Ignore any notion that Kittery only offers resident-only beaches. Fort Foster has some great beaches where even dogs are allowed part of the year. The park has a map showing the beach locations, which is a smart download since mobile service can be spotty.
You can walk to Wells Beach from Crescent Beach or park in one of two lots available on the north or south end of the 7-mile stretch of sand. This is one of the longer beaches on the Southern Maine Coast and gives your bum the comfort of the sand with enough rocks to put tide-pooling on your bucket list.
This is the first beach you’ll reach when you enter Kennebunk from Beach Avenue while traveling south, so it’s likely to be the beach that fills up the fastest. The tide schedule can impact how much of the beach is available for exploring, and the beach runs along the road, making it an easy trek from the car to carving out your spot on the beach.
The beach stretches 7 miles here and was once used as an emergency landing strip for famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. As a top beach on the Southern Maine Coast, you’ll want to get here early and not give up your spot. The most crowded areas are near the Old Orchard Beach Pier.
Not that the Maine State Parks Department would play favorites, but even it calls Scarborough Beach State Park “some of the best swimming in New England” because of the warm water in summer and the expansive beach area.