The right way to Spend the Holidays in Kennebunkport, Maine

In terms of celebrating the vacations in Maine, there’s nowhere extra festive than Kennebunkport. Every December, the seaside city transforms into a vacation wonderland seemingly straight out of a Hallmark film.

Between Dec. 5-15, the city rings within the season with Prelude, an annual custom that’s now ushering in its forty third 12 months. The festivities span 11 action-packed days and embody occasions for all ages, together with lighting the lobster entice Christmas tree, candlelight caroling, and even a go to from Santa Claus, who trades in his customary sleigh for an arrival aboard — what else — a lobster boat.

Inns deck the halls with their vacation best, bars and eating places craft particular seasonal menus, and the village’s retailers and vacation markets are the right locations to cross everybody’s items off your record.

See the Christmas bushes.

What’s extra iconically Maine than a Christmas tree crafted from lobster traps? Cease by Cape Porpoise Sq. to see the spectacle. Dock Sq. and Kennebunk’s Decrease Village even have glowing bushes which can be certain to place you within the vacation temper.

Hop aboard a twinkling trolley.

Every year, the Seashore Trolley Museum decorates its (heated) trolleys to take company on a experience alongside the heritage railroad by way of the woods. The rides, which final roughly 25 minutes, are held between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Dec. 13-15. Buying tickets on-line is beneficial.

Store at a vacation market.

Seeking to fill up on some items when you’re visiting? Be sure you cease by the Merry Makers Market in Kennebunk from Dec. 5-15 to seek out handcrafted and hard-to-find presents. Native retailers resembling Daytrip Society, Bliss, Mélange, and Seacraft promote fantastic wares for even the pickiest individuals in your record.

Take a wreath-making workshop.

If you happen to’re trying to find the right option to carry again the vacation cheer 12 months after 12 months, contemplate partaking in a wreath-making workshop. Cosy Harbor Farm, River Tree Arts, and Nathaniel Lord’s Carriage Home on the Kennebunkport Captains Assortment all provide lessons.

Carry your spirits at a holiday-themed bar.

All through the vacation season, a few of Kennebunkport’s finest bars and eating places bear a merry makeover to have fun. The Rabbit Gap celebrates “Elf” and transforms into Buddy’s Bar, that includes themed cocktails and canapés from the movie’s 4 main meals teams: sweet, sweet canes, sweet corn, and syrup. The Burleigh at Kennebunkport Inn turns into the Tinsel Bar, decked from ground to ceiling with Christmas ornaments, lights, and garlands. And nobody does the vacations fairly like Batson River. Every year, the Kennebunkport outpost turns into a winter wonderland with classic blow molds, tons of tinsel, and stockings galore. Can’t-miss cocktails embody Sleigh the City, crafted with snickerdoodle syrup, and We’re Mint to Be, a peppermint white chocolate delight.

The place to Keep

The Nonantum Resort

Dwelling to 13 occasions all through Prelude, The Nonantum Resort often is the unofficial headquarters for these trying to have fun in the course of the enjoyable, whereas nonetheless having fun with a little bit of serenity away from the crowds. Occasions embody breakfast with Mrs. Claus and the annual Hearth & Ice celebration full with bonfires and ice sculptures.

White Barn Inn

One of the vital luxe inns within the state and a part of the Auberge Resorts Assortment, White Barn Inn is cozy, romantic, and all through December, donned with decor from inside decorator Nathan Turner. With heated flooring, gasoline fireplaces, and enormous soaking tubs, the rooms listed below are the perfect place to heat up from the chilly winter climate.

Kennebunkport Captains Assortment

For guests desirous to dive into the historic nautical attraction of Kennebunkport, look no additional than the Kennebunkport Captains Assortment. The 4 properties that make up this assortment had been constructed within the early nineteenth century and as soon as belonged to the daughters of Captain Daniel Walker. Now below Lark Inns, these homes are soaked in historical past. Visitors can take pleasure in stay music, heated igloo leases, household crafts, a scorching chocolate bar, and a present market at Nathaniel Lord’s Carriage Home.