MAINE WINDJAMMER FESTIVAL
Kickoff the summer season at the 52d annual Windjammer Days Festival (June 22-28) in Boothbay Harbor (pictured below). The centerpiece of the community-led festival is the midweek arrival of 11 historic schooners in Linekin Bay and the parade of sails. (June 25, 1-3 p.m.) Most events are free, including an arts and crafts show, live entertainment, antique boat parade, tour of the US Coast Guard station, fireworks display, kids’ tent activities, and a chance for “apprentice pirates” to attack the town aboard the Must Roos pirate ship. New this year: Cod Fish Race — where teams in foul weather gear transport fish through town — a lobster-eating contest, and food booths from local restaurants. 207-633-2353, www.windjammerdays.org
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CELEBRATING CRUSTACEANS FUELS A CYCLING TOUR
Celebrate National Lobster Day (June 15) with a Crustacean Crawl in southern Maine. Organized by the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, the experience — also offered any day with two-week prior reservation — combines a six-mile bike tour with a day of sampling tasty lobster dishes. Led by avid cyclist and Grand Relais Chef Jonathan Cartwright (pictured above), the tour starts on the inn’s property (bikes provided) before stopping at a nearby marina to chat with a fisherman about the best way to choose a lobster. Cartwright then cycles to local spots and shares his favorite crustacean creations. End the day with an optional multi-course dinner featuring — guess what? — lobster. $300 per person, does not include dinner or accommodations. 207-967-2321, www.whitebarninn.com
THERE
GET JAZZED IN MONTREAL
Savor soulful, swinging, funky, and purely jazzy sensations at the 35th Montreal International Jazz Festival (June 26-July 6). Ranked the world’s largest jazz festival by Guinness World Records, the celebration hosts more than 2 million visitors who enjoy more than 1,000 concerts and activities — two-thirds of them free – in 15 concert halls and on eight outdoor stages. This year’s varied roster includes Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Bobby McFerrin, B. B. King, Rufus Wainwright, Michael Buble, Elvis Costello, Tony Bennett, Pink Martini, and Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion with Pee Wee Ellis. New this year: A mobile site (http://mobile.montrealjazzfest.com) allows fans to create personalized schedules. Tickets $23-$147. 855-299-3378, www.montrealjazzfest.com
MERMAID WEDDINGS IN FLORIDA
Looking to create a splash on your wedding day? Then check out the new
Underwater Mermaid Wedding package at Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. Your guests can view the 10-minute underwater nuptials (with mermaid) while staying dry in the nautically themed Wreck Bar. Package includes a legal ceremony on the beach, mermaid lesson to choreograph underwater nuptials, hour and a half reception at the Wreck Bar with champagne toast and appetizers, bride- and groom-inspired mermaid tails for photo ops, and a photographer to capture memories. $95 per person (minimum 30 people; maximum 50).
954-524-5551, www.sheratonftlauderdalebeach.com
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INTERACTIVE ARTS BUBBLE UP ON SAN FRANCISCO WATERFRONT
The Exploratorium, the playful museum of science, art, and human perception on the San Francisco waterfront, debuts its second public commissioned work for its Over the Water series (June 19-January 2015). “We Make the Treasure,” by artist Paul Ramírez Jonas, features ephemeral, pulsing lines of air bubbles that break the surface of the water between Piers 15 and 17, suggesting the ghostly outline of the Bee’s Wing, a schooner that sank in 1863 as it returned to San Francisco from Monterey. Visitors can interact with imagined treasure by using a crane to find, exchange, and value coin-sized objects. Free. Museum admission: Adults (ages 18-64) $25, youth, students, seniors $19, under 4 free. 415-528-4444, www.exploratorium.edu
EVERYWHERE

BLANKET BUG REPELLENT SHOOS THEM OFF
Take bug protection seriously this summer with new Insect Shield outdoor and mini blankets. Designed to repel mosquitoes, ticks, flies, and fleas, the blankets offer built-in, odorless, and effective protection for the entire family. Ideal for family camping adventures, picnics in the park, a day at the beach, or relaxing in your own backyard. Lightweight and washable. Available in assorted colors. Outdoor Blanket, 56 by 74 inches, $29.95; Mini Blanket, 28 by 36 inches, $15.95. 866-712-7110, www.insectshield.com
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NATIONAL PARKS MAPS APP
Traveling to a national park this summer? Avenza’s Apple- and Android-friendly PDF Maps app allows users to download maps that can be used at any time, even without Internet access. Maps for family-friendly national parks include Yosemite in California; Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina; Rocky Mountain in Colorado, Bryce Canyon in Utah (above), and more. In the Avenza Map Store you can search for and browse thousands of other professionally made maps, including from National Geographic, the US Forest Service, Backroad Mapbooks, and more. The app is free. Individual maps 99 cents-$4.99. www.avenza.com/pdf-maps
Necee Regis can be reached at neceeregis@gmail.com.