Kennebunks summer preview 2024: New shops, eateries, festivals and more

KENNEBUNK, Maine — The Kennebunks are ready for summer, with the debut of a special art event, new shops and restaurants opening their doors, and annual festivals, gatherings, and more.

The annual Pride in the Bunks celebration is coming right up, a new Art Walk is planned downtown, and, among other exciting openings, the new and improved Pilot House restaurant near Dock Square already has opened its doors.

As always, there are opportunities to take to the seas to spot whales, lobster boats, lighthouses and more - and let's not forget that the simple, idle pleasures of days at the beach await.

Here's how Kennebunk and Kennebunkport are planning to put the "Vacation" in Vacationland for the quickly approaching summer of 2024:

Pride in the Bunks returns June 8

The Kennebunks have Pride, and that will be fully on display from noon to 3 p.m. on June 8 at the third annual Pride in the 'Bunks event in Kennebunkport.

Held on the river green next to the South Congregational Church at 2 North St., the event will feature singer Ashlyn Bard, free pizza and a sundae bar donated by Ben & Jerry's.

There will be sand art, wand making, face painting, a raffle of gift certificates donated by local businesses and more, plus educational tables by groups such as Equality Maine, the Equality Community Center, the Frannie Peabody Center and more.

Also on June 8, the Seashore Trolley Museum, located on Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport, will host “Pride Day at Seashore,” which will include live music and entertainment, food trucks, family activities, and, of course, trolley rides, according to the chamber’s website.

Three dollars from every paid admission that day will be donated to Out Maine, an organization supporting LGBTQ+ youths.

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Downtown Art Walk in Kennebunk

Starting on June 14, residents and tourists alike will be able to enjoy local artworks all summer long, as the Chamber of Commerce’s Downtown Art Walk will kick off and continue every second Friday of the month through September.

A range of businesses, from the Brick Store Museum at one end of Main Street to Duffy’s Tavern and Grill at the other, will host artists on Fridays, from 5 to 7 p.m.

To help launch the attraction, local musician Ashlyn Bard will perform at Tibbett’s Plaza at 36 Main Street on June 14, from 5 to 7 p.m.

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Pilot House gets major facelift with new building

The Pilot House opened its brand-new, two-story restaurant off Western Avenue earlier this month.

The dining establishment replaces the smaller, one-story one that itself had been a beloved destination for years.

The first floor is set up much like the original restaurant to preserve the atmosphere customers love, according to owner Kylie Raymond. The second floor is a wide-open dining area that seats 160 patrons and offers a slightly more upscale seafood menu with surrounding views of the Kennebunk River, Raymond added.

Laura Dolce, the executive director of the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce, called the new Pilot House a “stunner,” complete with “sweeping views, gorgeous interior.” She said there is more to come once the Spirit of Massachusetts, the famous schooner-turned-restaurant, is officially ready to open at the site.

New shops, restaurants at Dock Square and elsewhere

Residents and visitors have a mix of new or reinvented shops and restaurants to enjoy in and around Dock Square and elsewhere, according to Dolce.

Fresh from celebrating its fiftieth-anniversary last year, Alisson’s Restaurant in Dock Square has a “beautiful new look,” according to Dolce, as well as an expanded kitchen to better accommodate its staff and customers.

Maine & Vine, a wine shop, has an “absolutely beautiful” new space at 45 Ocean Avenue, one that “pairs so well with the cool vibe of La La Luna,” a women’s boutique next door, Dolce said.

For the Love of Food and Drink, known in Wells for its lunch options, soups and salads, is expanding into Kennebunk with a new shop in the Lower Village. According to its owners, Phil and Wendy Irish, For the Love of Food and Drink at Ohara’s is slated to open on Wednesday, May 22, just in time for the Memorial Day Weekend and the summer ahead.

According to Wendy, the new site will also offer meals-to-go and catering services, with a hint of more to come.

“We hope to add beach delivery by summer,” Wendy said.

For the Love of Food and Drink is not the only business expanding into Kennebunk. In June, Daher Interior Design, a new studio in the former Market Day office complex at 135 Port Road, is expected to open. The studio will be accompanied by a retail shop, Melange Du Monde, which is expected to open in July and will offer foreign and man-made treasures for one’s decorating dreams.

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Seashore Trolley Museum turns 85 with new exhibits

The Seashore Trolley Museum is celebrating its 85th season.

The world’s first and largest electric railway museum will be open weekends in May and Wednesdays through Sundays from June 1 through Halloween.

Experience history in motion through interactive trolley rides aboard the museum’s heritage electric railroad, which once served as a portion of Maine’s Atlantic Shore Line Railway (1902-1927).

New this season, you can explore one of Maine’s largest HO-scale model layouts. The museum has constructed a new building to house the Maine Central Model Railroad, donated by the Beal Family of Jonesport, Maine.

The museum hosts several fun family events during their season, including Dino Trolley (June 29, 30; August 10, 11), Moxie Day (July 14), Pumpkin Patch Trolley (13 dates in September & October), Trolleyween, and Christmas Prelude Trolley Rides (December 6-8 and 13-15). Daniel Tiger, from the PBS KIDS series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, will also be visiting on Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28.

The Seashore Trolley Museum is located at 195 Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport.

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Woofstock: Dog-friendly food and beer festival

Summer, of course, brings dog days, and with that our four-legged friends and their families once again can look forward to Woofstock at the Animal Welfare Society on Holland Road on Saturday, July 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

As always, the event is free, family-friendly, and dog-friendly, according to the AWS. The afternoon will be filled with live entertainment, food trucks, local craft beer, giveaways, games, and, as promised by the organization on its website, “lots of doggone fun.”

Kennebunkport's summer concert series returns

The Kennebunkport Recreation Department is once against hosting its annual summer concert series, with shows planned for June, July, and August.

Singer Joan Kennedy will perform on Thursday, June 20. The Dock Squares will have their show on Thursday, July 18. The Ben Lyons Band will bring the series to a close on Thursday, Aug. 15. Each show will last from 6 to 8 p.m.

All shows will take place at 20 Recreation Way, in the open space near Kennebunkport Consolidated School.

Kennebunk Savings and Pack Maynard & Associates, a real estate firm, are sponsoring the concerts, which also will feature food trucks, drinks from Batson River Brewery and Banded Brewing Company, and games and other activities for children, according to Kennebunkport Recreation Director Stephanie Simpson.

“Come on out and enjoy the fun,” Simpson said.

Whale watches, coastal cruises and more

Looking for adventures on the sea this summer? Look no further than the docks of the Kennebunks, from which you can launch on relaxing and memorable cruises.

Sea Turtle Coastal Cruises, for example, offers two kinds of forays, a Coastal Cruise along the Seacoast of Maine and a Sundowner Cruise in the direction of the setting sun. The business is located at 2 Harbour Lane in Kennebunk.

Both cruises accommodate six passengers, last approximately two hours, and are by private charter aboard the catamaran Sea Turtle. For bookings and prices, visit online at seaturtlecoastalcruises.com.

First Chance Whale Watch, also based out of 2 Harbour Lane, offers a trio of boats, each of which provides a specific excursion on the sea.

The first boat, Nick’s Chance, is an 87-foot-long craft on which guests can go whale-watching for just under five hours.

The second boat, Kylie’s Chance, is 65 feet long and takes guests along a 90-minute tour that provides eyewitness opportunities to see how lobsters are caught.

Blue Angel, the third boat and a private charter, can take you along the Seacoast of the Kennebunks and beyond during a two-hour journey on the water.

For more information about these three cruises, visit online at firstchancewhalewatch.com.

Based at 8 Western Avenue in Kennebunk, New England Eco Adventures offers many boat tours, ones in which you can go whale-watching, sailing along the seacoast, and sightseeing where lighthouses are posted. For more information, such as prices and bookings, visit online at newenglandecoadventures.com.

'Coast Encounters' of the best kind

While there’s plenty to see at sea, you’d be surprised how much there also is to see on shore. Enter Coast Encounters, owned and operated by Carol Steingart.

While Steingart is based out of Wells, many of the excursions that she leads are at beaches in the Kennebunks. Her educational tours of tidal pools give small groups the chance to come face-to-face with sea life. Some of the critters and plant life, such as crabs and weeds and moss, are well-known, while others, such as scuds, isopods, limpets, and even baby lobsters, need Steingart’s guiding expertise to spot.

Steingart provides water shoes in every size for those who take her tours, so that they will have strong and flexible footwear as they navigate the ragged and slippery terrain surrounding tide pools. She also advises customers they need to have a strong balance to participate in the tours, which she describes as “low and slow,” given the bending and deliberate pace involved.

“This is not a beach walk,” she told the Coast Star during an interview last summer. “It’s not flat and sandy. All the rocks are covered in slippery seaweed. Balance is a key issue for you to navigate safely. We also do a lot of squatting, bending over, crouching down, and peeling back rocks.”

For more information, visit the Coast Encounters website or call Steingart at (207) 831-4436.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk and Kennebunkport summer preview 2024