We drove from New Hampshire back into Maine to visit Kennebunkport, the summer home of the Bush family, and some gorgeous oceanfront! We were quite happy to be back along the coast and at sea level, as the weather in the New Hampshire mountains was a bit chilly. We stayed in a historic hotel, the Nathaniel Lord Mansion, which was built in 1812 by a local ship builder of the same name.
The house has an interesting origin story. During the War of 1812, the British blockaded ports along the Maine coast, so shipbuilders didn’t have all of the materials they needed to build their ships. Rather than lay off his work force, Nathanial Lord had them build him a house instead. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places. It obviously needs a paint job!
Little did I know when we checked in that this house is supposedly haunted, particularly by Nathanial Lord’s wife Phoebe, but as per usual, I saw nothing. There was an oddity though. The bed in our room was very high. I mean really really high, to the point you needed a step stool to get in! You didn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and forget you weren’t at home!
After checking into the hotel we took in a few local sights. There was a nice little hike nearby at the East Point Sanctuary, with excellent views of the surrounding coastline. This is the Wood Island Lighthouse just off the coast.
We were able to catch the sunset at Cape Porpoise on Bickford Island, just 15 minutes from Kennebunkport. The flag is flying at half mast due to the recent mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, bringing a somber edge to an otherwise beautiful view.
The next morning we walked around downtown Kennebunkport, which is very much a tourist town, but still manages to retain its charm.
We took a 30 minute drive down the Maine coastline to the town of Ogunquit, home of the “Marginal Way”, one of the best short hikes to be found in Maine. It’s called the Marginal Way as it’s on the “margin” between the water and the land, which sounds like pretty much any walk along a coastline, but with views like these who am I to argue?
This is a really gorgeous spot, and a must visit if you are traveling through Maine. Even in the off-season the trail was pretty crowded.
Near the center of Ogunquit is this beautiful memorial to all military members, past and present. Love the colors on the top stone!
That night we braved the cold and walked 30 minutes to The White Barn restaurant in Kennebunk (adjacent to Kennebunkport). The interior is stunning, and the food is even better! This was not a cheap meal by any means, but it was worthy of a Michelin Star, if only Michelin made their way to these smaller towns.
Each table was adorned with these individual pieces of art, created by a French sculptor using only sterling silver knives, forks and spoons. I was shocked to discover this particular piece cost over $3000! If only Kim had brought a big purse!
This is Kennebunkport Harbor on our way back to our hotel. I just love how good these new phones are at shooting photos in dark conditions!
The next morning we walked out to the “Walker’s Point” viewpoint via Ocean Ave. There is a plaque at the viewpoint for President George H.W. Bush titled an “Anchor to Windward”. The text reads As he was for our nation and world during four years of tumultuous and historic change, so, too, has Kennebunkport served, in the words of St. Paul, “as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” to him.
Here is the rest of the monument, with the anchor, and the Bush Compound in the background.
This is the summer home for the Bush family, and one of George H.W. Bush’s favorite spots, where he spent the bulk of his childhood. The estate has been in the Bush family since the late 19th century, and the first homes were built here in 1902.
I used my zoom to get a photo of some of the security systems in place along the shoreline.
We had one other dinner in an outstanding spot in Kennebunkport, this time at “Earth at Hidden Pond”. In the main dining area, a large lit cherry tree hangs upside down from the ceiling, and slices of some of the trees that were used to build the place adorn the walls. The food was also pretty good, but we’d give the nod on food to The White Barn.
On our last day in the Kennebunkport area we took two more hikes. The first one is a cute little mile long walk in the “Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge”, which goes into detail on the life of a marsh system.
The second was at the adjacent “Wells Reserve at Laudholm”. There are a lot of “reserves” in Maine, and it was very nice to see. We took the trail to the Laudholm Beach, and pretty much had the place to ourselves.
Up next, we make the drive to Boston, and spend the last three days of our trip in the incredibly historical city.