Look, we’re realists. We’re not going to tell you to take the ice scrapers out of your car until maybe June. But spring is officially here and we’re very here for it.

Bring on the mud, the baby goats, the baseball games and the first season for the men’s professional soccer team, Hearts of Pine.

Here are a bunch of ways to fall in love with spring this year.

Sea Dogs’ Marcelo Mayer runs the baseline against Hartford at Hadlock Field during a 2024 regular season game. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Portland Sea Dogs Season Opener

April 8-13. Hadlock Field, 271 Park Ave., Portland, $12-22. milb.com/portland.

After a long winter, it’s time to take yourself out to a ballgame. A six-game home stand against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats starts on April 8 and runs for six consecutive days, with both evening and afternoon games. Slugger will be well rested and ready to dance. Will you?

Meredith Hazlett of Falmouth installs a flower arrangement inspired by Ann Craven’s painting “Big Moon, 2021” as Portland Museum of Art prepared for the 2023 Art in Bloom exhibit. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

Art in Bloom

April 9-13. Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square,$18-$20. portlandmuseum.org.

Portland Museum of Art bursts with color and fragrance during its annual Art in Bloom exhibit. You’ll see works from the museum’s collection paired with incredible floral installations by area designers, artists, farmers and florists.  The sensory overload will be a welcome sight as you take in how each floral spectacle was inspired by its corresponding piece of art.

Reggae Fest

April 10-13. Sugarloaf, 5092 Access Road, Carrabassett Valley, $40-$75. sugarloaf.com.

Reggae Fest celebrates its 37th anniversary at Sugarloaf with four days of reggae music and parties on the outdoor patio known as The Beach, and at bar and restaurants The Widowmaker, King Pine Room and Bullwinkle’s. Reggae DJs will be spinning, and there will be live performances by Stream Reggae, Coyote Island, Boostive, Over the Bridge, Double Tiger and Soul Rebel Project, among several other acts.

Pond-A-Palooza

April 12. Sunday River, 15 South Ridge Road, Newry. sundayriver.com.

Ski season might be winding down, but not the fun at Sunday River. The annual Pond-A-Palooza event has you — on skis — sliding down a hill and then skimming as far across a man-made pond as you can without sinking. Head to the Welcome Center at South Ridge Lodge between 9-10:30 a.m. to register for free. Spots are limited to 100, so don’t dawdle. Prizes will be handed out to the top three overall scores as well as best costume and biggest splash.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Starting May 1. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay, $24, $20 seniors and veterans, $15 students, $10 for 3-17,  free for under 3. mainegardens.org.

A detail of the Julia Rose Intersectional Peony, one of hundreds of native flowers and plants in the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. Gordon Chibroski/Portland Press Herald

With nearly 300 acres to explore, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a place to lose yourself in. The grounds are an endless tapestry of sights, smells and sounds that are ever-changing as spring gives way to summer then fall. Keep an eye out for the five giant wooden trolls and inhale salt air along a mile of tidal frontage. Be sure to stop by the native butterfly house and find enchantment in the fairy house village.

May Day

May 3. Downtown Kennebunk locations. kennebunkmaine.us.

Kennebunk’s long-running May Day festival offers up a bouquet of family-friendly events and activities. The schedule includes a pancake breakfast, food trucks, farmers market, book sale and plenty of stuff for kids. One of the highlights is the parade featuring the Shriners’ classic miniature cars along with floats, a marching band and a merry bunch of mascots. It all kicks off at 8 a.m.

Diane Harwood talks about her work during the pottery tour in 2022. Her studio, D. Harwood Pottery, is participating in this year’s Maine Pottery Tour on May 3-4. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Maine Pottery Tour

May 3-4. Statewide pottery and ceramics studios. mainepotterytour.org.

The annual Maine Pottery tour celebrates its 13th year with dozens of pottery and ceramics studios statewide that will be open to the public. You can meet artists, watch demonstrations, see the kilns and shop for pottery and ceramics. Cumberland County participants include Portland Pottery, Tall Pines Pottery and Campfire Pottery, among several others. The Maine Pottery Tour website includes information about the Plan My Tour app featuring online maps of the studios to help you plan.

The Ritual Spring Market

10 a.m.-3 p.m. May 4. (Rain date May 11.) Waterfront Park, Augusta. ritualmaine.com.

For an unusual, outdoor shopping experience, head to Waterfront Park in Augusta on the first Sunday in May for the eclectic Ritual Market, which includes a diverse range of vendors who aim to foster connection, inclusivity and diversity. You’ll find a curated slate of makers and creators with crystals, gems, artwork, upcycled clothing, pottery, ceramics, soap, candles, herbal goods and more. A mini version of the market will also take place on May 25 at Absolute Cider in Winthrop.

North Haven Island-based trio Bait Bag will be performing during the All Roads Music Festival in Belfast. Photo by Bill Trevaskis

All Roads Music Festival

May 16-17. Downtown Belfast locations, $35 Friday,$45 Saturday, $75 two-day pass, $85 two-day VIP pass, $10 youth. allroadmusicfest.com.

Downtown Belfast becomes a local live music hot spot in mid-May when the annual All Roads Music Festival, presented by arts nonprofit Launchpad, draws fans to the Midcoast for indie music performances, all within walking distance of each other. The stacked lineup includes Toby McAllister and the Sierra Sounds, Bait Bag, Rigometrics, Brit Martin and dozens of other acts. This year marks the festival’s 10th anniversary.

Sandy River Music Festival

May 24 & 25. Narrow Gauge Amphitheater, 123 Narrow Gauge Square, Farmington, $35 per day, $60 weekend pass. whistlestopconcertseries.com/shows-tickets.

The Sandy River Music Festival features two days of live Americana, bluegrass, folk, singer-songwriter and rock music. It all happens outside in a field surrounded by woods and mountains. If you’re the outdoors type, there are options for camping. The lineup of local and regional performers features 10 acts, including Adam Ezra, Antje Duvekot, Della Mae, The Wolff Sisters, Erica Brown & The Bluegrass Connection, and Connor Garvey.

Avril Lavigne

May 25. Maine Savings Amphitheater, 1 Railroad St., Bangor, $54.95-$182.50. waterfrontconcerts.com.

Pop star Avril Lavigne’s greatest hits tour marks the opening of a busy summer at Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor. It’s not complicated, just snag some tickets and be ready for a Memorial Day weekend banger of a show. The Canadian singer-songwriter hit pay dirt on the charts with songs like “Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi,” “Girlfriend” and “I’m With You.” Simple Plan and We The Kings warm up the stage for the pop-punk queen.

Vampire Weekend

May 29. Thompson’s Point, Thompson’s Point Road, Portland, $65-$85 in advance, $95 day of show, kids 3 and under free. statetheatreportland.com.

Indie rock band Vampire Weekend opens the season at Thompson’s Point in Portland. The band is on the road in support of its fifth album, “Only God Was Above Us.” Vampire Weekend broke through in 2008 with the tracks “Oxford Comma” and “A-Punk” from its self-titled debut album. In 2014, the band won a Best Alternative Album Grammy for “Modern Vampires of the City,” and repeated the win in 2020 for “Father of the Bride.”

Billy Currington

May 29. The Bowl at the Pines, Snow Pond Center for the Arts, 8 Goldenrod Lane, Sidney, $49.50, $89.50 premium, $25 parking. snowpond.org.

The Bowl in the Pines opens with a country show from Billy Currington, who has seven albums worth of material to choose from, and 18 songs that hit the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. Among Currington’s No. 1 hits are “That’s How Country Boys Roll,” “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer” and “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To.” Country hitmakers Parmalee hits the stage after an opening set from country singer-songwriter Cole Goodwin.

There will be whoopie pies as far as the eye can see during the annual Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft. Darryl Brooks/Shutterstock.com

Maine Whoopie Pie Festival

June 14. Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds, Dover-Foxcroft, $6. mainewhoopiepiefestival.com.

Technically summer doesn’t start till June 20, so the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival qualifies as a (sweet) spring treat. The gathering has been happening since 2009 and pays homage to Maine’s official state treat. Pre-burn some calories by running in the festival’s Earn Your Whoopie 3K race/walk. The rest of the day includes rides and games for kids,  food and crafts from dozens of vendors, live music and whoopie pie-eating contests.