OK, this rain has to stop! Kennebunkport and the rest of New England is apparently stuck in some kind of “Omega Block,” (thanks Keith Carson!) helping make this the coolest June in 20 years. Doesn’t make for beach weather, but luckily we have more to offer our guests than just sand and surf. We’ve been asked this a lot, so we are putting together a collection of our best ideas for spending a rainy in the Kennebunks.
Stay put at the Admiral’s Table
Luckily we serve up the best in Rhumb Burgers, lobster rolls, grilled fare, mixed drinks and beers under the roof at our super-casual seasonal bar and grill. Check out our menu here, and enjoy the day away with your traveling companions or make some new friends!
We also have an indoor pool and hot tub, so you have options if you don’t want to swim in the rain (but you’re wet anyway, so do you really care? 🙂
Games and more at Garden Street Bowl
Located in downtown Kennebunk, Garden Street Bowl and its restaurant, Crotux, offer the perfect escape on a rainy day! You’ll stay busy with a full bar featuring craft beer, wine, cider and kombucha, plus 10 bowling lanes and game room with skeeball, Jenga, cornhole, bocce, Pac-Man and more. Crotux is an eclectic restaurant featuring creative gastropub cuisine.
All aboard at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Drive back in time at the Maine Classic Car Museum
When you need to get under cover, whether it’s rain or too hot and humid out, The Maine Classic Car Museum in Arundel comes to the rescue! Every car has a story, and they can’t wait to share them with you! The museum is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM and features dozens of classic automobiles and astounding cultural curiosities. The 2023-24 exhibition stars America’s holy grail of car collecting, the Tucker 48 #1028 and crowd pleasers like, Doc Hudson the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a 1981 DMC Delorean. On the tour you will see rare automobilia, historical artifacts and short-subject films. And, of course, the museum features unique gifts for that car person in your life.
Escape to Sea Love and pour your own candle
Sea Love Candle in Dock Square Kennebunkport is a great space in which to lose yourself on a rainy day. Be sure to reserve your spot in advance, then sit back and enjoy the experience of creating your own perfect scent from 100 fragrance oils and pouring a candle or reed diffuser. It smells divine in here, you won’t want to leave!
Explore local history at the Brick Store Museum
The Brick Store Museum in downtown Kennebunk is an active, community museum focusing on local history, art and cultures of the Kennebunks and its surrounding communities. This museum is open year-round to offer rotating exhibitions, monthly educational programs and tours, historic preservation and archaeology projects, and community events. Current exhibits through Aug. 20 include “Wrapped in Blue: Fashions to Promote Global Health” as well as “Making the Modern World: A Century+ of Progress.”
Tour the town aboard In-Town Trolley
Making a 45-minute loop, In-Town Trolley provides a narrated sightseeing tour complete with local history, from the native Americans, early settlers, the shipbuilding era, tourist and summer resort and more recently the Presidential summer home. In-Town Trolley continues an early tradition of trolleys in the Kennebunks. The first trolleys ran from early 1900 to 1927, transporting summer guests from the local train station to their vacation destinations. Tours should be booked in advance; please note each fare ($54) accommodates up to two people. Cash fares for walk-ons are allowed if seats are available, and they are often not!
Bush family history on display
You all have heard of the Bush family and their beloved place in our community! Check out some cool artifacts at the Kennebunkport Historical Society’s “George H.W. Bush Hometown Collection”! This one-room exhibit offers a comprehensive look at the life of our 41st President. It includes a video timeline of his life prior to and including his tenure in the White House. Admission to the Bush exhibit is part of the admission ($12) to White Columns in Dock Square, Kennebunkport. The house tour includes history of Kennebunkport, its shipbuilding and maritime traditions, and the intriguing story of the family that inhabited the home. Tour times vary; check their website here. If it’s a Thursday, take a combination tour ($25), a walking tour around Kennebunkport, as well as a house tour of historic White Columns! Reservations required.
Lose yourself in Graves Library
There’s a certain charm about our beloved local library, not matter the weather or season. All visitors to the Louis T. Graves Library are welcome to visit this beautiful and historic library just outside Dock Square in Kennebunkport. Besides reading materials perfect for a rainy day, they often host events for the community, it also serves as a cultural and intellectual commons by providing free and unfettered access to knowledge and life-long learning through print, electronic resources, activities, programs, and services.
Worth the drive
Southworth Planetarium at the University of Southern Maine’s Portland campus, 70 Falmouth St.
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine
LL Bean in Freeport
Outlet shopping in Kittery or Freeport