Kennebunk, Maine | Beaches, Lobster Rolls & Historic Architecture
Kennebunk, Maine, is the kind of town with a gazebo on the green, friendly locals that nod hello, free downtown parking, and easy access to the beach.
By Brenda Darroch|Apr 03 2013|
Parsons Beach is the perfect place to take a dog in the off-season.
Credit: Brenda Darroch
Downtown Kennebunk, Maine
Credit: Brenda DarrochCredit: Brenda Darroch When my husband and I took a day trip to my hometown of Kennebunk, Maine, recently, Parsons Beach was our first destination. Unlike the better known Kennebunk beaches that have a public roadway running alongside them, Parsons – a privately owned beach off the beaten path – is sheltered, making it the perfect place to take our four-legged traveling companion, Brewski, who had been confined to the car long enough to need to run. Dark clouds hung heavy in the sky suggesting our excursion might not be dry a one, but also worked in our favor as only a handful of people were out braving the weather, allowing us to snatch up a parking space. The rules of the beach set forth on a large sign at the head of the path leading to the shore are quite simple: Respect. Respect the land, respect the wildlife, respect the landowners. With that in mind, we let Brewski romp in the surf, sprint across the long stretch of sand, and chomp on sticks until he was the wettest, dirtiest – and most likely, smelliest – dog on the beach. A wet, dirty dog is also a tired one, so with that task out of the way, we left him in the care of my parents and headed downtown.
Parsons Beach is the perfect place to take a dog in the off-season.
Credit: Brenda DarrochCredit: Brenda Darroch We weren’t going to shop – though there are many independently-owned stores worth checking out – but to take a leisurely stroll past some of the town’s stately homes. In 1963, Kennebunk became the first town in Maine to set up a historic district, and the streets are lined with stunning examples of architectural styles that date back to the 18th century. I’d seen them many times before, of course. They were part of my childhood landscape: I’d trundled past them on the school bus, whizzed by them on my bike, and barely noticed them by the time I was driving. Today I would really look at them. Had this trip happened later in the season, we would have signed up for a walking tour at the Brick Store Museum. Instead, armed with a copy of their guidebook Windows on the Past, we walked up Main Street to Summer Street, equipped to identify which of the mansions that once housed Kennebunk’s merchants and sea captains were classified as Italianate, Federal, Greek Revival and Second Empire.
House styles clockwise from top left: Italianate, Second Empire, Greek Revival, and Second Empire
Credit: Brenda DarrochCredit: Brenda Darroch The most famous of Kennebunk’s historic homes is the Wedding Cake House. It sits further down Summer Street than we were planning to walk, but, if you’re in the area, it’s certainly worth a look. Legends surrounding the origin of its ornate trim are plentiful, but just that — legends. While ship builder George Washington Bourne did indeed build this house for his bride Jane Jefferds, it was not a replacement for a wedding cake they were unable to eat before their ship set sail. Nor did Jane die as a young bride at sea.
The Wedding Cake House
Credit: Brenda Darroch
You’ve shared such a lovely visit with us.
HeathA
Wonderful post, Brenda! It’s so neat reading the perspective of a true local, and I especially love how you featured the different kinds of architecture. Brewski looked like he had fun, too.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for this lovely post. I still call Kennebunk my hometown even though I left 50 plus years ago. I spent 8 years in the Kennebunk and Kennebunkport area from age 6 to 13 and it was a town that as a child we had free rein to go anywhere on our own. Mom worked as Associate Director of the Brick Store Museum. I was allowed to dress the models in antique dresses from the collection in the attic. Mother’s Beach was called Kennebunk Beach then and Parson’s Beach was my family’s favorite beach to walk on anytime of the year except the dead of winter. I could go on with the my memories, but they would take up too much space. As you can tell, I’m having major nostalgia issues 🙂
Thanks, HeathA and Aimee.
Janet, I would love to hear more of your memories.
Thanks for such a wonderful post.I love Kennebunkport. Have visited there many times.
Thank you, Brenda 🙂 I have so many they would take up too much space. I lived at 29 Park Street from 1952 to July 1959. In Kennebunkport, we lived in the Perkins house on Main Street. As children, we had the run of both towns because the times were more trusting. The era of walking to school the whole school year. We lived so close to all schools. Hmm! Our first home was the Arundel Apartments I think it’s Ocean Dr. I could hear the water swooshing under our bedroom floor. My parents owned a gift shop for one year on Ocean near the Old Lobster Roll that was owned by friends of their. The shop fell into the river, I believe in the Perfect Storm of ’93 or maybe before 🙂 No one was hurt. Fun times working in the shop, and poaching Christmas trees from Booth Tarkington’s land, wondering who lived on Walker’s Point and thinking the home would make a perfect setting for a Nancy Drew Mystery:)
Beautiful Springer! What fun!
I loved this! Just a little visual vacation after a hard day at work. Thanks.
This really stirred up memories. I was raised in Kennebunkport and graduated from Kennebunk High school in 1957. I walked home from school many, many times after basketball practice and vividly remember deciding each time weather to go via the “Sheep Pasture Rd.” or through the ‘Port as I meandered up to the Town House district. I loved looking at all those old homes along the way and appreciated you pointing out so many of them.
Thank you for causing an old Mainer to have a fit of nostalgia here in the sunny south. Well written. Wicked good.
I visited in Oct. 2011, and this was such a wonderful visit. The weather was great and the area is so beautiful. I can;t wait to go back.
Hi Brenda!!
Tom had mentioned that you were in the store a short while ago. I wish I had been there, it would have been great to see you! Great writing….and of course, great content!! Stop by again, and maybe we can say ‘hi’.
Tiffany
Ssssh, been going to Parsons for 30 plus years. It’s kind of like a secret garden and unchanged!
Thanks, PJ. We think he’s pretty great!
Thanks, Kathy. That’s the best compliment I could ever imagine receiving.
Thanks, Norma. We’ll be featuring Kennebunkport here when it gets a bit warmer.
Hi Tiffany — I’m so disappointed you weren’t there, too. It was fun to meet Tom, and it would have been great to see you! Maybe next time.
wow!what a blast from the past.my wife and i use to drive through maine each weekend back in the 80/90s for a relaxing break from every day stresses,we drove along the coast all the way to the canadian border and stopped at night to eat and rest at some of the finest places to be found.we always saved kennebunk and kennebunkport for the return trip[like getting cream on dessert] as a special feeling we always got there.we lived in new hampshire but our hearts were in maine.we have since moved to west virginia[because of a loss of a family member].we stayed to care for a brother in law[he was 85],they had no children.now we are too old to do much traveling so we enjoy our yankee magazines to do our memories some catching up.thank you for a really fantastic article. may god bless you .
You just made my day, Leo!