Beautiful Kennebunkport, Maine – Southern Hospitality

The next stop on our New England trip is Kennebunkport, Maine, a charming town that I had heard about for years, but didn’t really know what to expect. It was an off-the-charts charming place and I really enjoyed Kennebunkport and the smaller coastal towns around it. We arrived mid-afternoon and checked into our cute, quaint inn, The Kennebunkport Inn. This was a great place to stay and the location was perfect, right in town which is walkable and easy to get around. It’s the quintessential New England town!

If you missed my Bar Harbor post, catch up first!

I highly recommend the Hotel Kennebunkport. Right in the city, it was a walkable area and easy to navigate on foot. The hotel had a continental breakfast which was good. We didn’t need to eat much every morning, so Mark was happy to receive his honey walnut cheerios at this stop. They had muffins and bread/bagels, plus fresh apples for pick-up and take-out, and there were plenty of juices and coffee available as well. There I met a reader who recognized me one morning during breakfast. Carol and Mark are from Texas and were also in New England looking at the leaves and we had a nice visit later that day at the restaurant after dinner. It was so nice to meet someone who follows me there!

Before arriving in Kennebunkport, we stopped at an iconic store that I’m sure you all know.

On our way to Kennebunkport from Bar Harbor, we stopped at the huge LL Bean store in Freeport, Maine. As far as Mark remembers, the last time he was there it was just a store, but now it’s several buildings, including home furnishings. LL Bean is such a popular store in Maine that I’m sure most of you have purchased their catalog. I’m not a die-hard LL Bean fan, but we bought an item for ourselves at the store, so it was fun.

We were ready for lunch when we got into town and at our previous stop in Bar Harbor, a lady from our first inn had just been to Kennebunkport, so she told us about a restaurant that had the best lobster rolls. Of course, that cheered us up and we put Mabel on the list for lunch.

Mabel’s was on the main street out of town and we parked and put our name on the list, there was about a 30 minute wait and it’s a small place.

That’s Mabel’s and apparently it’s very popular, as people were constantly coming and going. We sat under the covered area and it was fantastic.

This lobster roll did not disappoint and we both ate it and ate every bite. What a treat, it was the hot buttered lobster roll.

After lunch, we heard about the Walker’s Point/Bush complex, so we went and took a photo of the place across the road.

Complete with plate and everything.

It was a beautiful area and I can see why they love it there.

We walked around the city and also through the neighborhoods, looking at all the beautiful houses. I took so many pictures of charming, quaint New England homes that I’m going to do an entire post just about the homes we saw during our entire trip. I wish they built more New England style homes in the south, they are beautiful and never go out of style.

The center has many nice shops and restaurants. I may be a weirdo, but I’m not a shopper, especially around the holidays. I don’t even shop at home much anymore, so I don’t love visiting every store when we’re on vacation. I prefer to walk and observe the architecture and houses.

But if you’re a shopper, there are plenty of cute stores in all of these New England towns.

The scenery is stunning and there was a lot to take in and see.

You definitely get the coastal feel in these small towns.

Of course, we have to take some selfies in some places.

These glass pumpkins turned out very pretty!

I loved this church and one of my good friends in Georgia texted me after I posted it and said it was her in-laws’ church when they were in Maine. Her husband grew up in Kennebunk and they went there all the time, but her in-laws have since passed away.

I couldn’t get enough of the faded hydrangeas!

A few houses on our walk around town, all ready for fall and Halloween.

I loved all the picturesque churches and took pictures of everything I could get my hands on.

Our inn had a large pumpkin display out front that was a perfect photo spot.

Courtyard of the Kennebunkport Inn.

Sunset in Kennebunkport.

We headed out on our second day in Kennebunkport south to Ogunquit and a few other stops. This lighthouse was on our way and I don’t remember the name now, but I got it from a long distance away.

Maine

Ogunquit is a very charming town on the coast and several people told me not to miss it, so we decided to go there.

I also heard a walk along the coast in the Marginal road You couldn’t miss it either and they were absolutely right about that. We found a parking lot and headed towards the signs pointing the way to this majestic paved walk along the coast.

These beautiful dahlias were still in bloom and I was pleasantly surprised by all the flowers that still exist at this time of year.

Gorgeous!

This day was a bit gray so no sun, but it was still a lovely walk along the coast with lovely houses too.

I took a lot of pictures because it was unique, so I hope you enjoy them all!

I loved the rockiness of Maine beaches. So different from the Florida Gulf Coast we are used to.

Someone offered to take our photo, so I took advantage of that.

This tree is a 90 year old native black cherry tree.

Stairs going down to the rocky beach.

Homes along the road.

I was so fascinated by all the rock walls in New England, especially those that had jagged rocks cemented to the top. I guess that’s a clue that sitting is not allowed! Oh!

Another lighthouse: Nubble Lighthouse It was a beauty!

Kittery Maine

On the way to Kittery, we stopped at Bob’s Clam Shack. I had heard of it too so I wanted to check it out and get some clam strips.

It is a very informal and very popular place.

I got the basket of fried clams and Mark got the fried shrimp. A little fried food goes a long way, so we didn’t do much of this on our trip. We stuck mostly to lobster! I liked the fried clams, but I definitely like the lobster better.

Another picturesque church on the way.

On the way back to our inn, we stopped at a few antique stores and had a look around. I wasn’t in the market for anything, but it was fun to see.

There are many markets and antique stops in that direction and they definitely celebrate fall and Halloween.

That night we opted to have dinner in Kennebunkport on Main Street at Allison’s Restaurant and were not disappointed at all.

We sat upstairs and looked at the small town illuminated at night.

After my clam lunch, I wasn’t that hungry so I ordered lobster bisque and wedge salad and it was perfect. so delicious!

Mark ordered the seafood risotto and he loved his meal too. If he had been a little hungrier, he would have ordered this too. I had a bite and it was fantastic.

Our inn at night.

The next morning we left Kennebunkport and headed to Vermont. Before I left, someone on Instagram told me not to miss the wedding cake shop in Kennebunkport, so we found it and went to take a look. He was certainly elegant and evidently well known there.

Built in 1825, you can read the history of the Wedding Cake House.

We sure enjoyed our stay in Kennebunkport. Again, we only had 2 nights at each stop, so it’s really only a day and a half with travel time in between. Our trip was a bit rushed, but I felt like we were able to see the highlights of each stop and were happy to move on to the next adventure. They also told me to go to Portsmouth, NH on the way to VT since we were going that direction anyway. We followed the map and got there, but it was bigger than a town, so we saw a bit in the car, but we didn’t park, we got out and then continued on our way. We had a couple of hours drive to get to our destination in Vermont. But now I can say I’ve been to New Hampshire, if only for a few minutes.

Next stop: Woodstock, Vermont. That will be available next week!

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