Out & About Like A Freespirited Local...

Lobster Prices at Buttonwoods Farm & Lobster

Buttonwoods Farm & Lobsters with Chipper

Well, I must admit that by growing up in a small Costal Maine famous town of Kennebunkport I found out at an early age that I just have the aura of helping people out & giving traveling advise. People have flagged me down numerous times threw out the years to ask me where is the famous “Bush Estate or Summer Home” to where to go out to eat & where are the public bathrooms are located both in town & at the beach. I guess that I have some type of helpful aura; my boat family will tell you that from my days at sea when I was sailing with Lindblad Expeditions on the National Geographic Sea Bird/Sea Lion working away in some amazing destinations. Well, I guess you can finally say that I’m writing about where to go as a local in Kennebunkport not Juneau for my blog post. Don’t get me wrong, I have a few favorite spots in Juneau that I would be more than happy to share, but send me an email on that one.  This blog post is about where to go in my hometown.

Buttonwoods Farm & Lobster Prices, Can't Go Wrong

Yes, as a native girl from Kennebunkport, I spent my summers taking art lessons at KBIA from two of the best teachers in the world who sparked my creativity, Sister Gerald & Sister Vincent. They are amazing people for sure that I do love dearly. But I guess that I was just born with where to go question & ask me cos I will give you a good answer. I must be a magnate about that on the cosmic highways cos no matter where I have travelled in the world, some one just will asks me that. Don’t get me wrong? I have had people practice their English with me on that one too.

Well, with no rhyme or reason here’s my list of what to do as a local in the Kennebunks. But there is no right or wrong way to look at this. Some other native/locals will give you a whole different perspective. Just be true to yourself on what you accepted before it self destructs. The key to a health life with happiness is to be open & to let go of what no longer serves you! Simple recipe actually.

Lobster Bouys

Well, one of my favorite places to photograph is the Pier in Cape Porpoise. There is so much rich history there to soak up. I enjoy walking along the docks smelling the bait and soaking up the experience. There’s only one dock compared to the many that I have walked along in Sitka, Juneau & Petersburg, Alaska. There are a lot of similarities between Maine & Southeast Alaska that just speak home to me. I quite enjoy eating at The Ramp/Pier 77 they have an excellent menu. It’s the perfect place to grab a pint or a glass of wine & to soak up the beauty of Cape Porpoise. Also, in Cape Porpoise check out Cape Porpoise Kitchen http://www.capeporpoisekitchen.com  for some scrumptious snack & wine selection. It’s an awesome take out place & to grab your morning coffee!

Dock Square or “Downtown Kennebunkport” is quite the charming village there are some good places to eat & drink. Personally, I find myself shopping from time to time in Day Trip Society, if you’re a local tell them & you will receive 10% off your purchase. Love the grass roots concept behind the store & Day Trip Jr. you can find “Local Made in Maine” items in the store like the famous Sea Bags (the company that was founded by the brain child of two childhood best friends from Kennebunkport) to Patagonia goods. It’s my favorite place in town to check out cos the “eco” concept just speaks to me. There’s so much goodness in the store that you have to check out for yourself rather than listing to me to go on & on about. My absolute favorite place to eat is no other than Bandaloop. It’s located at 2 Dock Square on top of Abacus Gallery. I love the freshness with “the farm to table” concept of supporting local farms to bring the goodness of fresh food to the table. They have excellent cocktails, wine & food. For all those vegans they cater to you too. I have found with my food allergies these days that I always safe there.  A must to check out for a small little whole in the wall with so much heart & soul, it’s a very creative space. Also, Davids's Boathouse is a great place to go for any meal with reasonable prices, I have heard that they do offer $4 tapas during “happy hour”. It’s a great place to eat & drink to soak up the views of the famous Kennebunk River. I really enjoy eating the bar menu at Stripers located at the Breakwater Inn on Ocean Ave too. They have some yummy fish tacos & not to forget the “French Fries” with truffle tomato ketchup that is heaven! Also, the Marine Room at the Colony Hotel has some great bargains too with Poolside Lunch served daily noon-2: 30PM then a tavern/pub style menu until 9PM. It’s a great place to soak up the afternoon sun with the best views of Kennebunkport & not to forget a delicious drink from the bar! Calling all locals, Local Night is on Thursday starting at 6PM with drink specials, live music is on Thursday, Friday & Saturday night from 5-7PM! Don’t forget to check out the Colony Beach to take a walk on the famous breakwater & it’s a great place to explore the tidal pools & to look for seaglass. Don’t forget to check out the Chris Becker Gallery , Spaces Kennebunkport &Dannah's in the Breakwater complex for some neat places to stop by & to check out. I just found out that there’s a cooking school too Jillyannas is offering brick oven pizza classes.

Goose Rocks Beach

Across the river in Lower Village, which is part of Kennebunk, for your history lesson on that one. I quite enjoy visiting my friend Stacey to get Thai food at Mekhong Thai. Great place to get some real yummy Thai food, the curries are great, one of my favorite things to order there actually. You can even order brown rice there; some Asian restaurants have not made that available to you yet in this day of food consciousness. It’s healthier than white rice & fills you up just as good! There’s an excellent Italian restaurant around the corner from them actually, Abbondante is awesome with the farm to table concept with the Italian spin. Don’t forget to check out their other restaurant 50 Local  in Downtown Kennebunk for some yummy farm to table inspired food. On Tuesday’s nights, $2 fish tacos can be found there. It’s a great find & the menu does change daily! Mornings in Paris is a great place to get coffee or a scrumptious pastry or desert. It’s located right next to the Sunoco Station. They have another location on Upper Exchange Street in the Old Port. It’s worth your wild to check out this charming café that will bring back the flavor of being back in Paris. To find a nice bottle of wine then I would highly recommend going over to the Down East Wine Imports  that is located right next door to HB Provisions. It’s a charming place to check out for a nice bottle of wine. From time to time you can score right with a tasting on a Saturday afternoon.  Also don’t forget to check out the Green & Pink Tangerine’s to do your shopping. You can find excellent designer clothing there at a reasonable cost, be sure to check the sale racks to score a deal. It’s a great find. Also, I quite enjoy checking out Zen for numerous reasons. They do offer reasonable prices on sage if you would like to purge away evil spirits in your home! It’s a great place to find some uniquely items from Thailand & India. Yes, for those of you seekers it’s a great place to check out. Good stuff for all & good vibes.  River Tree Arts is a great place to check out too! They offer some amazing exhibitions, art classes & events too! There’s heaps of galleries to check out actually! Just take a stroll & see what strikes you fancy is my best advise on that one. Antiques on Nine is also a great spot to check out & to see what strikes you fancy! Just look for the giant rooster outside & you will find yourself having a unique shopping adventure.

If you head to Goose Rocks Beach word to the wise that you better have a sticker on your car to park or else you will get a ticket from the famous police officers patrolling the beach, no joke on this one. Stickers can be purchase at the Kennebunkport Town Hall located on Elm Street or the Kennebunkport Police Department located on School Street/Route 9. As my childhood beach & the beach that both of my parents have grown up on, your history lesson here is that my grandparents used to own the Tides Inn back in the 1970s too. I would recommend if you want a weekly rental than to contact my mother at GRB Maritime Realty or our close family friend Maria at Beachwood Realty Beachwood Realty. Also, if you’re in the market to buy a home, I think either one would be happy to help you out. Also, if your in the area & would like to see my photography then please stop by my mom’s office located on Mills Road/Route 9 located right next door to the Goose Rocks Dairy for the items that I have for purchase from note cards to canvas prints. Goose Rocks is a beautiful 5 mile sandy beach that shouldn’t be missed. Go on & explore it! It’s meant to be enjoyed not to be just looked at & said I’ve been there let’s go. The Tides Beach Club has an excellent menu & off the beach, Earth at Hidden Pond is another great place to grab a nice bite to eat with some delicious drinks. Both focus on the farm to table concept too! It’s worth your wild to check out. A great place to check out for flowers is Blackrock Farm. Helene has a beautiful selection of flowers & produce for sale. I quite enjoy looking & photographing the beauty there. It’s a great find hidden off of Goose Rocks Road! Just head west from the Clock Farm off of Route 9 to get you there!

Oh, since you’re in Maine don’t forget to check out getting fresh seafood & lobsters. It’s amazing how delicious lobster can taste! My aunt owns Port Lobster Company on Ocean Avenue; you can get your lobsters cooked to order too there. A friend of mine, Chipper has just opened his lobster stand, Buttonwoods Farm & Lobster  on School Street/Route 9.  Chipper & Jenn are awesome; they will even cook your lobsters to go & specializes in doing lobster bakes right at your house. There’s also  Wolff's Farm & Lobster   in Goose Rocks, Amy is awesome & they do offer the most amazing Maine blueberries when blueberry season arrives during summer. Don’t forget to check out the stand across the street owned by one of the Bryant’s for some goodness too. Just ask around to score a deal on seafood. In Cape Porpoise, you can always stop by & see Bob Riley across from Nunnan’s Lobster Hut to get some lobsters too. There’s a pretty sweet old card in the yard to check out. It’s a must for a photographer. There’s also The Clam Shack to check out too & they do have a working seafood market. I have heard threw the grapevine that they will cook your fresh catch too, but call before you actually bring yours to be sure they will do it.

Lastly, there are a few other places that I will have to put in. If you really know me & understand me that then you will see that these belong here as well. If you don’t then just skip it & finish reading by now, no harsh feelings. As the seeker that I am & a high supporter of alternative holistic health these are also worth mentioning. Now there are some places that I might have forgotten, please forgive me, I’m only putting in places that I have attend or have heard off to be honest. Like I said at the beginning of this blog post, it’s only a matter of my word & another local/native will give you a whole different perspective, please proceed with an open mind!  If you’re into acupuncture than I highly recommend Tom St. Amand at the Family Acupuncture Center located on Portland Road/Route 1 Kennebunk. Tom’s amazing & knows what he’s talking about & doing. Trust is all you got to do with him. Melissa Boyd is a vibration healer at Deep Blue Truth located on Portland Road/Route 1 Kennebunk. Melissa is just amazing to help you raise your vibration frequency & to get in touch with your loved ones that have passed onto the other side. I first learned the art of yoga threw June at The Nataraja School of Yoga. If your a beginner than this is the place you should go. Port Yoga & Lower Village Yoga are good places for yoga too. Also, a friend of mind Mindy Muse does beach yoga along with Sagel Urlacher at Sacred Nature Yoga. Sagel is offering yoga at the Colony Hotel twice a week for $15 at 8AM too, best to give the Colony a call to reserve your spot & to find out more information. If your into breath work then check out Rich Waitzkin's Rich Breathing, he is amazing for information regarding this email him at: rwaitzkin@gmail.com. Also, if you listen to the local Southern Maine Radio Station WCYY, Robin Ivy is awesome with her daily advice & weekly “Zodiac Zone” to find out what the moon is telling you. I have had the privilege of taking a yoga class from her & she is amazing! A must do, for more information please check out her websites http://robinszodiaczone.blogspot.com/   &http://robinivy.blogspot.com/.

I hope that this has helped one way or another. The best advise from a local to a traveler is just to be open & see where the day unfolds & is taking you. Happy days in the Kennebunks!