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March News
Four Remarkable Maine Women Spotlighted for Women’s History Month
Four of Maine’s most remarkable women are remembered during March, Women’s History Month. Visitors to the state in the coming months can visit each of their former residences, which are now museums. The Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Brunswick was the home of American author and abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, and it was here that she wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Bowdoin College now owns the building, which is a National Historic Landmark and a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site. The family home and birthplace of one of Maine’s most influential 19th-century authors, The Sarah Orne Jewett House in South Berwick, was where Jewett wrote her first novel, “Deephaven,” published in 1877. Now a National Historic Landmark, it’s open from May 31 through October 15. The Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan was built around the former home of the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress, Senator Margaret Chase Smith. Now a Congressional Research Library, you can schedule an appointment to visit. Finally, the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle was the homestead of Frances Perkins, a remarkable woman who shaped American labor laws, helped establish Social Security, and worked to abolish child labor. The Welcome Center is open June through October, while the grounds and trails of the 57-acre saltwater farm adjacent to the Damariscotta River are open year-round from dawn to dusk.
Photo Credit: The Frances Perkins Center
The Abbe Museum’s Dawnland Festival Collaborates with the Smithsonian
The Abbe Museum’s Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas will return July 11-12, 2026, hosted on the campus of College of the Atlantic. This is a multi-day summer festival that centers on Wabanaki and Native thought leadership through panels, performances, and a Northeastern Native arts market. This year’s Dawnland festival also marks a new moment of national connection through a collaboration with The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s 2026 Of the People: Smithsonian Festival of Festivals. Smithsonian Folklife will collaborate with the Abbe on select panel conversations and performance programming, while Dawnland will remain fully grounded in Wabanaki voices, perspectives, and shared authority. For more information, visit the Dawnland Festival.
Tee Off in the “Golfiest” State
This year, Maine is celebrating its history and culture as an avid golf destination. In its recently published 2025 Golf Scorecard, the United States Golf Association (USGA) awarded Maine the title of “Golfiest” State in the Northeast. This recognition is a testament to the passion of both resident golfers and out-of-state golfers who travel to Maine each year to experience some of the best courses in the country. For example, Golf Digest ranked the Belgrade Lakes Country Club among the top 100 public golf courses in the country, and the publication also recognized the Lucerne Golf Club as one of the best nine-hole golf courses in America. Two ski resorts nestled in Maine’s western Mountains, Sunday River and Sugarloaf, boast award-winning golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. In Portland, golfers can check out the Maine Historical Society’s “The Early Days of Maine Golf: A Visual History, 1888-1940,” which runs through August 1, 2026. For more Maine golf info, go to Visit Maine.
Maine Gravel Biking Weekends
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) has announced AMC’s Maine Gravel Biking Weekends, which return in 2026 with three weekends designed to celebrate the full gravel season. Hosted at two of AMC’s Maine lodges – Medawisla Lodge & Cabins and Gorman Chairback Lodge & Cabins – these weekends invite cyclists of all experience levels to explore the gravel networks of the Maine Woods, learn new skills, and build meaningful connections within a welcoming community. Held this year from July 31 to August 2, September 18 to 20, and October 2 to 4, these rides reflect AMC’s conservation work. Go to AMC for details.
Maine’s Dark Sky Sanctuary
The Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument has become known for its hiking, paddling, and other forms of outdoor recreation. The 87,500 acres of the Monument exist within a larger landscape that was conserved by public and private efforts dating back a century. It’s a remarkable place that was also singled out by the International Dark Sky Association, the world’s recognized authority on combating light pollution, for its extraordinary night sky, and designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Just 23 such sanctuaries have been names worldwide, and Katahdin Woods & Waters is the only one east of the Mississippi. For details on visiting, go to Visit Maine.
