Over our 2.5 days along the Maine coast we explored a few different areas.

On the drive to Portland we stopped at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. The 1 mile loop was a nice place to stretch to our legs after the 2 hour drive, and offered up some views of massive wetlands.

Kennebunkport was a short drive away. We parked in the free lot on the north edge of town, then walked in to explore. The day was fairly overcast and a bit drizzly, so we were a little surprised at the crowds.

The village reminded us of Greenport on Long Island – lots of small shops and restaurants along with some water views. After walking around for a bit we stopped into the Mornings in Paris cafe for pastries, then returned to our car.

On Monday morning we headed from Portland to the Cape Elizabeth coast to see several lighthouses. Our first stop was Bug Light, with views over the harbor and a neighboring exhibit on the Liberty merchant ships that were built here during WW2.

Next up was Portland Headlight in Ft Williams Park. We just wanted a quick photo so we didn’t stay long as the minimum parking fee was for two hours!?

We continued down the road to Two Lights Lighthouse, which was our favorite stop with a great view of the coast, lighthouse, and beach flowers.

From the lighthouses we drove up to the Freeport to check out the famous LL Bean flagship store, including the big boot out front.

And of course Leandra had to check out the indoor aquarium!

We did check out most of the store, noting a few possible Christmas gift ideas, and Leandra found a red plaid shirt that she took home too.