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Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens - An amazing display of stunning gardens, beautiful stonework, and sculptures on the Maine coast

If you are looking to experience 248 acres of stunning ornamental gardens, beautiful stonework, and sculptures, hop in your car while you are in Rockland and travel an hour to The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens located in Boothbay Harbor. With its miles of trails along the waterfront and through woodlands, thousands of plant species, rock walls, trees, and wind-driven sculptures, it is no wonder that The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has been called one of Maine’s top three attractions and named by TripAdvisor as the #1 ranked public garden in the United States.

After sixteen years of extensive planning and planting, The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens opened in June 2007. Today, patrons are invited to visit the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, the Rose and Perennial Garden, the Haney Hillside Garden, the Great Lawn and Ledge Garden, or the Vayo Meditation Garden. The Children’s Garden was just introduced in 2010. So how much time should you spend here? It’s up to you. You could either walk quickly through the venue for twenty minutes or spend the entire day here walking, taking pictures, or reading on the park’s benches with the ocean breeze on your face.

If you get hungry, you won’t have to travel far. The Kitchen Garden Café offers fresh fare, made from local and organic ingredients, even including some items from their own onsite garden. To reflect the best in seasonal cuisine, the menu changes frequently. Once you are full, it’s time for a little shopping. The Gardens Gift Shop (open from April 1st until the end of October) offers hundreds of garden-related books, tools, Maine-made items, gourmet foods, holiday décor, jewelry, scarves, other gift items, and an entire children’s section. If you are looking for even more entertainment, visit the art exhibits on the grounds and in the Visitor Center.

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens are open throughout the year, seven days a week from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Gardens are closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Complementary docent-led tours are offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday from spring until fall. Admission to the Gardens is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $6 for children. Children under the age of 3 are free. Reduced rates are available for large groups, and for school field trips. Admission from January through March is free.