Top Spots to See and Best Lodging for Short Maine Trip
 

We will be driving from Pennsylvania to Maine in July. We only have four days including the travel time to and from. We are leaning towards Kennebunkport. We have never been to Maine and are open to suggestions as to another place to stay such as Bar Harbor, Camden, etc. We're already tied to the car for too many days in my opinion and would like to stay at one lodging for the whole trip. Is Kennebunkport a good starter trip for such a short time or is there somewhere else we should stay? Thanks to all in advance.

Maine is a huge state, and your best bet would be to have a look at "Maine, An Explorer's Guide", which is incredible for planning a trip to Maine, even one of only four days.

Kennebunkport would be an excellent base point for a four day trip. There's plenty to see and do right there, and in nearby Ogunquit, York, and even Kittery (if you love outlets). And, if all that's not enough, Portland is not too far away, or even Freeport (home of the awesome L. L. Bean).

seachambers.com in Ogunquit...love their retro pool, laid back feel.

Go to Portsmouth and see Strawberry Banke.

It's been a few years since we were in Kennebunkport and Ogunquit but I still remember in Ogunquit, walking a trail along side the water that was beautiful and at the end eating the best lobster ever at a lobster pound on a patio overlooking boats.

Due to the travel time between PA and ME, you probably don't want to go too far north. In fact, I think I would recommend Portsmouth NH, too. It depends on what you like to do. I think Portsmouth has more to offer in the same area: great restaurants, boat rides, nearby sandy beaches, theater, music, etc. If you want off the beaten path type things you really need to go north of Portland to the mid-coast area. When we explore Maine, we tend to do a lot of driving esp down any road that looks interesting. To get ourselves to relax and enjoy the view we might do things like take a picnic lunch to the top of Mt Battie (via auto road) overlooking Camden harbor. There's usually not a lot of people there but downtown Camden in July is mobbed.
Guessing that your 4 days means driving Friday and Monday with two full days to enjoy, my suggested Portsmouth itinerary would be arrive early enough to enjoy a good restaurant. Get up early Sat to browse the farmers market. Park in the downtown garage, go on boat ride, choose a good place for lunch, browse shops or visit Strawbery Banke. Choose play or music entertainment for evening. Sunday: drive over thru Newcastle. Walk along coast at Odiorne Point. Check beach scene in Hampton or Rye. Watch boats. Have a lobster roll someplace. Take a kayak lesson. Choose another great restaurant for dinner.
Have a great trip.

Kennebunkport is an excellent choice, especially if you are a beach person. There are lots of wide, sandy beaches in Ogunquit-Kennebunkport area, plus scenic lighthouses, rocky coves, etc. Bar Harbor is a long drive, and although it is spectacularly beautiful, it is not known for it's beaches. Ditto for Camden. Portsmouth or Portland would make a good rainy day trip from Kennebunkport.

Thanks for all the great ideas. I think we'll stick with Kennebunkport as it sounds there are enough towns close by for us to visit without driving too far. I might check into flying too just so we have more time. Now where to stay. Maybe Captain Lord Mansion or the Arundel. Does anyone know anything about these two lodgings? Off to the bookstore to investigate. Thanks.