Maine
Wine week and a new hotel in Maine, jazz in Montreal, and a grill for on the go – The Boston Globe
HERE:
WINE WEEK UNCORKS IN MAINE
It’s no secret that Portland, Maine, is a national culinary destination. With its many independent restaurants working in collaboration with Maine-based farmers, fishermen, cheese mongers, specialty purveyors, and local wine distributors, the city has earned its stellar reputation as a foodie and beverage lovers’ haven. You can experience a taste of the town’s quality-focused wines and award-winning bites at the 7th celebration of Portland Wine Week (June 10-16). Tickets are on sale now for wine tastings, lunches, brunches, dinners, and other special events such as themed wine sails, oyster and wine tastings, and floral arranging sessions — with wine, of course! Events sell out quickly so snag your tickets while still available. Prices vary per event. www.portlandwineweek.me
SPOTLIGHT ON LUXURY & WELLNESS IN NEW PORTLAND HOTEL
Looking for a new place to stay in Portland? The long-awaited debut of Longfellow Hotel, a new member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, has finally arrived. Located in Portland’s historic West End, the five-story, 48-key hotel includes a wellness spa, Astraea, the wellness-focused Twinflower Café (open for breakfast and lunch), and The Five of Clubs, an intimate, library-style lobby bar and lounge serving small-batch cocktails, rotating taps of local beer, and curated wines paired with charcuterie, chilled seafood, and shellfish. Guest rooms and suites juxtapose contemporary elements with traditional features like custom moldings, ceiling medallions, and wide-plank, hardwood floors. The Longfellow’s luxury house car, an all-electric 2023 BMW i7 Sedan, offers guests complimentary transportation into the Old Port district. Rates from $499. 207-800-3004, www.longfellowhotel.com
THERE:
ALL JAZZED UP IN MONTRÉAL
Mon Dieu! Jazz lovers are swooning over the upcoming artists scheduled to play at the 44th Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (June 27-July 5). Headliners André 3000, Robert Glasper, and Norah Jones are just a few of the more than 350 shows taking place on multiple stages in the Quartier des Spectacles, in the heart of downtown Montréal. The modern and diverse music programming spans from traditional, with big-name artists like Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Marcus Miller, to popular favorites such as Pink Martini and Jesse Cook, to hip-hop, with artists like Killer Mike and Erick the Architect. As always, the local scene is very much front and center, as are several artists from Africa, including Etran de l’Aïr, The Brother Moves On, and Vieux Farka Touré. Artists and schedules are available to view online, as is the ability to purchase tickets. Worth noting: two-thirds of the programming is free! You can also book a place to stay at a hotel or Vrbo via the website, with an interactive map showing walking distances from each accommodation to the venue site. https://montrealjazzfest.com/en

EVERYWHERE:
GRILLS GO RETRO ON SUMMER ADVENTURES
Grilling on the go just got easier (and more fashionable) with Kenmore’s 2-Burner Retro Portable Gas Grill manufactured by Permasteel. The grill’s compact dimensions make it perfect for beach parties, picnics in the park, tailgating gatherings, and camping trips. Made from cast aluminum, the two-burner gas grill provides 14,400 BTUs of cooking power across a 17-inch-by-14-inch surface, large enough for cooking nine burgers at the same time. A warming rack keeps things toasty until you’re ready to eat. Additional features include “push and turn” ignition, temperature gauge, side lid latches and carrying handles, and slide-out grease tray. Foldable legs are convenient for transport and storage. Compatible with both 5- and 20-pound propane gas tanks. Available in six bold colors that are sure to make you smile and wow your guests: blue, red, turquoise, pink, black, and white. $199. https://kenmoregrill.com/product/kenmore-2-burner-portable-tabletop-retro-gas-grill-turquoise
NECEE REGIS
Kari Bodnarchuk can be reached at travelwriter@karib.us.
Maine
This Classic New England-Style Cottage in Maine Has 200 Feet of Atlantic Ocean Frontage
A waterfront home with open ocean views on the coast of Maine came to market Tuesday asking $4 million.
Built in 1978, the three-bedroom cottage is at the southern point of Cape Elizabeth, less than 10 miles from downtown Portland. The 1.1-acre property on Sunny Bank Road features 200 feet of south-facing water frontage on the wide open Atlantic.
It is bordered by a rocky sea wall that’s about 28 feet high, according to listing agent Sam Michaud Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty
“The views are like a Monet painting,” he said via email. “The water sparkles and the waves are endless.”
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The 3,364-square-foot home was built in classic New England style, with shingle siding, a single sloped roofline and large windows—complemented by white-washed walls, exposed-beam ceilings and wide-plank flooring on the interiors.
The main common area features cathedral ceilings with a step-down between the living and dining room, and a partial wall divides the dining room from the kitchen. There is also a wood-paneled family room off the kitchen, a gym and a covered porch.
The sellers purchased the property in 2010 for $1.562 million, according to property records accessed through PropertyShark. They could not immediately be reached for comment.
“I have received quite a few inquiries since hitting the market two days ago,” Michaud said. “Buyers understand that this is a golden opportunity to own over an acre with 200 feet of bold oceanfront in Cape Elizabeth.”
MORE: Iranian Strikes on Dubai Put the City’s Roaring Real Estate Market to the Test
There are currently just seven three-bedroom homes available for sale in Cape Elizabeth and fewer than five waterfront properties, according to Sotheby’s and Zillow data. It is also the most expensive listing in the town, with another waterfront property on a tiny lot just south of Portland coming in a close second, according to Zillow.
Michaud sold the former Cape Elizabeth home of Bette Davis this past summer for $13.4 million, the priciest sale on the cape in at least a decade—and even those views can’t compare. They’re “just magical,” he said.
Maine
NECEC conservation plan will not protect Maine’s mature forests | Opinion
Robert Bryan is a licensed forester from Harpswell and author or co-author of numerous publications on managing forests for wildlife. Paul Larrivee is a licensed forester from New Gloucester who manages both private and public lands, and a former Maine Forest Service forester.
In November 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approved a conservation plan and forest management plan as mitigation for impacts from the NECEC transmission corridor that runs from the Quebec border 53 miles to central Maine.
As professional foresters, we were astonished by the lack of scientific credibility in the definition of “mature forest habitat” that was approved by DEP, and the business-as-usual commercial forestry proposed for over 80% of the conservation area.
The DEP’s approval requires NECEC to establish and protect 50,000 acres to be managed for mature-forest wildlife species and wildlife travel corridors along riparian areas and between mature forest habitats. The conservation plan will establish an area adjacent to the new transmission corridor to be protected under a conservation easement held by the state. Under this plan, 50% of the area will be managed as mature forest habitat.
Under the forest management plan, a typical even-aged stand will qualify as “mature forest habitat” once 50 feet tall, which is only about 50 years old. These stands will lack large trees that provide wildlife denning and nesting sites, multiple vegetation layers that mature-forest birds use for nesting and feeding habitats and large decaying trees and downed logs that provide habitat for insects, fungi and small mammals, which in turn benefit larger predators.
Another major concern is that contrary to the earlier DEP order, the final approval allows standard sustainable forestry operations on the 84% of the forest located outside the stream buffers and special habitats. These stands may be harvested as soon as they achieve the “mature forest habitat” definition, as long as 50% of the conserved land is maintained as “mature.”
After the mature forest goal is reached, clearcutting or other heavy harvesting could occur on thousands of acres every 10 years. Because the landowner — Weyerhaeuser — owns several hundred thousand acres in the vicinity, any reductions in harvesting within the conservation area can simply be offset by cutting more heavily nearby. As a result, the net
mature-forest benefit of the conservation area will be close to zero.
Third, because some mature stands will be cut before the 50% mature forest goal is reached, it will take 40 years — longer than necessary — to reach the goal.
In the near future the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) will consider an appeal from environmental organizations of the plan approval. To ensure that ecologically mature forest develops in a manner that meets the intent of the DEP/BEP orders, several things need to change.
First and most important, to ensure that characteristics of mature forest habitat have time to develop it is critical that the definition include clear requirements for the minimum number of large-diameter (hence more mature) trees, adjusted by forest type. At least half the stocking of an area of mature forest habitat should be in trees at least 10 inches in diameter, and at least 20% of stands beyond the riparian buffers should have half the stocking in trees greater than or equal to 16 inches in diameter.
Current research as well as guidelines for defining ecologically mature forests, such as those in Maine Audubon’s Forestry for Maine Birds, should be followed.
Second, limits should be placed on the size and distribution of clearcut or “shelterwood” harvest patches so that even-aged harvests are similar in size to those created by typical natural forest disturbance patterns. These changes will help ensure that the mature-forest block and connectivity requirements of the orders are met.
Third, because the forest impacts have already occurred, no cutting should be allowed in the few stands that meet or exceed the DEP-approved definition — which needs to be revised as described above — until the 50% or greater mature-forest goal is reached.
If allowed to stand, the definitions and management described in the forest management plan would set a terrible precedent for conserving mature forests in Maine. The BEP should uphold the appeal and establish standards for truly mature forest habitat.
Maine
Rage Room in Portland, Maine, Developing ‘Scream Room’ Addition
For a lot of people throughout Maine, there’s some built up frustration that they’ve just been keeping inside.
That frustration can come in a lot of different forms. From finances to relationships to the world around you.
So it makes plenty of sense that a rage room opened in Portland, Maine, where people can let some of that frustration out.
It’s called Mayhem and people have been piling in to smash, crush and do dastardly things to inanimate objects that had no idea what was coming.
But Mayhem has realized not everyone is down with swinging a sledgehammer. So they’ve decided to cook up something new.
Mayhem Creating ‘Scream Room’ at Their Space in Portland, Maine
Perhaps the thought of swinging a baseball bat and destroying a glass vase brings you joy. The thought of how sore your body will be after that moment makes you less excited.
Mayhem Portland has heard you loud and clear and is developing a new way to get the rage out. By just screaming.
Mayhem is working on opening their very first scream room. It’s exactly what you think it is, a safe place to spend some time just screaming all of the frustration out.
There isn’t an official opening date set yet but it’s coming soon along with pricing.
Mayhem in Portland, Maine, Will Still Offer Rage Rooms and Paint Splatter
While a scream room is on the way, you can still experience a good time at Mayhem with one of their rage rooms or a paint splatter room.
Both can be experienced in either 20-minute or 30-minute sessions.
All the details including some age and attire requirements can be found here.
TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Things to do in Portland, Maine
Looking for fun things to do in Portland, ME? Here is what the reviewers on TripAdvisor say are the 10 best attractions.
This list was updated in March of 2026
Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka
Top 15 of The Most Powerful People in Maine
Ever wonder who the most powerful players are in Maine? I’ve got a list!
Gallery Credit: Getty Images
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