Maine is one of those places you just have to visit to understand why people love it so much, but visiting Maine could be costly, so in this article, I will be covering how to budget your trip to Maine, specifically in Kennebunkport and Portland. Both Kennebunkport and Portland are cities that people usually stop by either traveling to or back from Arcadia National Park, one of the top 10 most visited National parks in the US.
The Peak season for visiting Maine is from June to September, as Kennebunkport especially offers many outdoor adventures to go on and has become a popular summer vacation spot for Americans. From November to April, it is Cold in Maine, f you are a fan of Winter activities like Skiing or Snowboarding, Maine has some of the best ski resorts on the East coast. If you want to avoid crowds, October is the best time to visit Maine. Here are some tools you can use to assure you don't spend too much money.
Kennebunkport Things to do
Kennebunkport Maine is widely known as one of New England’s most popular tourist destinations. But, this charming coastal town isn’t just a great place to vacation. In fact, Kennebunkport is one of the oldest European-settled towns in the United States. Kennebunkport’s town center is near Dock Square, just 1 mile from the Kennebunk River. Walking around this area of town is completely free and as long as you don't shop for too long in the shops in the town, you should be fine. In the summers, Kennebunkport is famous for its beaches, some of which include: Gooch’s, Middle Beach, Kennebunk Beach, and Colony Beach, located just in front of the grand old Colony Hotel. After you have visited Dock Square, go for a walk or drive along Ocean Avenue, which provides spectacular oceanfront views of residential homes including Walker Point. These views are completely free and you can get great pictures from along Ocean Avenue too. St. Ann's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church is a popular stop for Tourists along Ocean Avenue, this is also free to visit and you can get stunning oceanfront views as well. If you come during sunset, you may actually catch the sunset from here.
Kennebunkport Accommodations
Although it might be difficult to find cheap accommodation in Kennebunkport, you can find some great deals for Hotels and Resorts on Booking.com. If you are okay staying at a lower-rated place, try looking for a Motel or Inn to stay at. The Best price currently is $66 per night for a room at The Beach Rose Inn, but you better hurry because there are only 6 rooms available left at this price on Booking.com.While you can visit Kennebunkport on a budget, it might be tougher to visit Portland on a Budget as there are more things to do there and much more attractions for visitors.
If you don't like to travel on your own, you can find some relatively inexpensive Portland tours on Viator. Another tour you might want to try is WeGoTrip.com, which some unique self-guided audio tours of Portland.
Portland Things to Do
In Portland, Maine you’ll find a hub with cobblestone streets, local shops, and scenic working waterfront views. Not too far away are charming area towns bringing beaches, lighthouses, world-class eats + arts, outdoor adventures, and shopping destinations just a short drive from downtown. The Heart of the city is Old Port, The historic waterfront is lined with cobblestone streets and 19th-century warehouses, and with the wharf just steps away on Commercial Street, the city's reputation as a world-renowned port town is easily felt. Commercial Street is a vital and important street in downtown Portland; the street's historic architecture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries was protected when the area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Portland Observatory is a historic maritime signal tower built in 1807 and was designated a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2006. Victoria Mansion, also known as the Morse-Libby House, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971 for its architectural significance as a remarkably well-preserved Italianate mansion. Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad was the 2-foot narrow gauge railway that ran in the state of Maine in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The Tour of the Railroad offers a 3-mile, 40-minute roundtrip journey into Maine railroad history. The most popular and most visited attraction in Portland is Portland Head Lighthouse; it is the state's oldest lighthouse and is now part of Fort Williams Park. The Lighthouse is perhaps the most photographed place in Portland. It you are traveling on a budget, you obviously can't afford to visit all of these attractions, so I would choose to visit Old Port and Commercial street which is free to just walk along or drive along, Portland Head Lighthouse, and Portland Observatory. Admissions to the Portland Head Light is $2 to climb all the way to the top and Parking in Fort Williams Park cost $5. Portland Observatory cost $10 to climb all the way to the top, but the views from the observatory offer the best views of the city and the harbor.
Accommodations in Portland
The Downtown area, around Commerical Street and Old Port, is the best place to stay in Portland because you can walk down to the restaurants and the wharf and not have to worry about parking in the downtown area, which is very limited. It might be tough to find cheap places to stay in Portland, but you definitely could find some good deals staying here. Most Hotels in Portland will cost over $200 per night if you want to live in the downtown or waterfront area. I was able to find a few places on Booking.com for under $150 in the downtown area, which is a great price for a hotel in the city center. If you don't mind staying in the Hostels, there is a Hostel called the Black Elephant Hostel, which costs $52 per night, as cheap as your going to find Within 2 km of the Portland City center.
Food
Maine is famous for its Lobster and some other delicious seafood dishes, but if you aren't careful you could go broke eating out all the time in Kennebunkport and Portland. A great tool, I use to find restaurants is Yelp, which you can use to filter restaurants by cuisine type, price, and how far it is relative to your location. If you are looking for websites or apps to get discounts on restaurants on Restraunt.com or on Groupon.
Parking
While the Beaches themselves are free to visit, it's worth pointing out that you will need to pay for parking at parking Kiosks using the PassPortParking mobile app. Parking is an issue in most of the tourist places in Maine, like Kennebunkport and Portland which is the reason why a lot of people try to find places to stay near the City center, and walk down to the town, to save money on parking. You might want to take it easy with the spending in Portland and Kennebunkport because it is only the appetizer for the Main Event which is Bar Harbor and Arcadia National Park.
Check out my Youtube Video on my trip to Kennebunkport and Portland:
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