Down East Magazine - Experience the Best of Maine

Lynn Karlin posing for a photo in her Belfast Maine studio

Blooming Where She’s Planted

By Jesse EllisonPhotos by Tara RiceFrom our April 2025 Home & Garden issue Lynn Karlin seems to hardly ever sit down. On a late-fall afternoon in the whitewashed photography studio behind her Belfast home, she was...

May 2025 Where in Maine? photo clue

Can You Name This Maine Mountain?

A boulder at the mountain's summit is inscribed with the Latin phrase non sibi sed omnibus: “not for one, but for all.”

2025 Down East Scavenger Hunt

The Great Maine Scavenger Hunt

Twenty-eight excursions all across the state, from classical concerts to mountain sunrises to roadside doughnuts, that add up to one fun-filled Maine summer.

Spruce trunks, reimagined as posts, returned to roughly where they stood before the couple cleared the land.

How 8 Adventurous Homeowners Live Off the Grid in Maine

The range of their approaches is striking — from island cottages with cobbled-together utility systems to a fully electric house of the future

Doughnuts from the Cookie Jar Pastry Shop.

Doughnuts in Maine: From Inception to Perfection

Hundreds of miles and thousands of calories later, one very hungry road-tripper digests Maine’s long, sweet love affair with the doughnut, stretching back to the humble pastry’s hazy origins.

The Magazine

Down East Magazine, May 2025

May 2025

April 2025 cover of Down East magazine: A bouquet of poppies and beets.

April 2025

a glazed brioche doughnut from Lovebirds, in Kittery on the March 2025 cover of Down East magazine

March 2025

Down East magazine, February 2025

February 2025

The Latest

Greenhouse-like structures protect the plants from ambient rainfall at the he Wyman’s Wild Blueberry Research and Innovation Center at the University of Maine

Planting for the Future at the University of Maine

The Wyman’s Wild Blueberry Research and Innovation Center at UMaine allows for hands-on learning and year-round research.

Cheryl Staples and her sea glass collection

Cheryl Staples Sees the World Through Rose-Colored (and Green and Blue) Glasses

Thirty years in, she says collecting beach treasures still buoys her.

Portland Hearts of Pine facts

Introducing Maine’s First Pro Soccer Team

We took the pulse of the Portland Hearts of Pine.

the Stinger, Ripper, and Bat Wing hoes by Midcoast Tool & Design

This Mainer Has Reinvented the Humble Garden Hoe

Brian Hughes’s new and improved versions of an age-old tool make tending the soil a cinch.

Castine, Maine

Meredithe Stuart-Smith’s Favorite Maine Place

The Kansas native, and owner of Meri Meri party supplies, says her heart is in Castine, where she has summered since 1994.

Dave Copp outside Dave's Bottle and Buoy Heaven in Friendship, Maine

Colorful Old Bottles Fill Dave Copp With Joy

But recently, he’s begun selling off some of his 18,000-piece collection to make room for another passion: lobster buoys.

Food & Drink

Maine doughnuts

Our Favorite Maine Doughnuts

From pomegranate frosted to classic chocolate, these are the doughnuts our staff loves the most.

spinach-and-feta pie and other Lebanese dishes from Mezza in Waterville, Maine

In Waterville, Mezza Stays True to Its Lebanese Roots

The new lunch spot serves up flavorful dishes like sittoo used to make.

a couple enjoying a meal and the view at The Nest on Saddleback Mountain

Skiers Are Flocking to Saddleback’s New Restaurant, The Nest

Located at 3,620 feet, it boasts elevated comfort food and bird’s-eye views.

Trending In Food & Drink

The 35 Maine-iest Foods

The 35 Maine-iest Foods

Doughnuts from the Cookie Jar Pastry Shop.

Doughnuts in Maine: From Inception to Perfection

Fiddleheads

Lessons from a Day Picking Fiddleheads in Maine

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Arts & Culture

women rowing a Cornish pilot gig in Belfast Maine

In Belfast, Year-Round Racers Pull Together in 17th-Century-Style Wooden Vessels

The team was America's best hope at the World Pilot Gig Championships in England last year.

Longfellow Books, Portland, Maine

7 Independent Bookstores That Maine Authors Love

We asked Stephen King, Lois Lowry, and other noteworthy writers where they go to find their next good read.

Dahlov Ipcar painting on a canvas

Dahlov Ipcar’s Peaceable Kingdom

Fifty years ago, the artist was dreaming up lavish, exotic scenes in a starkly different realm, on a Georgetown farm.

Trending In Arts & Culture

Longfellow Books, Portland, Maine

7 Independent Bookstores That Maine Authors Love

Cheryl Staples and her sea glass collection

Cheryl Staples Sees the World Through Rose-Colored (and Green and Blue) Glasses

Living the Good Life Gets A New Life

The Book That Birthed the Back-to-the-Land Movement

Stranger in the Woods

A Q&A with The Stranger in the Woods author Michael Finkel

Staff Picks

Whale Oyster Shell Ring Dishes

Ring Holders

Whale Oyster Shell Ring Dishes

USD 34.00

Lighthouses of Maine Poster

Artwork

Lighthouses of Maine Poster

USD 30.00

Down East Beanie

Hats

Down East Beanie

USD 30.00

Maine Alphabet Print

Artwork

Maine Alphabet Print

USD 30.00

Penobscot Bay Tote

Lunch Boxes & Totes

Penobscot Bay Tote

USD 29.00

Photography

Take Your Photography to the Next Level with Down East Staff Photographer Dave Waddell

Explore and photograph Maine with Down East Adventures.

Rose Barboza’s Favorite Maine Place

When she needs a breather, the founder of Black Owned Maine heads to Portland’s Eastern Prom.

Otter Cliffs, Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park in Winter Is a Little-Visited Marvel

Acadia's summertime splendor attracts millions of visitors, but in the depths of winter, the park takes on a different character: serene, austere, and magnificent.

Photograph Maine with

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Details & Reservations

From Our Partners

A (Pool) Party with The Barn Yard

How to Increase Your Yard’s Biodiversity

Bath Savings Trust Company president Tom Whelan

How to Build a Well-Rounded Investment Portfolio

9 Maine Summer Camps the Kids Will Love

9 Maine Summer Camps the Kids Will Love

a retiree riding a bike on a paved path

The Highlands Goes Green