Loving Life: New England Road Trip - Kennebunkport, ME (Days 3-4)

When I began planning our New England road trip, there were some iconic New England cuisines that I new I wanted try. For example, I knew I needed to try Boston clam chowda, a New England lobster roll, fried clams, and of course Maine lobster. To eat a traditional Maine lobster dinner, our journey needed to take us to Maine.

For this part of our trip, I chose to stay in Kennebunkport. One reason for that is because Kennebunkport is located in the southeast part of Maine, so we didn’t have to drive too far up the coast to find our lobster dinner. But in my research, Kennebunkport also had a few other things that I found to be attractive. The actual town itself is small and kind of touristy, with several little gift shops. It made for a quiet place to take an evening walk. Plus it is on the coast, so it offered us a place to walk the beautiful rocky beaches and take in the scenery of the Northeast.

Kennebunkport even has whale watching tours, although we chose to go whale watching a few hours south, in order to fit whale watching into our schedule. Whale watching is a three hour tour, so after leaving Maine, we stopped at 7 Seas Whale Watch off the coast of Massachusetts, just before stopping at Plymouth to see historical Plymouth Rock, which is actually just a rock placed in a gated area for tourist to see. I wish there would have been more whales to see, but we did get to follow two or three whales that day. They are beautiful and magnificent creatures up close. It was definitely an adventure worth our time and money.

Kennebunkport also offered us my idea of a classic Maine lobster dinner. Newman’s Lobster Hut is about as casual as it gets, just as I imagined it to be. In my research, it was one of the best places to grab a traditional lobster dinner in Maine. I had never had lobster before this trip. Lobsters make for a filling meal and are not exactly cheap, so I ordered a salad and Matt ordered a lobster for us to “share”, although you really aren’t supposed to share a meal at Numan’s. There wasn’t much sharing though, because after a few bites, I discovered that I was not much of lobster fan. I didn’t care for the taste, but when in Rome, right? I mean, you can’t go to Maine and not try lobster.

While I might not have loved the taste of the traditional lobster dinner, I did have the best meal of the entire trip in Kennebunkport. If ever visiting this coastal town, one must stop by the Clam Shack and try the fried clams. They are fabulous! The Clam Shack has been featured on the Food Network, and their fried clams didn’t disappoint. It is literally just a little shack in town, where you walk up to the window and order, wait for your food to come out piping hot and then eat at the outdoor picnic tables nearby. We also tried a lobster roll from the Clam Shack. It was prepared much differently than the traditional lobster rolls of Boston. The Clam Shack prepares a much more simple roll, but just as tasty as the traditional lobster roll. While I might not care for a traditional lobster dinner, I do like lobster rolls. Mayonnaise makes everything better.

For me, the best part of Kennebunkport was the cottage where we stayed. The Cottages of Cabot Cove offer a variety of small, picturesque cottages for lodging. When I say small, I mean small. Only a few hundred square feet, and yet they all offer a living area, kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area. When you hear the square footage you think tiny, but then you walk up to the cottage and you see cozy. The cottages are actually all really close together, but they appear much more private thanks to great landscaping. The grounds also offer a place to go kayaking or row boating. The Cottages of Cabot Cove was the coziest place we stayed on this trip. as well as the most hospitable. Even though we brought our own food to cook, the “breakfast fairy” comes around in the morning and hangs a bag of yummy muffins, juice, yogurt and other snacks on the door. Ok, it was really just a worker hanging a bag of goodies on our door, but the idea of calling her the "breakfast fairy" makes the concept seem so much more enchanting. If I was just looking to relax and do nothing on vacation, this would have been a good place to do just that. I could have easily curled up in my tiny little cottage and read a good book, penned an entry in my journal or typed a blog entry on my laptop. While I’m not sure that Maine was my favorite stop on this trip (it was a little too chilly for me, considering it was the middle of June), it was by far my favorite place of lodging on this trip. Yes, the cottage was priced a bit high, but I think it was worth it. It was at least worth splurging a little for one night.

Summer Vacation

The Northeast Coast

Day 3 Part 2

Tuesday, June 19, 2013

Check into the Cottages at Cabot Cove 4:00 p.m. ($239 a night)

www.cabotcovecottages.com

7 South Main Street, Kennebunkport, ME

Shops on Dock Square 6:00 p.m.

Dinner – Nunan’s Lobster Hut at 7:00 ($30 for two)

www.nunanslobsterhut.com

9 Mills Road Kennebunport, ME 04046

Relaxing evening in cottages