How To Spend An Afternoon In Kennebunkport, Maine | New England Travel

When the sun shines on the weekends, our wandering leads us to the coast. A few Saturdays ago we found ourselves driving North to Kennebunkport, Maine, approximately four hours from our home in Beacon Falls, Connecticut. Known for it’s rocky and picturesque coastline, light houses, and lobster, Maine is a summer New England destination that draws in tourists from close by as well as from across the globe. 

Kennebunkport was one of the many towns in Maine that are on my New England travel checklist. “Don’t go,” was the most common phrase we heard from friends and family who tried to discourage our visit. “It’s too touristy and there are way better places you can explore,” we were told on numerous occasions leading up to our day trip. Generally speaking, when a place becomes “too touristy,” it is usually because it is a happening place to be. In our minds, we pictured a coastal village with New England colonial inspired buildings lining a historic downtown by the water. That is precisely what we found. 

We arrived just in time for lunch as we immediately found the Mornings in Paris Cafe. This is my kind of place. 

We walked inside to find the most charming little cafe. We both ordered ourselves a sandwich and a lemon hibiscus iced tea and took them our into the front where we sat at a Parisian inspired bistro table. There were two French men sitting next to us with their little dog laying underneath the table in the shade. As far as first impressions go, Kennebunkport did not disappoint. 

Now I find myself obsessed with goat cheese and sun dried tomato on a baguette for my week day lunches. 

A short distance from the Cafe was the bridge and Main Street where you will find all of the little shops and boutiques along the water, lined with flowers and American flags. 

Kennebunkport is a quintessential New England town and a wonderful place if you like to walk and shop at little boutiques. 

We stopped by The Sugar Shack for a sweet treat as we walked through town. 

It isn’t a coastal New England town without a sea food shack. Although it smelled delicious, we opted to skip The Clam Shack because the prices were quite high, as they are in many touristy locations along the shore. You’re better off getting your sea food out of the downtown area. 

Coastal Maine Kayak is the best place to rent both your kayaks as well as bicycles for cruising through Kennebunkport. It is where we rented our bicycles for an afternoon ride to the beach. 

We rented bicycles to ride down the road to the beach. With the crazy amount of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, it is nearly impossible to bring bikes into town during the middle of the day. A man on a bike almost took me out on the side walk when we first arrived! To save yourself the worry about being hit my a car (or hitting someone walking down the street), take a left out of the parking lot and then another left at the stop light to get on the main road to the beach. The views are worth the short voyage outside of downtown. 

As far as first impressions, Kennebunkport is lovely and picturesque. However, our friends and family were definitely right when they said that it was a place you’ll only need to visit once. We felt as if we were able to see everything there is to see in a single afternoon. If we ever do decide to visit again, it will most likely be during the off season. The immense crowds in every part of town made it difficult to enjoy anything from the restaurants to the shops and even riding the bikes we rented. It is a beautiful place as we are so happy that we took the time to explore. In the future we will definitely be looking for some hidden gems nearby. 

One of those gems is this amazing lighthouse. On your way out of town, drive to the Nubble Lighthouse in York, just twenty minutes outside of Kennebunkport to catch a romantic and vibrant sunset.