Maine's Gorgeous Botanical Garden Along The Coast Is One Of The Best In America

Maine's MidCoast region is famous for its rocky coastline, adorable villages, picturesque islands, and gorgeous beaches. It's also home to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, one of the best botanical gardens in America, according to Reddit. The site was even included in USA Today's roundup of the best botanical gardens in the country. So, as you plan your road trip up the coast of the Pine Tree State, be sure to add this beautiful spot to your itinerary.

For years, residents of the MidCoast, which extends from north of Portland to south of Acadia National Park, believed that their stunning coastline needed a botanical garden. They started planning in 1992, purchased 128 acres of waterfront land in 1996, and worked with local and international landscape architects for more than a decade. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which calls itself the "People's Garden," finally opened in 2007. It has since expanded to over 300 acres, which makes it the biggest botanical garden in New England. 

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is in Boothbay, a town home to less than 3,200 people. Its extensive gardens, forests, and trails sit along the shore of the Back River, which is part of the vast tidal marshes that make up the Kennebec Estuary. From the botanical gardens, you can also see Sawyer Island, once home to a popular summer resort. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens certainly has a perfect location.

When you arrive at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, you'll enter through the shingled Lyn and Daniel Lerner Visitor Center. This is where you'll find the Gardenshop with locally made items, the locally sourced Café, and filling stations for water bottles. Outside of the visitor center, you can either join a free tour, which is offered daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., or board the hop-on, hop-off shuttle that drives visitors around the perimeter of the botanical gardens.

You can also start exploring the grounds on your own, of course. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has 17 acres of manicured gardens. They include the Giles Rhododendron and Perennial Garden, which was the site's first planned garden. This hillside garden has a pond, a waterfall, and over 175 varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas. The Bibby and Harold Alfond Children's Garden was inspired by children's books written by Maine authors. Kids will love the chicken coop, maze lawn, and treehouse scattered among its two acres. And the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses is another spot the whole family can enjoy. It has distinct areas focused on hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch.

While walking around the grounds, you should also keep an eye out for giant trolls. Danish artist Thomas Dambo created "Guardians of the Seeds," an exhibit that hides five trolls, made of reclaimed wood, around the property. There's a map to help lead the way through the woods.

In addition to the gardens, over 5 miles of hiking trails wind through the forest, around the wetlands, and along the shoreline in Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. The Shoreland Trail leads to the Landing, a dock on the Back River. You'll find indigenous trees, a sea breeze, and a gazebo along this waterfront path. It also connects with the Huckleberry Cove Trail. This wooded trail, lined with moss-covered rocks, ends at a peaceful spot along the water. Or you can head deep into the woods on the Cedar Ledge Trail, where you'll likely spot all sorts of mosses, mushrooms, and wildlife.

Like so many other spots on the MidCoast, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a seasonal destination. The botanical gardens' regular season runs from the beginning of May to the middle of October. Tickets are cheaper when purchased in advance online.

It's easy to reach Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens from Portland, a lively hub of waterfront fun, renowned seafood, old walkable streets, and quirky shops. It's a little over an hour's drive from Portland International Jetport, the largest airport in Maine. While visiting Boothbay, you should also plan to spend some time in neighboring Boothbay Harbor, a serene coastal town often called one of Maine's most underrated. Your itinerary for the MidCoast of Maine keeps joyfully expanding.