Three Days in Kennebunkport, Maine

I’ve been sharing lots of pictures of the beautiful Tides Beach Club that we stayed at in Maine (here and here) but I’d like to take you off campus to show you some of the other charming things we loved about Kennebunkport, Maine. (If you’ve never been, plan a trip for next summer!)

We checked out this big fella and then ate his brothers for the next 3 days.

Our first stop was The Clam Shack where we had ended up having lunch everyday. The line was long and the food was pricey but it was totally worth it. Do they have the best lobster roll in Maine? I don’t know but I can tell you that lobster roll was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life. (Yes they do, according to the Travel Channel’s Food Wars!)

At The Clam Shack, the lobster roll isn’t your typical hot dog roll looking thing. It’s on a delicious buttery bakery roll and the lobster is just perfection. We loved the fried clam strips too (and the shrimp which we tried on day two) but nothing could beat that perfect lobster roll.

As for shopping in the harbor, it was mostly disappointing tourist traps with two big exceptions: Daytrip Society and their kid’s store, Daytrip Jr. They both carried such a smart assortment of quirky items that any tourist or local could love. (And lucky you, they have ecommerce, too!) I was particularly smitten with the kids store, pictured below. They had toys and games that I had never seen before and I had to pry myself out of there before I spent a fortune!

When we got back to our hotel, we decided to take a walk on the beautiful beach just across the street. The water was ice cold but Pablo braved it for one Nestea Plunge. He’s crazy!

Before dinner, we relaxed on the front porch of Tides and while I sipped a cocktail (or three), Pablo did a Fantasy Football draft. (Yes, I allowed my husband to do a draft while we were on vacation. Yes, I am the best wife on the planet.)

The next day, we took a drive around to look at some insanely beautiful houses (check out this listing if you have 4 million dollars). We took this picture near Ocean Avenue. I think it’s the only one we got together.

We drove by the Bush compound (ya know – cause you have to if you go to Kennebunkport or something like that) and marveled at it’s pretentiousness. I mean, they live on their own peninsula!

We also sampled the world’s greatest Bloody Mary at Earth at Hidden Pond. We spent a lot of time at the pool there. More on our delicious dinner at Earth tomorrow as well as lots of beautiful rustic decor ideas you can steal from Hidden Pond.

Pablo kept talking about how the fires smelled so great in Maine. Personally, I think it was just the idea of smelling a nice fresh fire in August. In the summer, you just forget how good that smells. But he swore it was the Maine firewood. So, when we saw this roadside firewood “shop” that operated on the honor system, we had to pick up a bundle. Check out the sign: “Camp Wood. $4.00 a bundle. Theives…” (yes it was spelled that way) “…smile for camera. I’m sorry honest people.” So, we put our money in the little cup and took a bunch.

On our way out of Maine, we did some antiquing on Route 1. We visited probably 10-12 shops so we were pretty exhausted by the end. I snapped this happy picture of Pablo as we entered our first store. (There would be no more happy pictures because he ended up listening to sports radio in the car while I endlessly hunted for treasures.) My favorite shops were the one pictured here, Antiques USA in Arundel (it was massive), Wells General Store Antiques in Wells (which had lots of 1950s diner stuff) and Columbary House in Cape Neddick where I ended up getting a cake plate with a glass dome for $35 and a blue and cream striped crock for my mom for $15.