Globe North best bets

Essex County: Friday through Sunday, the Essex National Heritage Commission presents "Trails & Sails: A Weekend to Go! Experience Essex Heritage," a celebration of historic, cultural, and natural treasures in the Essex National Heritage Area. The weekend includes 200 free events at 140 locations in Essex County. This year, Trails & Sails is partnering with ArtsFest Merrimack Valley, a valley-wide event celebrating art and culture. See merrimackvalley.info/artsfest. Trails & Sails kicks off Thursday with "A Taste of Tails & Sails," 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Willowdale Estate in Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield. Enjoy fresh local produce, cheeses, and spirits. $25 online at trailsandsails.org or call 978-740-0444. Trails & Sails events, Friday afternoon through Sunday at sunset, include nature hikes, bicycle outings, vineyard tours, poetry readings, waterfront adventures, "green" events, farm tours, dory-rowing, whale-watching, history and art walks, sails, paddles, historical tours, art, archeological digs, music, vintage baseball games, "Family Fun Sunday," and many more activities. Most events are free and accommodate 12 to 50 on a first-come, first-served basis, except preregistered events. trailsandsails.org.

Wenham: Interdisciplinary celebration, "The Beauty - and Art - of Science, a Week of Artistic Offerings," culminates with dedication of new Ken Olsen Science Center. Tuesday-Sunday, artistic events exploring the relationship between faith and science. Saturday morning, a ribbon-cutting dedication followed by a lecture from a leading expert on DNA. See exhibits by painter Makota Fujimura and sculptor Jim Zingarelli, Caryl Churchill's award-winning play, "A Number" ($10, online at gordon.edu), panel discussions. Charles Gounod's 1859 comic opera, "The Doctor in Spite of Himself," will be the first musical performance held in the Center's MacDonald Auditorium. Students and alumni perform, accompanied by a student orchestra. Free performances Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, will lecture on "Genomics and the Human Condition" in the A.J. Gordon Memorial Chapel, Saturday 11 a.m. Free exhibits and other events during the week on campus, 255 Grapevine Road.

Durham, N.H.: The contemporary dance company Eliza Monte Dance premieres "Zydeco Zare," a work inspired by folk music originating from African-American and Creole descendants of freed slaves in southern Louisiana. Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Johnson Theatre at Paul Creative Arts Center, 30 College Road, on the Durham campus. The performance is part of the UNH Celebrity Series. $30, youth $10. For tickets, call 603-862-2290 (Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.) or visit unh.edu/celebrity.

Salem: Just in time for the election, Salem Theatre Company presents "Public Exposure," a political farce by Robert Reich. Part of its Staged Reading Series, it will be at Griffen Theatre, 7 Lynde St., Tuesday 7 p.m., Saturday 4 p.m., and Sunday 7 p.m. It features strong language and may not be appropriate for younger audiences. $10 and $8. To reserve tickets, call 978-790-8546 or visit salemtheatre.com.

Portsmouth, N.H.: "Sharp Dressed Men," comedy, Seacoast Repertory Theatre, 125 Bow St. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $20. Reservations: www.seacoastrep.org//cq-dd// or 603-433-4472.

Event organizers: Submit items and photos directly to http://calendar.boston.com/events/new.