I do not have a green thumb. It’s not even slightly tinged. It doesn’t stop me from trying to grow things. Every spring, I over commit to my garden and fill my stash of ceramic pots with whatever catches my eye at the garden store with little understanding of what I actually need to do to keep the various plants alive. Given this approach, it’s probably no surprise that my results are spotty.

I enjoy the chance to see truly well designed and maintained gardens even if I know I’ll never achieve that type of success with my own personal landscaping. When I read that the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens was hosting Maine Days over Memorial Day weekend, with free admission for Maine residents, I knew I wanted to head up and take a peak at what was growing. Admission is normally $16 for adults although free for members.

This is a stunning destination and a true representation of all that is beautiful about Maine. There were plenty of flowers in bloom and so many other amazing things to see at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. The botanical garden does a fantastic job of incorporating another Maine staple, granite, into their garden designs anchoring everything with the look and feel of Maine.

While there is a central area with more manicured gardens, there are some wonderful looping trails around the outer edges that truly show the natural beauty of Maine. These outer trails also have pockets of curated areas along the way including lovely spots such as the Giles Rhododendron Garden and the Vayo Meditation Garden. There are unique pieces of art and sculpture incorporated into the gardens adding bits of whimsy throughout the space. For more information on the art pieces located at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens you can visit their FloraFind site.

As would be expected in such a picturesque location, I took more than a few snapshots as I explored the gardens. Choosing which pictures to include with this post was extremely difficult. It was impossible to take a bad picture. Thank you to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for permission to publish my pictures with this post. They really help to show the beauty and unique spirit of this gorgeous destination.

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There is a restaurant on the grounds called the Kitchen Garden Cafe that overlooks the gardens. While I didn’t stop there on this visit, the brochure indicated that they use ingredients from local growers and even use herbs, when available, from the Burpee Kitchen Garden located on site. They offer sandwiches, paninis and a few entrees. They had a nice children’s menu as well. There was a take out window on the outside of the building for lighter fare with plenty of outside seating options.

The trails are pretty extensive and do require a lot of walking, however they offer a shuttle service at a few locations. I didn’t use it on my visit but it seemed like a popular option. The welcome center has bathrooms available as well as a gift shop with a lot of cute garden inspired items.

**NOTE** My GPS had a hard time finding the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and kept trying to have me turn off well before I was close so I recommend checking on-line to get a good idea of directions before heading to the botanical gardens. Their website has directions and specifically indicates that older GPS systems may have a hard time.

This was such a beautiful way to spend an afternoon. It was incredibly relaxing and so peaceful. I can’t believe that they’ve only been open since 2007. They have the look and feel of having been around for much longer. I highly recommend if you’re in the area stopping by for a visit, or better yet, make it your road trip destination. It’s only about an hour north of Portland. It is a wonderful way to spend a day in Maine.