Where to Travel from Kennebunkport, Maine

On September 24th I will be getting married in Kennebunkport, Maine. My wife and I want to leave from there and "explore" your state. What places do you recommend for us to go see? We plan to drive and stop along the way and see different places and things. Any suggestions?

Is there a "roadmap" of Maine for places to go and visit? And, is there a ferry that goes from Portland to Nova Scotia?

Liz's Reply...

Hi Bob, Congratulation on your upcoming wedding in Kennebunkport, Maine! Late September Maine vacations can be wonderful. Summer crowds have disappeared, the weather is cool enough to thoroughly enjoy outdoor activities, and as an added bonus...

...many lodging accommodations - hotels, motels, inns and bed and breakfasts - have cheaper rates after the summer tourist season.

As to where to travel from Kennebunkport, Maine...

There are so many awesome Maine vacation spots to choose from, that it can be difficult to decide where to go and what to do.

As you know, Maine is big, really big. At 320 miles long and 210 miles wide, it won't be possible to visit the entire state in one week. But within that timeframe you certainly can cover a lot of territory.

I have a few suggestions, but please keep in mind that it is hard to be specific without knowing what you and your fiance like or dislike.

From Kennebunkport, much of the state is accessible within a few hours' drive. For instance you could head north and west into the Lakes and Mountains region, or travel along the Maine coast and head Downeast, or do a combination of both!

However, I wouldn't try the latter. It packs to many things into one week. And after all, you will be visiting Maine each year on your wedding anniversary, right?

Although magnificent mountains and beautiful lakes can be found in Maine's interior, my suggestion would be to make this a coastal vacation. And to get a true appreciation for the how the mountains meet the sea...

...I would include Acadia National Park in your itinerary.

My honeymoon would begin with a drive from Kennebunkport to Bar Harbor, or a smaller town on Mount Desert Island - home to Acadia. A "must see", if you visit Acadia, is the splendid sunrise from the top of Cadillac Mountain!

After spending a few days relaxing in Downeast Maine, you could begin driving south, toward the Midcoast Maine region. This area is filled with great places to explore and things to do.

When you look at this area on map of Maine you can see how the coastline becomes very irregular, with fingers of land jutting out into Casco Bay. These are all fun to explore.

Some of my favorites are...

...Port Clyde, Boothbay Harbor, and Bailey Island.

Any of these places are nice for overnight stopovers (or longer), as are Camden, Rockland, Wiscasset and the dozens of towns and village in between.

To end your trip, you may like to visit Portland or Freeport.

Both places have a distinctly different feel - Portland is Maine's largest city, with a vibrancy to match, while Freeport is a picture perfect small New England village and an outlet shoppers dream.

As for taking a ferry from Portland, Maine to Nova Scotia...

Unfortunately, due to funding issues, there is no longer a CAT ferry from Portland to Nova Scotia. And at this writing, as far as I know, there are no ferries that make that trip.

You ask if there is a "roadmap" of places to visit in Maine...

Both the Maine Office of Tourism and the Maine Tourism Association, have trip planning tools on their websites. Perhaps with their help you can create your own "roadmap"!

As a side note...

If you plan to drive from Kennebunkport to Bar Harbor, be aware that Coastal Route 1 (which only provides limited glimpses of the coast) is not necessarily the quickest way to go, as traffic tends to get bogged down in some of the small towns.

The preferred direction is typically I-95 North to 295, then back onto 95 until you reach Bangor. At that point you would take 1A to Ellsworth, where it turns into Route 3 and heads directly into Bar Harbor.

Good luck in deciding where to travel from Kennebunkport, Maine - I hope I've helped, at least a bit!

Best regards,
Liz