Experience New England: The Kennebunks!

My sister and I have desired to go to Kennebunkport, Maine for quite some time now. It's coastal charm called our names, and finally we planned the trip!

Located on the edge of Maine just 90 minutes north east of Boston, the Kennebunks are a group of about 5 towns that stretch across the shoreline.

From a tourism perspective, I was blown away with the breadth of niches that the Kennebunk area was able to fill. They are a perfect destination for families, nature lovers, beach bums, foodies, romantic escapes, and girlfriend getaways. Everyone was always friendly and helpful, parking was never a frustration, the bathrooms were numerous, free, and clean, and we never felt like we were caught in a tourist trap.

There are many resorts, cottages, cabins, and villas to choose from, but we decided to set up tent at Red Apple Campground in Arundel, Maine (literally 3 minutes from KBP). It is small, but one of the top rated campgrounds in the country. I was IMPRESSED with the hospitality of the staff. We arrived and the man in the office hooked us up with tons of information on the area. He also was kind enough to show us where everything was on the map! Our tent site was a good size for two people, and came with picnic table and fire pit. The bathrooms were astoundingly clean and never busy. It is definitely a family camp, but we didn't mind because we were usually only there when it was dark out and everyone was sleeping.

We only had about two days, and we had two dedicated activities that we wanted to do. Everything just fell right into place!

Our first afternoon was a little overcast, so we went into the downtown shopping district and walked around. So many neat little shops, restaurants, and art galleries. We wandered to the nearest Hannafords in Wells to buy bug spray (with the coupons included in the campground welcome package), then looped 'round to briefly check out Wells beach, saw some glorious summer homes right on the water in kennebunk, and by the time we got back to the campground it was time to start a fire, cook up some hot dogs, and then get to bed!

The next day we woke up with a plan. We started off on the road north to Cape Porpoise. Since it was already noon when we hit the road, we stopped and grabbed lunch at the Cape Porpoise Kitchen (best turkey reuben of my life) and hit the beach, Goose Rocks Beach. The sand was fine, the water was cool, and the sun was a blazin.

After getting a nice bronze, we headed down Ocean Ave to see former president Bush's summer home on Walker's Point.

We stopped a few times along the drive to admire the rugged beauty of the ocean coupled with whatever it was playfully interacting with whether it was sailboats, the chapel on the sea, a man with his painters eisel, or just the rocky shore.

Later that night, we arrived at our anticipated destination, The Lobster Bake and Fourth of July Celebration at the Nonantum Resort! We had been so excited for this- with the live band, fresh lobster, sand bar, ice cream, fireworks over the beach. It felt like we were at a picnic with 500 of our closest friends. Everyone was having a great time hanging out, cracking open lobsters, and enjoying the weather.

This trip went by too fast, that's all I can really say to sum it up. We are thinking about making it a tradition, and I think Kennebunk is definitely a place I would like to spend more time.