St. Anthony's Franciscan Monastery is such a blessing from God and a blessing to our family! A…read morefriend recommended this place and finally I had a chance to visit. A few times now! Beautiful grounds to take a beautiful walk along the coast. Along your walk there are several beautiful prayer stations to stop and reflect. You can even do some off trail type hiking through the forest. Jim in the gift shop is so kind. Such a blessing to be friends with a fellow Catholic. You will be greeted with a big smile and a warm heart! Lots of amazing blessings in the shop to look through. Mass in the chapel was awesome. Lots of cool, tribal, looking art of Mary and Joseph. I really loved this! Lots of places to pray and meditate in the chapel area. Don't forget to ask for a blessing from one of the Franciscans! Thank you St. Anthony's Franciscan Monastery for all you do. Thank you for your service to your community and most importantly to God We appreciate your example!

Beautiful and peaceful place to take a stroll. Lovely little paths and religious vignettes all…read morearound. We visited the week after the Kennebunkport Prelude and there was a beautiful nativity scene set up. Gift shop was very nice too.

Bring your binoculars for a view of the lighthouse just across the water. The drive to the…read morelighthouse at Porpoise Cove is picturesque. It's a lovely spot to take in nature and quiet. There is a placard with info about the island light. It was very quiet when I visited (January) and I enjoyed the peace and beauty as well as seeing the lighthouse in the distance. Great views. There was a restaurant right there, but I believe only opened seasonally. The working pier is lined with lobster traps and it would be cool to visit when they bring the haul in!

A beautiful drive through a very quaint town to a busy pier. As many have mentioned, parking is…read moretough, but what do you expect at the end of an island! I recommend this stop!

It's a small bridge connecting Kennebunk to Kennebunkport. Very nice views from all areas of the…read morebridge heading in either direction. When walking over the bridge, I always has a calming effect on me, as does this entire quaint little area.

It's a pretty little seaport and very touristy. And we don't mean that in a negative way; after…read moreall, we were tourists visiting last week. And we thoroughly enjoyed our day in the village. Lots of boutiques with lots of interesting items, some we felt overpriced, but others not so much. Some very appealing restaurants, lots of nautical-themed establishments (duh!) and easy walking. Parking, not always so easy, and it pays to be cautious crossing the very busy streets although every driver we saw seemed courteous to pedestrians. We wound up buying some nice summer clothing, shirts and hats, and got an excellent lunch recommendation from one of the store owners. We also found the public restroom clean and convenient. Our experience was a good one, and remember, that beautiful water is always just a stroll away. On the Fourth of July weekend we can imagine it may get just too crowded, but mid-June worked for our group.

I heard of this place many times over the years due to Presidents having a vacation home nearby. It…read morewas on the nightly news quite often. After finally visiting, I see why this is a favorite vacation spot of Presidents! Quaint, historical, beautiful, small seaport and fun are the best words to describe! Seriously and actually, a vacation spot of royalty and world leaders. Many things to see and do that my 1.5 hours didn't even come close to take very much in. The walk up and down made me want to come back! Lots of touristy shops and restaurants. Many are set up to provide quick service to those on a short timeline. A few tours are available. Everywhere you turn and look is something that would make an artistic photo! One item to note is the tide here can be significant and if you are from a non-tidal area, it is really cool. This town thrives on tourists and their spending! Help them out and have fun!!

Top notch experience! They are very well organized from the instructions you receive after…read moreregistering to the check-in process and parking for $5 for the duration of your trip. It was great that it was a live narration rather than a recording. So many interesting facts along the way. We took the shoals island tour that included 1 hour at Star Island. The option to take a 1/2 hour tour or explore on your own for about an hour was available. Plenty of time to look around. Snacks and drinks available in boats are affordable or you can bring your own snacks. Overall a great experience.

We went on the M/V Thomas Laighton to and from Star Island…read more These folks are tops in their business. Not only a pleasant trip but also a superb narration of the historical significance of the details and also the points of interest along the route. Comfortable, full bar, snacks and great views.

When Norm heard that we wanted a photography tour, he did not disappoint. From moment one he had…read moreplanned out an itinerary of bucolic and iconic Maine sites. From the famous Portland Head Lighthouse to off the beaten path locations that no tourist ever attended, he found spots to take gorgeous photos and videos. Although the weather on the day we visited was overcast, Norm even planned for those weather contingencies and had multiple locations ready for us to film from. He helped to structure the tour so that lighting was best for the specific shot. Prior to our tour, Norm had also location scouted a variety of different locations so that he could recommend specific spots from which to film rather than us wasting time looking for a spot to shoot from. Norm was also extremely hospitable and friendly and epitomized Maine hospitality. Norm and his company have the flexibility to cater the tour to your exact specifications: You want local only food places for foodies; you want a tour in Cantonese or Portuguese; You want a tour of all lighthouses -- nothing was a problem. Norm also took us to a local restaurant that had some of the best clam chowder in the east coast, and the absolute best lemon mascarpone cheesecake that I have ever tasted in my life. Thank you Norm. We would never do Maine without first booking a tour with you.

My wife and I traveled to Portland Maine this past weekend (August 20th 2022) for my birthday. My…read morewife booked the Portland Venture to try a few different restaurants in the Portland area. Our guide was Jason G. He was so much fun, but moreso, very knowledgeable about the city, restaurants, and some of the historical landmarks. he was a very personable guy and you need that type of a personality on a 2 hour walk. It was one of the best parts about our trip to Portland. We were able to try some great local food and drinks and learn so much about a fantastic city! We will definitely be back. Jason was fantastic and we highly recommend asking for him through Maine Day Ventures! you won't be disappointed!

This picturesque park is the perfect place for a walk. The mostly flat, 1 mile loop is not…read moreparticularly buggy and there are lookout points with benches if you need a rest or just want to sit and enjoy the view. It also creates the perfect place for reflection, perhaps to meditate or journal. Pro Tip - Grab a flyer from the Visitor Center or look up the website on your phone before you start the trail so you know what each marker on the trail means. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is also dog friendly. Although, there really isn't a trashcan to throw away potty bags. It's usually not too busy when I've been there, but I'm usually there in the morning. When you start the trail, there is info on Rachel Carson's environmental contributions and life along with what wildlife you might see during your walk. There is a small parking lot. I haven't had trouble finding parking before; although, I'm not sure if it's the timing of when I've been there or if it just seems to be a locals place that the tourists haven't discovered yet.

I once again visited this NWR shortly after sunrise and once again had the trail to almost to…read moremyself. The other visitors, though a few may have been residents, were a multitude of gulls, a pair of chipmunks, one great blue heron and a kingfisher. 3 Claps.

We enjoyed a good lobster boat tour with First Chance. The cruise is on a pretty large boat that…read morehas both covered and open seating. They pack about 40 people on each run, but we had plenty of room to walk around and view everything. Our guide was very funny and kept us all engaged during the tour. The captain did a good job of keeping us on track. You get to see a whole lot of Kennebunkport on this tour. The boat passes the Bush compound for some cool shots along with many other huge estates. The pace is comfortable and you have plenty of time to take pictures or ask questions. Two lobster traps are picked up and we got like 7 lobsters on our tour. They are rubber banded and we are allowed to play with / photograph them. It is a very cool experience and you learn a lot about the laws and rules in place to sustain the lobster population. Very good tour at a good value. Check it out!

Of course, no whales are *promised* on this cruise, but we did happen to see a few mini-breaches…read morewhen we were the farthest out we could really go. The drawbacks are that it's a hike to get to Kennebunkport. Its a tourist town and crowded AF in the summer... all the things I don't like. That comes with the territory. The vessel, while not overly crowded, does not have the best seating in the world. If you have a bad back, as I do, there is limited seating that has adequate back support. All the demanding hags will claim as many of the seats as they can for non-present family members. Advise you to get there as early as you can, get in the queue, and push all the Karens out of the way so you can get your claim to the best possible seat. Lots of little scamps running around (in the summer) too. That being said, the whales do not have scheduled showing on certain sides of the boat. We were lucky to see the first breach on our side... but in total the number and scale of the breaches was a little underwhelming. The commute for the vessel in/out of the harbour and to/from the farthest point was major sleepy time. I would not do it again. They do offer vouchers that are (supposedly) infinitely good to come back if there were no whale sightings. The price is not so bad though. If you want to experience a lengthy boat ride, then this is for you.

I highly recommend Casco Bay Custom Charters…read more We sailed with them for a special family event in July 2020. We gathered to release our father's ashes at sea. The team we worked with to plan the event were flexible with our plans including location, departure, and the actual release. They provided helpful information about purchasing a biodegradable urn and how to structure our minimal program - especially as we had young children participating (ages 4-11). They will work with you to create your ideal experience.

Our small family really enjoyed this private charter experience. The crew was super friendly and…read morevery knowledgeable. The boat was comfortable and the tour included some hardy snacks and drinks. Would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for a private Charter tour in the area.