Hotels in Kennebunk, ME

Kennebunkport is a striking seaside city in southern Maine worth checking out. Throughout the year, visitors flock from near and far to enjoy Kennebunkport’s beautiful beaches, explore fun heritage museums, and discover the many delicious seafood dishes all across town. For a peek into the past, you can’t miss the Seashore Trolley Museum, which displays an impressive collection of streetcars and even offers antique trolley rides. Explore the many historic sites and landmarks around town, including the rustic, 1887 St. Ann’s Episcopal Church that rests peacefully on grassy grounds with ocean views. Then, head to the 1833 Goat Island Lighthouse, which sits in the harbor of the charming fishing village of Cape Porpoise. Tour town from top Kennebunk hotels and take advantage of the city’s many incredible beaches, scenic lighthouses and indelible eats, including lobster, clams, and other fresh, local seafood. So, grab your swimwear and plenty of sunscreen because you’re about to have a beachside blast while exploring this historic fishing village turned seaside tourist hot spot.

While touring around town near hotels in Kennebunk, make a fun visit to the Seashore Trolley Museum, the world's first and largest museum of mass transit vehicles. This fascinating indoor-outdoor museum features an array of beautifully restored public transit vehicles and artifacts to discover, with a main focus on old trolley cars. You can expect to see other vehicles, too, including rapid transit trains, Interurban cars, trolley buses, and motor buses. Owned and operated by the New England Electric Railway Historical Society, the museum's collection is incredibly extensive with over 350 vehicles, including 10 trolley and railroad cars that were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as Maine Trolley Cars. Spend a few hours of fun discovering the history and mechanics of these incredible vehicles, and even enjoy an antique trolley ride on a private heritage railroad.

For the quintessential seaside sunset moment during your stay, head down to Colony Beach located at the mouth of the Kennebunk River. Perfectly situated for drinking in ocean views, this is a great place to relax in the warm sand and catch rays all afternoon long. Take a dip in the water, and you’ll discover the warmer-than-usual water here, as the breakwater keeps the temperatures higher than the surrounding beaches in Kennebunk. Colony Beach feels like a local’s best-kept secret as it’s typically uncrowded and parking can be a deterrent for the faint of heart.

Kennebunk offers three main beaches, all divided into distinct areas with their own names and attributes. Just outside the best Kennebunkport hotels, explore the shores of Mother’s Beach for a family-friendly and smaller stretch dotted with lifeguards, or head to Middle Beach, just a bit farther north for a picturesque narrow beach composed of mostly smooth pebbles and rocks. Keep moving down the sandy stretch of beach, and you’ll hit Gooch’s Beach, the most popular of the three for its sugar-fine white sand, good surf, and a jetty perfect for fishing from the beautiful Kennebunk River.

Enjoy your coastal getaway to Kennebunkport, and don’t forget to check out our other hotels nearby in Wells, Freeport, and Augusta.