a whirlwind of lobster, ocean breezes, and freshly roasted coffee followed in my wake. I discovered one more reason to love this state that had thus far eluded me. I couldn’t put my finger on it right away, though. Why did this soulless highway seem so much nicer than the highways at home?
What was missing? Advertising. About 40 years ago, the governor signed into law, an act that removed nearly 10,000 billboards from the highways of Maine. What a respite from my commercially overdosed daily life.
While I so rarely travel without a plan, or (gasp!) a dinner reservation, a visit to the Kennebunks was just what I needed to remind myself that some of the best finds are the ones you don’t plan. The ones that have you following roads based on instinct, rather than Google.
Why not?
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