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On our last day in Maine, we chose Kennebunkport as our destination.
The only thing that I really knew about Kennebunkport, ME was that it was the summer home of former President George H. W. Bush. We didn’t know how accessible or easy it would be to find the location. While Ken drove, I did some searching and found the directions to the Bush private estate on Walker’s Point. I wasn’t sure if the directions would actually lead us to the correct location. However, when we arrived and saw tourists with cameras, I was sure we were at the right place.
The property was on a point, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, and we could see it from a road across the inlet. There was a small parking area where we could view the gorgeous property. What a view! Near our viewpoint, there was also a beautiful monument donated to President Bush by the townspeople…“Anchor to Windward”.
Looking toward the main house, there were 3 flags flying…US Flag, Texas Flag, and the Presidential Flag. Did that mean that George Bush 43 was at the residence? On our way towards the point, we did pass a team of bikers!
Kennebunkport Maine is a charming town known as one of New England’s most popular tourist destinations. It was clearly evident as we drove into town. The town was loaded with shops, galleries, and places to eat.
As we drove through town and across the bridge over the Kennebunk River, we noticed a very busy take-out restaurant, The Clam Shack. The line was long, so, we knew it must be good. We located a parking spot nearby ($8.80) and hurried back to the restaurant. We guessed from the name, that fried clams were one of the signature offerings. We placed our order for 1 pint of clams and set out to find an empty picnic table. A table became available after a few minutes of waiting, but, the wait for our food was much longer. We thought we might run out of parking time before we got our food. It was worth the wait…the clams were awesome! I learned afterward that former First Lady Barbara Bush declared their clams to be the best fried clams in the World!
After lunch, we had just a few minutes left on our parking ticket, so, I made a mad dash through a gift shop to purchase a sweatshirt. I found another gift shop at our parking lot and purchased my must-have magnet. After we pulled out of the parking lot, I remembered that I wanted to stop at the Best of Everything jewlery shop. Luckily, the store had free 30 minute parking for customers. I quickly entered the store and immediately found the item that I wanted. I think I have this souvenir shopping nailed down!
We drove to Kennebunk…not to be confused with Kennebunkport. We passed by a very charming house and turned around to get a closer look. “This one takes the cake”… the Wedding Cake House…the most photographed house in the state of Maine. The home was built in 1825 by shipbuilder Geroge W. Bourne (1801-1856). The “Wedding Cake” name is due to it’s wedding cake-like appearance. Today, the house is privately owned and not open to the public. Due to the house being located on a busy street, it was very difficult to get good photos.
On the spur of the moment, we decided to go to Kennebunkport. No plans or expectations, sometimes, create the best side trips! It was a great day!
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