Showing posts with label Kennebunkport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kennebunkport. Show all posts
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
As I mentioned in my post about a new direction that Caravan Sonnet is heading in (you can read more HERE!) I am excited to spend more time sharing about upstate New York, New York, and New England in my travel posts! Two weeks ago I shared that I am excited to share with y'all some recap posts from the New England Winter Road Trip that I took with my mom 2 years ago about a month before the world stopped due to the pandemic!
At the time I shared a couple of posts about our trip, but with the way the world changed I stopped sharing and didn't get to share even half of what we saw or what we did and so I am excited to revisit this trip and share more! I hope that it encourages you to consider taking a road trip (in part or in whole depending on your circumstances) this winter to this beautiful place in the world!
Happy Tuesday friends!
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Happy Monday friends! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! It was a chilly and full weekend here at the cabin, but absolutely nice. I was able to get my hair cut for the first time in months and it was lovely. Sometimes it is the small things isn't it? *smiles*
Today I am excited to share more about our New England Winter Road Trip that we took in February (prior to the outbreak of the COVID 19 virus and stay at home/shelter in place orders)! To read about the exact route that we took check out this post HERE! Here is a general overview...
You can read all of the posts from the trip by clicking the links below:
Maine
// Nubble Lighthouse //
New Hampshire
As I mentioned in my last post about our trip, after our time in Concord, New Hampshire, we started to make our way through and up the coast of Maine which was absolutely delightful. I had stopped at a couple of the places we spent time at on my one week road trip adventure through New England, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia (click HERE to read more) back in 2017, but to have this time with my mom added a special precious aspect to the trip.
Our first stop after grabbing some hot tea at Starbucks (after our freezing and chilly night at the Hotel Concord (you can read more about my review of this property HERE) was to drive up to the Nubble Lighthouse, or the Cape Neddick Lighthouse in York, Maine. You can read about our visit HERE!
After visiting the Nubble Lighthouse we headed up along the coast to Kennebunkport. From York to Kennebunkport it takes about 30 minutes (if you go route 1 like we did). In the warmer months during tourist season I imagine that traffic might make this a bit longer. One of the things we enjoyed was driving through some of the small towns along the way- it was just a lot of fun!
We soon arrived in Kennebunkport and I was excited to share with my mom this quaint town! I had been to Kennebunkport (briefly) back in 2015 (you can read about it HERE) while on a cruise and had quickly fallen in love with the sweet town. Being back in the winter didn't change my first impression at all. It truly is delightful and a place I would love to spend more time!
After driving around the town and briefly exploring it, we made our way out to Walker's Point. When I had been to Kennebunkport in 2015 it was to cloudy to see anything and so it was lovely to have the opportunity to see (from a distance) this historic spot.
Many people are aware that Walker's Point Estate is affectionately nicknamed the Bush Compound. In fact, while President Bush (Sr.) was in office it was nicknamed the "Summer White House".
What I was not aware of was how deep of a history that the property holds. The property has been in the family for generations and has a rich history. The property was originally purchased in the late 1800s by President Bush's great grandfather and his son. At the time they both built mansions on the property, although the later's has since been torn down. Interestingly, when the son "Bert" died in 1953, his son "Herbie" purchased the property from the estate as it was not willed to him. Later, when "Herbie" died in 1977, the property again went up for sale and was then purchased by "Herbie's" nephew, President Bush (senior) who had spent lots of his childhood at the estate.
Over the years President Bush, Barbara, and their children spent lots of time at the estate, and the property has been a famous backdrop for weddings, holidays, and even political receptions and retreats.
After we stopped to take pictures from a distance we drove a little bit more and were able to see the back area of the estate (as seen in the pictures above). It was a really neat thing to explore for this history teacher!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read today! Please let me know if you have any questions about Walker's Point Estate or our New England Winter Road Trip!
On our 2nd full day of cruising we arrived in Portland, Maine and after spending some time in Portland, and at the gorgeous Portland Head Lighthouse, we next went on to Kennebunkport, Maine. I have to say that Kennebunkport is one of my favorite places that I have ever visited and am already day dreaming of a future trip. It was simply adorable and so quaint y'all.
On the way to to Kennebunkport Michelle and I had a great time chatting and seeing the pretty views on the drive to the town.
The beautiful Maine coast was gorgeous even in the fog and clouds.
One of the most interesting houses that we saw on the way to Kennebunkport was the "Wedding Cake House". It is known as the "most photographed house" in the state of Maine.
When we arrived in Kennebunkport I immediately fell in love. It was absolutely adorable.
Kennebunkport, Maine has a fantastic and interesting history. Most people associate Kennebunkport as the summer home of former US President George H. Bush. President Bush was known to often invite famous world leaders to Kennebunkport and former US President George W Bush also invited some world leaders to this area. The Bush compound is located on Walkers Point. According to our tour guide the Bush family is well loved in Kennebunkport and recently the town named a garden in Barbara Bush's honor for her birthday.
The tour that we were on did include a drive by past the Bush's home, but due to the cloudy day and fog we were only able to see a little bit of the home. This picture below is from one of the Kennebunkport websites from a clear day, taken from above the home so that you can see an airel view.
Besides the history of the Bush family in Kennebunkport, there is a rich history that began in the late 1600's. Kennebunkport was apart of the Massachusetts Bay Colony but due Indian depredations, the town was depopulated by 1689 and was not settled again by Europeans until the early 1800s. At this time the town was renamed Arundel until 1821 when the town was renamed again, this time to Kennebunkport. The choice of the rename was due to the economy being one of shipbuilding and trade along the Kennebunkport River.
By the later 1800s, close to around 1870 the town became a popular summer destination with lots of homes and hotels built along the coastline. In 1947 much of Kennebunkport was affected by the Great Firs of 1947 and much of the housing had to be rebuilt along the certain parts of Kennebunkport.
Today the town of Kennebunkport is a popular tourist destination in different seasons including the summer and at Christmas when the there are special seasonal and holiday activities.
When we arrived in Kennebunkport we had not eaten lunch and we were looking for something yummy and yet quick so that we could spend some time enjoying the lovely town. After seeing the wait at several other restaurants, we ended up eating lunch at the Hurricane Restaurant in Kennebunkport and it was absolutely delicious! Honestly, I can't recommend this enough. The Hurricane Restaurant is located right in Dock Square and is easy to walk to from any part of Dock Square. What is really interesting is that the dining room literally sits on pilings and hangs over the Kennebunk River. The view from anywhere you sit in the dining room is lovely. While they didn't offer a gluten free menu, the chef was delightful to work with and I had a delicious meal and so I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has food sensitivities. If you are in the area and are looking to find out more information about the Hurricane Restaurant you can find their website HERE!
After we ate our delicious lunch we had a lovely time exploring some of the different shops along the town square. One of the first stops that I made was to the local pharmacy that had the cutest sign outside. While I was on the hunt for some much needed medical supplies for the cruise, I was enamoured with all of the adorable items that were inside. It was so cute!
The shopping in the town square is simply lovely. While it has a little bit of tourist options, it is also very quaint and I didn't feel that I was simply seeing tourist things, but instead there were lots of local aritisan creations and it was so fun to look around at the different shops. Walking around the town square was simply lovely, especially with the surrounding view of the Kennebunk River.
If you are looking to travel to Kennebunkport and want to find out more about the different shops along the town square and in the surrounding area this website HERE will provide lots of information!
Seeing Kennebunkport in the fall was wonderful but it has only made me want to revisit this special town again! Have y'all visited the Kennebunkport before? If not, I definitely recommend adding it to your list of "must see" travel places! You won't regret it!
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