I’m a city person and I enjoyed everyone of my visits to Boston – and I also enjoy getting away from the city for a relaxing weekend. On my most recent trip to the East Coast of the United States, we planned a road-trip along the Maine coastline to the North-East of Boston, a combination of the easy & close getaway to Kennebunkport and a slightly further – in distance and experience – getaway to Georgetown!
Easy, close and convenient: If you want to get out of Boston, but don’t want too much of a drive (or even take public transportation), the small beach towns of York, Ogunquit and Kennebunkport, on the coast between Portsmouth, NH, and Portland, ME, are easy to reach, popular with Bostonians and a great break from the city. York is the first town on the way North, with a long stretch of beach and the famous Nubble Lighthouse as a landmark. Ogunquit, with a long & wide beach in town and the beautiful boardwalk on Marginal Way along the rocky cliff, is next.
And we headed to Kennebunkport, the lively little beach town with – you guessed it – a long, sandy beach and lots of restaurants and stores in the town itself. It’s home to the compound of former President Bush, if you are into celebrity gossip!
All of these towns remind me of the North Sea beach towns in Germany or the Northern California coast, with their rustic houses and not-so-warm water. You’ll find a lot of regulars from Boston, staying in their second homes for the weekend or spending the summer season. There are plenty of stores and restaurants, so you can spend your time in comfort and convenience and they all offer levels of quality and sophistication how you’ll find it in Boston or New York. So, you can get away from the city without leaving familiar comforts behind, making this a great and convenient escape from the city!
Further – in drive & spirit: If you want to put more distance between you and the big city – in driving distance and spirit – you can keep heading North East along the coast. We spent a holiday weekend in Georgetown, near Brunswick, Maine, and it is a departure in many ways. It still has the feel of how New England used to be, with small rural towns and their wooden houses. General stores haven’t changed in decades and ignored the arrival of supermarkets and Walmart. The rustic restaurants serve great, fresh food, but you won’t find anything fusion, kale or other latest trend-foods.
The inns still have keys instead of key cards and white rocking chairs instead of chaise lounge. The shoreline is unspoiled and the sailboats seem like the natural mode of transportation on the ocean.
We spent Independence Day in Brunswick and it seemed like little else had changed either, making it feel like a trip back in time.
So, if you yearn for the “good ol’ times” and want to get away from it all, than a longer drive is the way to find that
Most of my East Coast trips had been to the busy cities and it was nice to get away to the quieter, more peaceful coast of New England. If you want to combine a trip to see Boston with some time to relax in peace surrounded by nature, the Maine coastline has a lot of different choices on offer!
