Your Dining and Shopping Guide to a Weekend in the Kennebunks

Cape Pier Chowder House

The charm and pace of Maine take the cake when it comes to late summer or early fall domestic travel. For our girls’ reunion trip, the goal was simple: maximize quality time and true relaxation. For us, that meant long walks, much-needed rest (especially for us moms of little ones), wine on the hotel lawn, and, when traveling with me, a food stop every 2–3 hours. For just a weekend, in my opinion, it’s the only way to pack in both the iconic and up-and-coming dining destinations. 

Had we stayed one more day, I might have admitted that I overdid it on the lobster. But, truly, our Maine lobster picks were perfect — and yes, it’s just that good. We tried two different styles of lobster rolls at iconic haunts and cracked our own no-frills lobster dinner on the water after a private boat trip to an oyster farm. Then, for the grand finale — and I mean “grand” in every way — White Barn Inn’s four-course dining experience celebrated the hallmarks of New England with a refined, excellent preparation. A mini lobster roll with caviar and butter-poached lobster tail over gnocchi? Simply divine.

First things first, we stayed at Kennebunkport Captain’s Collection, a collection of luxury bed and breakfast-operated historic homes just a stone’s throw from town. The location is ideal, and the charm is unmatched. I highly recommend William Jefferds House for the aesthetic and sophisticated design. I fell in love with the common areas and patio. I highly recommend a late night by the fireplace with a bottle of wine from Maine & Vine (more on that below!).

We absolutely loved getting “lost” in the clusters of shops surrounding various good stops, hence why you’ll see me flag neighboring shops to our favorite restaurants. Scroll for the complete list, and be sure to tap through my Instagram story highlight for a visual version!

Seacraft Vintage’s Kport Shops location

SHOPPING

Kennebunkport Square

Daytrip Society: Precious gift store of trending accessories and tasteful nods to the region. I grabbed a lobster hair clip within seconds of entering and wore it all weekend!

Daytrip Jr.: Take all my money. A spin-off neighboring shop to Daytrip Society, this is he best children’s merchandising I have seen of Rylee & Cru and their family of brands, along with toys and more for little ones

Seacraft Vintage: Vintage-meets-contemporary quintessential New England style and goods in a precious navy cottage in town, with a second location (their original) right next to KPort Bagels

The Candy Man: Homemade old-school chocolatier and the trustworthy spot for touristy favorites, like chocolate-covered blueberries and lobster lollipops/gummies

Maine & Vine Wine Shop: Chilled bottles of rosé at the ready and a wall of Maine beers to bring home (if you check your bags!).

Northwest across the bridge in Kennebunk

Baske: High end interior and home decor shop that will make you want to restyle your shelves entirely

Bliss: Housed in the same building as Baske, a contemporary women’s clothing and accessories, including a great denim selection

KW Contemporary Art: The second-floor gallery above Baske and Bliss shops curates a fantastic contemporary-meets-coastal exhibition of visual artists, including Betsy Enzenberger (who sculps the melting popsicles I adore), Hunt Slonem, and Carolyn Johnson

Noble Goods: One-of-a-kind, artisanal small goods for the home

Southern Kennebunkport (with Mabel’s Lobster Claw)

Dannah for Men: Add 30 minutes to your trip to Mabel’s Lobster Claw to peruse this shop. Fabulous curation of men’s wear (Including great brands like Faherty), accessories, and gifts

Coveside Market: Adorable market with coffee stand, grab and go goods, local accoutrements, wines and chilled beers, and more takeaways for a perfect beach or boat day

Mabel’s Lobster Claw

DINING

Morning

Dock Square Coffee House: Begin your morning with a seasonal latte and blueberry crumb bar to fuel your town walk

KPort Bagel: New York style bagels and shmears

Fiafia Smoothie Cafe": Beautiful and bountiful acai bowls

Day

Clam Shack: Combo mayo-butter lobster roll box — but don’t miss the frozen blueberry margarita and blueberry hand pie

Mabel’s Lobster Claw: Lobster roll and a crisp Maine beer on the front porch

Cape Pier Chowder House: No-frills waterfront lobster “dinner”—or, in our case, a snack—and a clam chowder. We opted for a 1.5-lb. lobster and were very pleased with our selection.

Big Daddy Ice Cream: Taste the Maine blueberry pie for a unique flavor, or indulge in your classic favorite in a waffle cone

Night

Wandby Landing: Maine meets coastal Italian. Order the lobster agnolloti, crab toast, and pizzas

The Lost Fire: An outdoor oasis surrounding a fire pit. Splurge for the wagyu ribeye, sliced by your server, with shareable sides and Argentinian inspired starters such as the empanada of the day

White Barn Inn Restaurant: Worth the hype. A four-course seasonal menu, so phenomenal that I was paralyzed by the beauty between the choices – and I quickly realized I couldn’t make a bad one. The service, the wine menu, the cozy yet elegant candlelit barn ambiance make this experience memorable by all accounts. We saved this for the final night, which I recommend!

White Barn Inn Restaurant

Luca by The Lost Fire

Our Primary Bathroom Renovation

You know that one task on your to-do list that always tumbles from the top and continues to carry over each week? Or the dream idea that turns into a can kicked down the road for an infinite period of time?

This was our primary bathroom, the step child of our one-room home renovations that needed the most love but couldn’t find its way among the sea of priorities and homeownership woes.

When we first bought our house, the bathroom was a mandatory. We went to the drawing board with Ann Parker of Parker Design Studio at the same time as our kitchen renovation, which was constructed seamlessly before move-in in fall 2021. But then, we had to invest in French drains. And then, we found out we were pregnant with Hudson — nursery. And then, we found out we were pregnant with Ava — nursery 2.0. And then, life caught up with us.

Sound familiar?

Our primary bathroom is only used by us, compared to every other space in our home, so I chose to close it off and deal with it. It’s life, and we hoped we would get to it eventually. 

However, the tile was decaying, the sink was faulty, the tub drain was loose, and the absence of storage kept me in a constant tizzy. At last, while on maternity leave with Ava, I decided that if I didn’t do it now, I never would!

We brushed off Ann’s plans, revisited Daniel Studdard at Ferguson to select plumbing and finishes, and surrounded ourselves with samples and tiles until my head spun. As is the case with many other facets of my life, however, I gave myself a deadline and made decisions as if the countdown was my pulse — it was now or never!

Overall, the goal of our renovation was to achieve an optimal floor plan and functionality. From a decor standpoint, I leaned into decisions that could stand well on their own while leaving room for future layers, if you will: wall coverings, art, additional fixtures, etc. 

Structurally, we squared off the shower and soaker tub to (what feels like) double the space. Originally, a corner jacuzzi and opposite corner shower took up quite the square footage. The new glass shower doors opened up the space visually while continuing a sense of privacy with its original plumbing placement. The only plumbing work required was shifting the bath tub drain a few inches!

I ventured to Countertops of Memphis—who outfitted our kitchen countertops and exceptional fireplace—to select a remnant for the vanity top and curb. My eye was drawn to a stone with large veining that offered both browns and grey, enabling me to lean into both warm and cool details throughout the bathroom.

Our selections included a white oak custom vanity and linen cabinet with brass hardware, cooler white and cream tiles for the shower and floor, and absolutely jaw-dropping Brizo luxe gold finishes from Ferguson, where I’ve worked with Daniel Studdard over the years.

We ensured as much storage as possible in the plans considering a complete lack thereof, and I’m thrilled with the drawer and cabinet makeup of both custom pieces. I know I’ll eventually fill every drawer, but it’s crazy to admit that we have three empty ones! 

To maximize the width of our custom vanity without adjusting the door frames and walls into our walk-in closet, Ann brilliantly suggested to cut the Countertops of Memphis vanity top around the existing door molding and match it on the other corner edge. The oblong curve turned into a subtle motif for additional selections throughout the space: the mirrors, curves in the vanity lights, tub shape, and Brizo Invari shape. I It almost looks like we designed the top cut intentionally!

We opted for a glass door on the upper half of the linen cabinet, which gave me some creative license for shelf styling and a dreamy “spa vibe” aesthetic. I used accents from Bella Vita to fill the shelves with bubble bath products, vases, candles, trays, and the like. I also found the perfect canvas painting for above my tub and a warm and cozy Turkish rug runner. I hope to rotate the shelf accents seasonally to keep the space feeling refreshed and like the creative retreat and haven I had always dreamed of!

Shelby Wimberly painted the sweetest set of squares to visually balance our vanity area. I loved bringing in hints of blue and green to achieve a spa-like atmosphere while feeling fairly neutral in look and feel.

I feel instant calm when entering the space at the end of very long, fast-paced days. A bath is one of my favorite rituals that, while not daily, is definitely a priority during the work week. After the rush of the bedtime routine with Ava and Hudson, I feel lucky I can enter my little retreat and unwind here.

Almost four years later, and despite delays, the time has arguably made me appreciate the renovation that much more.