I kept hoping the weather would clear so we could continue on Route 9 and make a few more beach stops. It’s beautiful and peaceful with brightly colored fish houses in the coves. This area is considered the quiet side of Kennebunkport. The historic downtown was overflowing with people.įrom downtown, we continued on Route 9 towards the coast and the village of Cape Porpoise Harbor. Kennebunkport is a very popular destination in the summer months. Especially since it’s been special enough for presidents to vacation there for years. We didn’t do more than drive through but I at least wanted to see a bit of it. Lots of sidewalks, a cute historic district and plenty of colorful houses surrounding the water. When I think about Maine, Kennebunkport is just the kind of place I picture in my mind. Heading north from Ogunquit, we drove Route 9 into Kennebunkport. Ogunquit, Maineīeautiful wild ogunquit beach Ogunquit, ME to Kennebunkport, ME 12 miles
BOSTON TO BAR HARBOR FULL
South of the beach is well-liked Perkins Cove, full of shops and restaurants. Even with the sun not shining, this was still one of my favorite stops.įor other things to do in Ogunquit, consider the Ogunquit Heritage Museum to learn more about the area. Wet and cold, we hurried back to the car to put the heat on. All they needed was a fireplace to warm up. It looked like the perfect spot to read a book. Most people were cozied up, in comfortable chairs under a long covered sitting area that faces the beach. The main public beach was surprisingly crowded for a cool, drizzly July day. The nearby cliffs and lighthouse offer sweeping coastal views of the dunes and waterfront. Ogunquit Beach sits between the Atlantic Ocean and the Ogunquit River. The unusual name, Oqunquit, means beautiful place by the sea in the Abenaki Indian language. So, from Kittery, we drove US Route 1 to Ogunquit, population 892. Bad weather or not, I wanted to walk on a real Maine beach. I love the ocean and being so close to it without actually seeing it was driving me crazy. Eat – besides AJ’s Rudder’s Public House.Saving that for another visit and better weather. The museum has more than ten acres of gardens, historic buildings and collections devoted to 300 years of American History. I would’ve loved to visit the Strawbery Banke Museum. We ended our visit to Kittery by walking around downtown and grabbing some wood fired pizza at AJ’s Wood Grill Pizza. They have just about everything you can imagine and a few things you probably didn’t. If there’s anything you need to pick up for your trip or any outdoor equipment you want to buy, the Kittery Trading Post is the place for that. Not as long as the houses but they have been in business since 1938. For a little shopping and history, Kittery has a very popular Trading Post that’s been around a long time. It’s kind of ironic that now, most people stop for the shopping outlets than the historical features. Kittery was settled by the English in 1623 and is the oldest city in Maine. Portsmouth, New HampshireĬross the the river again, from Portsmouth on the World War I Memorial Bridge, and you’re in Kittery, Maine. We didn’t really do much other than pass through since we were headed to Kittery, Maine, but the museum would be a perfect stop for this leg of a Boston to Bar Harbor road trip. As you cross the river into town, to the east is the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and to the west, the USS Albacore Museum, where you can tour a unique naval submarine. Portsmouth, built on the Piscataqua River, is a charming town with houses that date all the way back to the 1700’s. After about an hour of driving, we exited the interstate at exit 3, Route 33 for our first view of New Hampshire: Portsmouth. Hopefully we would get some breaks in the weather and we did. It was raining really hard as we left Boston and it was easier to take Interstate 95, knowing we wouldn’t be able to make as many stops in the rain. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating. The plan was to take US Route 1 and some of Hwy 1a as much as possible. Since it was summer, I had counted on warm, sunny weather. Once we picked up our rental car at Boston Logan International Airport, and after stocking up on food and the always important snacks, we headed north. We would’ve loved to explore Boston some but this trip was more about the road trip and Acadia National Park. Our fly and drive July road trip started when we flew to Boston from Atlanta. To add the map to your Google Maps, click the star at the end of the map’s title. You can use them all at once or remove a layer. Click the icon in the top left hand corner to see and remove the layers from the map.