Kennebunkport

Just north of Wells, Route 9 breaks off to the town of Kennebunkport, and I strongly recommend that you drive into “the Port,” as the locals call it. This is a storybook village, but was originally a fishing port. In the fall, the ancient trees on its main streets pour forth with gorgeous colors of red, yellow, orange, and everything in-between. You can still see the lobstermen go out to sea each day to empty their traps and to bait them for the next day’s catch. Kennebunkport has become a tourist Mecca, especially for its shops. To absorb the charm of this town with its lovely stately homes and elm-tree-lined streets, allow time to include a walking tour of the town center. Afterwards, find a spot to have a cup of New England clam chowder or a Maine lobster. One of the sights outside the town is the Wedding Cake House on Route 9A, which, as the stories go, was decorated with all manner of gingerbread trim by a sea captain who was called to sea immediately after his wedding.