Planning a trip to Kennbunk or Kennebunkport, Maine? Here is a complete itinerary with tips on where to stay, where to eat, and where to explore. My family of four traveled to Maine and had the best time discovering the small seaside towns along the coast and relaxing on the beach! We also hiked Acadia National Park, which is a must when visiting this state. Read my blog Exploring Acadia for more details on that part of our trip. This was a great vacation with enough variety of activities to satisfy both the adults and kids!! Below is a layout of our itinerary while staying in Kennebunkport with our recommendations to build the ultimate experience!
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6 Day, 7 Night Itinerary
Although this blog will focus mostly on the first 3 days of our trip, here is a short breakdown of our full 7 day itinerary:
Day 1: Travel Day, arriving in the late afternoon, drove to Kennebunkport and settled into accommodations
Day 2: Explored the town of Kennebunkport
Day 3: Beach Day at Gooch’s Beach
Day 4: Drove to Acadia from Kennebunkport, hiked the Beehive Loop in Acadia
Day 5: Hiked Ocean Path, drove up to Cadillac Mountain, and shopped in Bar Harbor
Day 6: Hiked Acadia Mountain and drove back to Portland
Day 7: Return flight out of Portland International Jetport
Read my blog Tips for First Time and Seasoned Travelers Alike for tips on planning, booking, and traveling, and my blog Mastering the Art of Confident Packing for packings tips and tricks.
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Getting to Kennebunkport
Maine has a few airports to fly into, including Portland International JetPort, Bangor International Airport, and Presque Isle International Airport. Where you are coming from will most likely dictate which airport is most convenient for you. Our first stop on the trip was in Kennebunkport and the closest airport to there is Portland International JetPort. When traveling to Portland, we did learn that the airports in Maine are quite small, which limits the number of flights coming in and out. Another option to consider is Boston Logan International Airport, which is about a two-hour drive away. Boston Logan may offer more options for flights coming from your area and/or may offer flights at more affordable prices. When searching for flights, I like to use different search engines to help my research. A few we have found helpful include: Trip.com, Kaya.com, Google Flights and so many more. We always check the direct airline website in addition to these as the airlines do run their own specials from time to time.
The state of Maine is very large and the coastal towns, which was our primary reason for visiting, are quite a distance apart so we rented a car and would definitely recommend doing so as well. Many of the search engines mentioned above offer flight and car packages. We have found Costco’s packages to be very affordable. Another way we try to save money on our trips is by renting as small a car that will fit us all along with our luggage. I am mindful of what we pack keeping our luggage to a minimum. The Travelpro Carry-On Luggage fits our needs nicely. They are lightweight and the spinner wheels make them so easy to pull along.
Day 1: Travel Day
We were originally scheduled to fly into Portland International JetPort; however, due to airline changes, we actually ended up flying into Boston and catching a ride with Lyft to Portland to pick up the rental car. We then hit the rode to Kennebunkport, which is about a 40 minute drive. Kennebunkport is a small coastal town in Southern Maine. It is very close to Kennebunk, which is a larger town with more tourist offerings. While in Kennebunkport, we stayed with family; however, there are lots of bed and breakfasts, resorts, and boutique hotels to accommodate most, including The Colony Hotel, The Grand Hotel, and 1802 House Bed and Breakfast. Kennebunkport and Kennebunk are top tourist areas and therefore an Airbnb or VRBO could be good options as well.
When we arrived in Kennebunkport, it was a little rainy so we headed to the small town of Wells near Kennebunkport to Billy’s Chowder House for some fish and chips and clam chowder. It was a great introduction to the New England region!
Day 2: Exploring Kennebunkport
The rain continued the next day, but that did not damper our plans. We explored Kennebunkport and Kennebunk by car. Kennebunkport and Kennebunk are two separate towns, but quite literally I could not tell when we were in one town versus the other. Our sightseeing took us to many hot spots, including Former President Bush’s compound, Dock Square, and the Wedding Cake House. Dock Square, located in Kennebunkport, is an old fishing village with a variety of restaurants and shops. This area gives the idyllic coastal town feels. To snag a great lobster roll, swing by The Clam Shack, located by the Seafood Market. It is a small walk up counter that serves a variety of seafood options for lunch. More eats offering fresh seafood and great views of the wharf perfect for a sit down lunch or lovely dinner include: The Arundel Wharf , The Pilot House, The Boathouse Restaurant.
In the afternoon we stopped by Mornings in Paris for some afternoon tea, espresso, and pastries. The kids hopped over to The Sugar Shack for a candy fix. Later that evening the rain dried up and we made our way to Ogunquit, which is another small coastal town just South of Kennebunk. There the kids explored the rocky beach waiting for the fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July. It was the perfect end to the rainy day.
Day 3: Beach Day
By day 3 the sun began to shine and we headed to the beach. There are a few public beaches in Kennebunkport and Kennebunk, including Gooch’s Beach, Middle Beach, Colony Beach, Arundel Beach, and Mother’s Beach. We went to Gooch’s Beach which is a larger beach for this area. Note: parking is limited and fills up quickly. Get there early to secure a spot. Gooch’s Beach does require a permit which you can purchase at a kiosk at the beach or at Town Hall in Kennebunk. Gooch’s Beach does not have many amenities so we brought our own beach chairs, umbrellas, towels, and drinks! We ordered sandwiches at The Old Salt’s Pantry to bring along for lunch. What better way to end a day of surf and sand than to top it off with some homemade ice cream from Big Daddy’s? A fan favorite!
Day 4: Kennebunkport to Acadia
We woke up bright and early to start our trek up to Acadia. We grabbed some breakfast at Mike’s All Day Breakfast spot before hitting the road. Our shoes were still a little wet from the rain so I was super happy to have used our Veken Packing Cubes for this trip. I was able to put our wet shoes in the shoe bag and our wet, dirty clothes in the laundry bag, helping to keep our other clothes clean and stay organized for the next leg of the trip.
The route is a beautiful drive straight up the coast. The fastest route takes you a bit inland and takes about 3.5 hours, but you can get a great coastal drive for about one hour longer. Head over to my blog Exploring Acadia to learn about our adventures in this unbelievable national park!
This is not even close to an exhaustive list of all things Kennebunkport and Kennebunk have to offer, but I hope you found some inspiration to plan your next adventure!
with love and dreams,
Jessica
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