As per tradition, Josh and I went up to Maine for our five year (!!!!!!) dating anniversary. We stayed at his parents’ trailer at a campground in Kennebunk, and I always look forward to these trips. (We’re going again at the end of the month.) We were up there from Friday to Monday, and I’m grouping everything together in one post, so it might be a bit longer than usual.
Where We Went
Octopus Bookshop: This was a returning favorite from last year! Josh got a picture book called Kittybunkport for our niece (it’s about two cats who live in “Kittybunkport” and have to figure out why the local lighthouse is haunted), and I got Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman; it’s not the usual type of book I read, but I’ve seen it going around online and the premise does seem pretty interesting.
Raptor Falls mini golf: Josh had been here before with his family, but for some reason, we’ve never gone. So it was a must-do on this trip. The course was fairly busy for a Friday afternoon, and after I had a rough go at the start of it, I still ended up losing. (I’m blaming the glass of wine I had before at the wine house in Kennebunk.) Also, the dinosaurs roared and moved but weren’t super scary.
Sanford Mainers baseball game: The Mainers are a summer collegiate baseball team (like the Cape Cod league), and the Mainers are part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. We went to a game last year, and I checked the schedule when we were planning for this trip.
The Mainers were playing the Uppervalley Nighthawks, and I think the NECBL could benefit from a pitch clock. The game started at 6:30 pm and we didn’t leave until 10:00 pm; the first and second innings were incredibly long, and I didn’t think we’d end up leaving. The Mainers won 9–5.
We ate at the game: chicken tenders and a pretzel; we got beers from the beer tent from a local brewery.
LL Bean/Freeport outlets: I’m grouping these places together since they’re within one block of each other in Freeport. I always love going to the flagship LL Bean store; unfortunately, they’re still under construction from work that started last year, and I think everything will be fully open this fall.
Josh ended up getting a new backpack at the main store, and at the outlet across the street, he got a new pair of sneakers, and I got a new bathing suit cover-up. (Everything in the outlet is at least 30% off the ticket price, which is awesome.) We also met and got to pet the world’s floofiest golden retriever named Archie, and I hope he’s living his best life.
Two Brothers’ Books: We stumbled upon this bookstore last year in Freeport, and it was right down the street from Maine Beer (where we went for lunch), so we popped into their new location this year. It’s what you would think of a used bookstore: handmade wooden shelves packed with books and books in stacks in the corners and bonus: two cats! We encountered them last year, and I believe their names are Bonnie and Clyde. I got two books: The Lost World by Michael Crichton and The Haldeman Diaries: Inside the Nixon White House by H.R. Haldeman.
Downtown Kennebunkport: We always go here whenever we’re up in Maine, so that’s why I stopped taking pictures (haha). It’s a small downtown area with a bunch of shops and restaurants. I really wanted to go to the pet store, and we snuck in three minutes before they closed at 5:00 pm (in my defense, I thought they were open until 6:00). We quickly got two catnip toys for Cannoli, apologized, paid, and got out of there. We popped into a few other shops, including a souvenir store where I got another Kennebunkport crewneck sweatshirt.
Antique stores (Anytime Antiques and Bo-Mar Hall Antiques & Collectibles): Route 1 in Wells is full of antique stores, and these are two we always like to go to. It’s fun to walk around and see everything. There were some things that I was tempted to get, but we basically have a fully furnished condo so it’s like, okay, well, do we actually have room for this? Maybe once we get a house…
Elements Books • Coffee • Beer: Another favorite from last year! It’s in downtown Biddeford and has a full drink and snack menu along with a ton of books to purchase. Josh got a beer, and I got an Italian Soda (Spindrift and strawberry syrup). He watched the World Cup final game on his phone while I browsed the books; I got I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara.
Gooch’s beach: We wanted an easy day on Monday since we were leaving later that night, so we decided on beach day. This is our go-to beach, and luckily Josh’s parents get a seasonal beach pass that we can use to park for free. Also, the one nice thing about this beach is that the parking is right next to the beach, so you can drop your stuff down off the sidewalk onto the sand (compared to schlepping from a parking lot).
We were there from just after 10:00 am to around 3:30 pm. I continued reading Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering, which I had started the day before. The water was super cold, so we didn’t actually go in, just walked through up to our ankles.
(And I got sunburned, which should surprise no one.)
What We Ate + Drank
Bev’s Cafe: One of my favorite places to go in Kennebunk! I got a chicken Caesar wrap, and Josh got a turkey pesto melt. Although my wrap was really good, I secretly wished I got the melt. But it’s a cute place to go for lunch, and they also have super cute bathroom wallpaper and decor.
Wine House on Main: This is right down the street from Bev’s, and we’ve driven by it a ton but haven’t gone yet. So we popped in there after lunch at Bev’s and stopping in Octopus Bookstore. You can order by the glass or bottle, and they have some tables inside and outside. We sat outside, and I got a glass of rosé, and Josh got a glass of white wine.
Maine Beer Company: This is our favorite brewery in Freeport! We both got flights, which has changed since the last time we were there. Before, we each got a separate flight board, but now they put each of our four glasses on the same tray. Josh and I were sitting upstairs, so I made him carry the tray up the stairs because I didn’t trust myself. For food, we split a pretzel with beer mustard and a margherita pizza.
Ryan’s Corner: This is one of Josh’s favorite places to go in The Port (downtown Kennebunkport). They recently moved locations but are still in The Port. Josh got a Smithwick’s beer, and I got a soda; for our meals, I got a haddock reuben, and Josh got a cheeseburger.
KPort Bagel: I’m convinced they have the best bagels ever. This is another repeat favorite; I got a salt bagel with veggie cream cheese, and Josh got a cheddar bagel with veggie cream cheese. The line is usually longer on the weekend mornings, but it’s worth the wait.
Las Olas: This was a new-to-us place for this summer since we were looking to grab lunch in Wells before going to the antique shops. I found it on Google Maps, and sometimes these are the best finds under the “restaurant” search. It’s a locally-owned Mexican restaurant, and it reminded us of another Mexican place in western MA we’ve been to before.
I got a chicken bowl, and Josh got a chicken quesadilla. Both were really good; however, the quesadilla wasn’t a typical quesadilla; all of the “innards” were put on top of a grilled tortilla. Josh said it was fine but just not what he was expecting. It wouldn’t stop us from going back again, though.
Scoop Deck: Josh and I split an ice cream flight, consisting of:
- Peanut Butter Fudge
- Cannoli
- Black Raspberry Oreo
- Blueberry
- Not So Thin Mint
- Sea is for Cookie
Brickyard Hollow: This was a new-to-us brewery! There are a bunch of locations across southern Maine, and we decided to go to the location in Biddeford. We sat at the bar so Josh could watch the end of the World Cup final. I got a flight, he got a pale ale, and we split a chicken bacon ranch pizza. It was a great spot, and I’d love to try one of their other locations.
Sebago Brewing: For some reason, this seems to be our last meal stop before going home. Josh said we need to change that the next time we go to Maine by going there for dinner first. I got a fruited sour, and Josh got a pilsner; for our dinners, I got the Pressed Vermont Melt, and Josh got the Runabout Reuben.
On Saturday and Sunday nights, Josh and I watched Jaws—my first time ever watching it! It’s a perfect summer movie, and I wanted to finally watch it after we went to the Jaws bridge in Edgartown, MA when we were on Martha’s Vineyard.
We also had a fire and made s’mores on Sunday night!
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 