The kiddo was pooped from his excitement at Pemaquid, so he napped the entire way to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, in Boothbay Harbor. We met up with Dana and Noodle here, and loved it. There is no more beautiful place, seriously. Of all the gardens I have visited, and I have visited a lot, this was my favorite.
$10 bucks get you in, and it is worth it. Strollers go everywhere. The Visitor’s Center is new, the bathrooms huge, and the food in the Café not bad at all. Plenty of parking. LOTS of helpful volunteers. There are the logistics.
The scoop, gorgeous. I told Joel: “This visit is going to cost you a lot of money.” Views of the gardens speak for themselves. All types of gardens, J had a great time romping on the large green in the center of it all. All of the other grandma’s and grandpa’s visiting commented on how amazing it was that this 11-month old was running around! There is a whole section of gardens that are for touching, and boy did he have a great time doing that. Smelling our hands, after brushing them against herbs or flowers was awesome. Looking at the waterfalls and ponds was a huge draw. And walking over all of the different textured paths pooped the guy out. More interactive then an Art Museum, but now as over-stimulating as a Children’s Museum, this is a happy alternative. 
A stroller walk down part of their 2-mile trail gave Mom a lot of ideas for her gardens at home in Hampton Falls, and at Sebago Lake. The Children’s Garden looks awesome, but does not open until July 9th… So, we were bummed to miss that one but will see it when we come back, which we for certain will. It looks like the garden is all Robert McCloskey themed. A no miss for those who love Blueberries for Sal.
We also missed the fairy house trail, and the waterfall, but the kiddo was tired and Noodle (dogs not allowed) needed to have his fun too. So, we parted in the lot and J and I are already looking forward to a trip for next year. I LOVE it there and need to convince my parents to retire there!
The gardens look gorgeous! And wow, J is really walking now...can't wait to see you in August :-)
ReplyDeletejust to let you know that there are people out there who read your blog. What I really need to know is where did you find the kid size adirondak chair? Susan (aka jetski Grammy)
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