City: Topsham, ME

Category: Retirement

Telephone: (207) 725-2650 or (888) 760-10

Address: 26 Elm St.

Description: Topsham, just north of Brunswick, has undergone quite a building boom in the past few decades, and the Highlands was part of it, going up in 1989. Part of the Wasileski empire, it is one of the biggest retirement communities in Maine, with more than 300 residents, and the choices are many. There are 118 apartments, more than 125 cottage units, 44 assisted-living units, and 24 Alzheimer’s units to provide a continuum of care. Many of these—the single- and duplex-home Estates, for example—can be customized to the owner’s specifications. Others, like the six apartments in the 19th-century Benjamin Porter House, are more unique and character laden. The Highlands campus sprawls across 75 acres, with walking trails wandering about, so there is something of a sense of rural living even though you’re five minutes from the restaurants and cultural activities of Brunswick and less than 25 miles from all that Portland has to offer. Not that you need to go anywhere. The facility is very self-sufficient, with fine dining, a fitness center, library and media room, pool, bingo, bridge—even a bank—and regular outings to the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Maine State Music Theatre, Portland Stage Company, Audubon events, and more. The Highlands van also whisks residents to Topsham, downtown Brunswick, Cooks Corner, Bath, and the Maine Mall for shopping.

City: Topsham, ME

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (207) 725-0162

Address: 1 Main St., Great Mill Island

Description: One of the surviving pubs owned by the Sea Dog Brewing Company, this cool bar is a good example of what can be done to save old mill buildings. It was retrofitted into the old Topsham Mill, and it’s a beautiful space right on the Androscoggin River. Brews and views are good, and there’s often music on Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.