8 Best Sights in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, The Southern Coast

Restaurants, art galleries, clothing boutiques, and other shops—both trendy and touristy—line this bustling square and nearby streets and alleys. Walk onto the drawbridge to admire the tidal Kennebunk River; cross to the other side and you are in the Lower Village of neighboring Kennebunk.

Three-mile-long Goose Rocks, a 10-minute drive north of Kennebunkport, has a good long stretch of smooth sand and plenty of shallow pools for exploring. It's a favorite of families with small children. Pick up a $25 daily parking permit at one of two kiosks along the beach: one outside of Goose Rocks Beach General Store at 3 Dyke Road and the other at the Proctor Avenue beach path. Dogs are allowed (on a leash), but only before 9 and after 5 during the summer season. There is one porta potty behind the General Store, but otherwise no facilities are available at the beach. Amenities: parking (fee). Best for: walking; swimming.

The cornerstone of this block-long preservation of early-19th-century commercial and residential buildings is William Lord's Brick Store. Built as a dry-goods store in 1825 in the Federal style, the building has an openwork balustrade across the roofline, granite lintels over the windows, and paired chimneys. Exhibits chronicle the Kennebunk area's history, art, and culture for kids and adults alike. In addition, museum staffers lead walking tours of Kennebunk's National Historic District (at noon on Thursday and Saturday from June through October) and of the town's beaches (at 11 on Saturday from July through September).

Also known as White Columns, this imposing Greek Revival mansion with Doric columns is furnished with the belongings of four generations of the Perkins-Nott family. From mid-July through mid-October, the 1853 house is open for guided tours and also serves as a gathering place for village walking tours. It is owned by the Kennebunkport Historical Society, which has several other historical buildings, including an old jail and schoolhouse, a mile away at 125–135 North Street.

Built in 1773, just before the American Revolution, this stunning church is a marvel. The 1804 Asher Benjamin–style steeple stands proudly atop the village, and the sounds of the original Paul Revere bell can be heard for miles.

Kennebunk Beach has three distinct stretches, one after another, along Beach Avenue, which is lined with cottages and old Victorians. The southernmost Mother's Beach is popular with families. Rock outcroppings lessen the waves, and a playground and tidal pools keep kids busy. This is followed by the stony Middle Beach. The most northerly, and the closest to downtown Kennebunkport, is Gooch's Beach, the main swimming beach. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: walking; swimming.

For an unusual experience, visit this 650-acre grasslands habitat that is home to several rare and endangered species and managed, in part, with controlled burns. Locals call it Blueberry Plains, and a good portion of the area is abloom with the hues of ripening wild blueberries in late July; after August 1, you are welcome to pick and eat all the berries you can find. The area is maintained by the Nature Conservancy.

This fun, visitor-favorite museum is an homage to transport from years past. Get an up-close look at trolleys from major metropolitan areas worldwide—from Boston to Budapest, New York to Nagasaki, and San Francisco to Sydney—beautifully restored and displayed (and, sometimes, operational). Best of all, you can take a nearly 4-mile ride on the tracks of the former Atlantic Shore Line Railway, with a stop along the way at the museum restoration shop, where trolleys are transformed from junk into gems. The outdoor museum is self-guided.