Lawn Games independent inns

Set along Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport, Cape Arundel Inn & Resort keeps things grown-up: an adults-only retreat of polished rooms and suites where the day drifts from lawn games on the grass to a swim in the pool. Evenings turn on the dining room, which draws guests and locals alike for a proper sit-down meal. It's also a favorite backdrop for small coastal Maine weddings, and reviewers rate it highly at 4.5 across more than 200 visits.

Tucked onto South Main Street a short way from Kennebunkport's harbor, The Lodge on the Cove trades in a bright, easy kind of coastal Maine leisure — a pool to drift between, lawn games on the grass, and bonfires once the evening cools. Light fare keeps things unfussy, and beach passes mean the shoreline is never far out of reach.