This was our third summer in a row camping in Maine. We’ve previously stayed in Bar Harbor and The Schoodic Peninsula. This year we were looking forward to a shorter drive to Kennebunkport. While Kennebunkport didn’t have as much hiking as we’re used to (more about that in the next post), it did have some absolutely beautiful beaches. That’s why this post is “Mainely” about beaches!
Goose Rocks Beach
Goose Rocks Beach was the first beach we visited as it’s only one mile from Sandy Pines Campground. You have to buy a $25 daily parking pass like we found out for many of the beaches in the area. You’re not promised a parking spot so plan to arrive early. As we arrived the whole area was masked by thick sea fog. We could not even see the land in the distance that’s shown in the picture below with Ava on the towel. We also arrived at low tide. There were boats adjacent to us laying on the hard and we were able to walk almost a half mile out on the fine sand. We finally got to the water and it was crystal clear, but really cold. Our kids don’t seem to be affected nearly as badly as we are of the cold water but I did hear them exclaim that their feet were numb and frozen! This beach has nice gentle waves at low tide and bigger ones at rising and high tides as the jetty across from the beach submerges and allows the full force of the Atlantic Ocean surge in. The tide came in we backed our towels up nearly a dozen times as we finally ended up right at the foot of the properties on Kings Highway. We were able to explain to the kids about the tides and force of the moon and they got to witness the effect first hand.
Ogunquit Beach
We met some friends at the campground by chance and they told us they were splitting their week in Maine by staying a half week in Ogunquit. We decided to take the scenic 45 minute drive to see what the hype was about. Bunches of quaint shops and restaurants line the streets of this busy town. Ogunquit is also known for it’s beach which we didn’t have the time to visit but we did walk The Marginal Way which takes you on an oceanside path up to the cliffs for panoramic views. We made numerous stops along to search in tide pools and climb on rocks until we were hurried back to the car by some incoming afternoon thunderstorms that turned out to be quite severe.
Mother’s Beach
Another Southern Maine gem can be found at Mother’s Beach in Kennebunk. We found parking immediately entering but had to once again pay the daily $25 fee. I can’t complain as we spent enough time at these beaches to make it worth the cost. It also must serve to keep things in their beautiful state. Mother’s Beach is known for it’s playground and our kids did love it! The waves are a bit rougher then Goose Rocks Beach but the kids enjoyed the new challenge, getting knocked down and dragged in by the surf. I had no idea Ava could submarine so well under the waves. She’d duck under the larger ones coming up on the other side! She got caught a few times but it didn’t seem to phase her. These kids are fascinating! They always seem to impress this proud papa in different ways.
We also had a great time exploring the tide pools at Mother’s Beach. Looking for crabs and snails and building sand forts that eventually would flood as we had to move our spot further and further back almost to the street as the tide with it’s impressive range made it’s way in.
Cape Porpoise
Not really a beach but the memorial park at the tip of Cape Porpoise kept the kids entertained for a couple hours. When we weren’t helping the kids catch crabs under the rocks we were able to enjoy view of The Goat Island Light as well as a stunning sunset.
The Cape Porpoise Memorial Park is directly across from The Cape Pier Chowder House on Pier Road. We actually went here twice after eating at the chowder house. The kids caught a few tiny crabs which we released after befriending them.
Cape Pier Chowder House
As mentioned above, we dined here twice during our weeklong stay. The food was great! Great chowder and scallops an of course, lobster. We discovered that Ava can eat a whole 1 1/2 pound lobster by herself as you’re eating your soup. Then she asks you if you’re going to eat your whole lobster! We came the first day we arrived a bit on the late side and had a bit of trouble finding a table. We arrived around five for our second dining experience and were able to sit right down. Earlier is better during the summer in Maine. One of the parking attendants asked us why all us out-of-towners seem to wait until 7 o’clock to decide go to dinner. Honorable mention to Noonan’s Lobster Hut as well for great lobster at good prices. Check out the slideshow below to well behaved kids enjoying the lobster shack experience.
There’s a real good reason we’ve been to Maine the past three summers. It’s so beautiful and there’s something for everyone to do. That’s the hard decision when Rv’ing. How do go out in search of new states and experiences when there are so many places you want to go back to?
Feel free to check out our video below capturing our Southern Maine Adventures and please stay tuned as we’ll cover Sandy Pines Campground in our next post. Thanks for stopping by.
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