Boothbay Resident Days
Boothbay residents get free admission on weekends throughout the regular season. For admission, please show proof of residency at the front desk upon arrival.
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Lincoln County Resident Days
Lincoln County residents get free admission on the first Wednesday of the month throughout the regular season. For admission, please show proof of residency at the front desk upon arrival.
Accessible Cart Tour – Free Wednesdays
Our one-hour accessible cart tours are led by trained Gardens' docents, rain or shine, on our quiet electric cart. The cart can accommodate up to five people. Seating preference is decided on a first-come-first-served basis. These tours are a wonderful opportunity for those who may not otherwise be able to walk the Gardens. Tours are free on Wednesdays. Our other weekday Accessible Cart Tours are $10 per person.
Registration is required ahead of time. Admission to the Gardens is not included and must be purchased separately.
Accessible Cart Tour
Our one-hour accessible cart tours are led by trained Gardens' docents, rain or shine, on our quiet electric cart. The cart can accommodate up to five people. Seating preference is decided on a first-come-first-served basis. These tours are a wonderful opportunity for those who may not otherwise be able to walk the Gardens. Tours are $10 per person, except on Wednesdays when the accessible cart tours are free.
Registration is required ahead of time. Admission to the Gardens is not included in the cost of the tour.
Father’s Day at the Gardens
Celebrate Dad with a day out! On Father's Day, we’re offering free admission for all fathers throughout the day. No need to purchase a ticket for him—just purchase your own and bring Dad along.
L.L.Bean Free Kids Days
Thanks to generous support from L.L.Bean, kids 17 and under are free every Wednesday in July and August, 2021. No need to reserve tickets for your young guests – just bring them along and we’ll check them in at the door.
11th Annual Ina and Lew Heafitz Endowed Lecture: Planting Your Path (Online)
This registration is for the online event. Please note: both online and in-person registration is available for this event.
In this conversation Abra Lee will discuss her garden roots from the dirt-road country of the rural South to a lesson in family history that helped define her life’s purpose. This is a story of failure, persistence, and how taking her Mama’s advice to “don’t be no educated fool” led her on a journey to uncover Black America’s legacy in ornamental horticulture.
The Ina and Lew Heafitz Endowed Lecture celebrates leading thinkers in horticulture, landscape design, sustainability, and more. These nationally-recognized speakers address cutting-edge and timely topics, presenting enriching talks centered around their work in nature-related fields. The annual lecture is free for all.
Abra Lee is a national speaker, writer, and owner of Conquer the Soil, a platform that combines Black garden history and current events to raise awareness of horticulture. She has spent "a whole lotta time" in the dirt as a municipal arborist, extension agent, airport landscape manager, and more. Lee is a graduate of Auburn University and alumna of the Longwood Gardens Society of Fellows, a global network of public horticulture professionals.
11th Annual Ina and Lew Heafitz Endowed Lecture: Planting Your Path (at CMBG) | SOLD OUT
This registration is for the in-person event, which will take place indoors in our Education Center at 75% capacity. Please note: both online and in-person registration is available for this event.
In this conversation Abra Lee will discuss her garden roots from the dirt-road country of the rural South to a lesson in family history that helped define her life’s purpose. This is a story of failure, persistence, and how taking her Mama’s advice to “don’t be no educated fool” led her on a journey to uncover Black America’s legacy in ornamental horticulture.
The Ina and Lew Heafitz Endowed Lecture celebrates leading thinkers in horticulture, landscape design, sustainability, and more. These nationally-recognized speakers address cutting-edge and timely topics, presenting enriching talks centered around their work in nature-related fields. The annual lecture is free for all.
Abra Lee is a national speaker, writer, and owner of Conquer the Soil, a platform that combines Black garden history and current events to raise awareness of horticulture. She has spent ""a whole lotta time"" in the dirt as a municipal arborist, extension agent, airport landscape manager, and more. Lee is a graduate of Auburn University and alumna of the Longwood Gardens Society of Fellows, a global network of public horticulture professionals.
The Caterpillar Lab
Back by popular demand! Join us August 3-10 when perennial favorite, The Caterpillar Lab, sets up its functioning caterpillar rearing, researching, photographing, filming, and educating facility in our hallways. No two days of this residency are alike! Come experience live caterpillar displays and witness how The Lab cares for and works with these amazing, surprising creatures. Learn more about the exhibit here.
Moth Lighting Night
Join us and get mothing! The Gardens has teamed up with The Caterpillar Lab for an after-hours mothing extravaganza. Lightsheeting, or “mothing,” is the practice of providing an irresistible surface for insects to land on by illuminating a large white sheet. This favorite pastime of biologists has quickly become a popular hobby for nature lovers, gardeners, and the naturally curious worldwide. Popular events like National Moth Week and Mothapalooza have been attracting more and more attention—and now you, too, can be an explorer at this exclusive, after-hours event.
The Caterpillar Lab Director, Sam Jaffe, will arrange his ultra-moth-attracting setup and be on hand to help identify the hundreds of species we’ll likely attract. Come ready to be amazed by the diversity, size, and beauty of Maine’s nocturnal insect inhabitants. Before long, you too will be hooked on this popular pastime.
For the best experience, avoid bright clothing, wear long sleeves and pants, and bring a flashlight and insect repellant. This program is designed for anyone ages 10 and up, adults and families alike.
The Caterpillar Walk
The Caterpillar Lab is moving in, and while the exhibit is filled with munching critters offering lots to explore, the real story is the one happening outdoors. In our many gardens (as well as your own backyard), these creatures are living out their strange lives in the wild. Join The Caterpillar Lab Director, Sam Jaffe, on an exploration of the Gardens in search of native caterpillars and other insects. Learn how The Lab finds its caterpillars, all about host plants and parasitoids, and discover caterpillar-finding secrets from one of the world’s foremost caterpillar hunters! This walk is appropriate for naturalists, gardeners, and explorers of all ages. It may not, however, be appropriate for more casually interested younger children.
Summer Naturalist: Caterpillar Lab Visit and Walk (Ages 10-17)
Spend time with naturalist Sam Jaffe on a special tour of The Caterpillar Lab exhibit. Hone caterpillar-identification skills and learn some of the different unique adaptations caterpillars take followed by a guided walk in the Gardens to look for caterpillars.
Gardens Aglow
Nov. 20-Jan. 1
Arrival times every 15 minutes, 4:30-8:30 p.m., Thurs.-Sun.
(Open Wednesday, November 24 and December 22, and nightly, Christmas Day through January 1. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.)
$40 per nonmember car, $30 per member car
Gardens Aglow will light up the Boothbay peninsula for the seventh year in a row in 2021 as a driving tour. The annual family tradition of experiencing the lights of Gardens Aglow has been transformed to accommodate the safety protocols necessary for large events. Enjoy Gardens Aglow from the comfort of your own vehicle. Tickets are by car, not by passenger: a single vehicle only needs one ticket, regardless of the number of passengers. All tickets must be purchased in advance; no tickets will be sold on-site. Your cooperation is essential and greatly appreciated. Please note, there will be no dining or restroom facilities available on site.
Learn more about the event and what to expect this year.
Winter Gardens Book Club (Members Only)
Now that the garden is put to bed, it’s a great time to read those books you’ve been meaning to get to all season long. Join the conversation as we discuss four acclaimed books featuring plants at their core. This year, to be sure everyone can participate, we will be conducting these conversations via Zoom. Just sign up, read the selection, and then join the group by logging into the Zoom discussion that day. Selections include: Life in the Garden, The Age of Wood, The Garden of Evening Mists, and Uprooted: A Gardener’s Reflections on Beginning Again.
Mother’s Day at the Gardens
Treat your mother to flowers at the Gardens! We’re offering free admission for all mothers. No need to purchase a ticket for her—just purchase your own and bring Mom along.
Plein Air Days
Set up your easel and paint or sketch at the Gardens for free! Enjoy glorious spring weather and capture some brilliant color. The event is a bit earlier this year, and thinner crowds mean artists can spread out and enjoy the tulips and daffodils. There is no charge for entry, but you must pre-register for this event. You may attend one or all of our plein air days.
Chewonki at the Gardens: Mammals of Maine
This exciting and interactive program introduces audiences to our native warm-blooded vertebrates: Maine mammals. Each participant can study a mounted animal and observe its characteristics, such as teeth, feet, and fur. We use these observations as clues to understanding each mammal’s adaptations, niche, and habitat. A collection of skulls, study skins, and other specimens complements a discussion of adaptations and the role each animal plays in the food web. This program also provides a living example of a non-releasable wild mammal.
Chewonki's single-day naturalist residency programs are free to all guests with admission. This is the first of three days, all focusing on different parts of Maine's native biodiversity.
12th Annual Ina & Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture: Centering Indigenous Peoples & Nations in Land Protection & Conservation
Explore the opportunities for Wabanaki-led conservation in what is now Maine in this year’s Ina and Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture with Dr. Darren Ranco. In this free, endowed lecture, he will share contemporary scholarship about Indigenous conservation practices, define the terminology used by Indigenous people for conservation work, and identify best practices for partnerships with environmental organizations and Indigenous peoples.
Chewonki at the Gardens: Owls of Maine
Two live owls are the highlights of this program introducing participants to the owls native to Maine and New England. Using pictures and sounds, participants will learn the identifying characteristics and calls of each owl. Then, using talons, wings, and skulls, explore the adaptations of these silent nocturnal hunters. This program features an intimate and detailed look at live owls, bringing these creatures of the night into the light!
Chewonki's single-day naturalist residency programs are free to all guests with admission. This is the first of three days, all focusing on different parts of Maine's native biodiversity.
Outdoor Family Fun Days
Thanks to generous support from L.L.Bean, kids 17 and under are free every Wednesday in July and August, 2022. No need to reserve tickets for your young guests – just bring them along and we’ll check them in at the door.
Chewonki at the Gardens: Tide Pools
The tide pool is home to a variety of species whose unique adaptations allow them to maintain stability in a world that is in a constant state of change. Which species can endure the waves, tides, and temperature changes of the rocky coast? Using this interactive traveling display, participants will dip their hands into Maine’s rocky intertidal ecosystem and touch some of the ocean’s most magnificent species.
Chewonki's single-day naturalist residency programs are free to all guests with admission. This is the first of three days, all focusing on different parts of Maine's native biodiversity.
Cider Saturdays
Enjoy and learn about one of our country’s greatest and tastiest seasonal traditions, apple cider pressing! Learn the basics of making this delicious drink, and enjoy the fruits of your labors.
Native Plant Tour
Our Native Plant Tour begins with a stroll down the Haney Hillside, moving from cultivated native plantings to the natural landscape of the Shoreland Trail. From there, we walk along the Maine Woods Trail, past fern glens and wetlands, then to the upland spruce-fir forest off the Birch Allée. Please note: this tour lasts about an hour and a half and moves swiftly over hiking trails. Registration is strongly suggested. To join the tour, please meet outside the Market building by the Great Lawn.
Wetlands Tour
Join us for a staff-led walk through our many wetlands down to the Back River. On this tour, learn how important wetlands are to our ecosystem, how they provide vital habitat for wildlife, and what we can do to preserve them. From ponds to vernal pools to small rivers, we’ll see how water affects each natural community. Please note: this tour lasts about an hour and a half and moves swiftly over our steeper hiking trails. Registration is strongly suggested. To join, please meet outside the Lyn and Daniel Lerner Visitor Center by the Heafitz Wetland Bridge.
BRCDWI: Native Plants for Watershed Protection
Join us for this free, special event for Boothbay Region Residents and learn how to take action on climate change, preserve our bodies of water, support healthy ecosystems, and protect locally-sourced drinking water. Keynote speaker Irene Barber, landscape designer, horticulturist, and Adult Education Program Manager at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, will discuss incorporating native plants that increase beauty, biodiversity, and contribute to clean water. Come discover some of the dynamic, striking natives perfect for shorelines, rain gardens, and wetland edges.
Become a Guardian: Trees of the Trolls Tour
Dive into forest ecology and discover how to become a better steward of our ecosystem, just like the Guardians of the Seeds. These trolls have emerged at the Gardens to save the seeds of Maine’s most important tree species—help them protect the trees by deepening your connection to the forest around you. In this guided tour, learn not only how you, too, can become a guardian of the forest like our giant trolls, but all about these important trees, their significance in our landscape, and some of the many threats our forests face. Note that the emphasis of this excursion will be on the Maine forest, and we will only see three trolls on this tour.
Highlights Tour
Join us for this hour-long tour through our central gardens. Meet by the Café building and walk through the gardens surrounding the Great Lawn. Learn the origin stories and people who made each garden possible, highlights of the Gardens’ history, design elements, and botanical details.
Gardens Aglow
The magic begins as darkness falls. Explore our central garden areas, turned into a festively lit wonderland with more than half a million lights. This year, the seasonal celebration returns to its roots as a walking tour with a new, reimagined design. All tickets must be purchased in advance; no tickets will be sold onsite.
Wabanaki Homeland and Land Relations: Contemporary Leadership in Conservation
The Earth’s natural systems are in crisis, both globally and closer to home in our region. Despite decades of efforts, conventional conservation efforts have not succeeded in turning the tide of many indicators of ecological decline. At the same time, recent years have seen a renewed and growing movement to shift conservation narratives to include the leadership of Wabanaki (Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, and Penobscot) people, while also working to address the ongoing dispossession of Wabanaki people from their home. Join us for an exceptional evening in dialogue with six Wabanaki leaders as, together, they discuss the interconnections of land, culture, and Indigenous sovereignty in bringing the work of healing and repair into the place we now call Maine, and which was first, and still is, Wabanaki homeland.
Speakers include: Nolan Altvater, Passamaquoddy; Suzanne Greenlaw, Maliseet; Jennifer Neptune, Penobscot; Richard Silliboy, Mi’kmaq Nation; Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy and moderated by Darren Ranco, Ph.D., Penobscot
100% of proceeds from registrations from this program will go to the Wabanaki Self-Determination Fund.
Mother’s Day at the Gardens
Treat your mother to flowers at the Gardens! We’re offering free admission for all mothers. No need to purchase a ticket for her—just purchase your own and bring Mom along.
Maine Days
Friday, June 2–Sunday, June 4 | FREE for Maine Residents
Each year during Maine Days, we invite our fellow Maine residents to experience their gardens at no cost—simply get your tickets ahead of time, and bring your Maine State ID or driver's license. Long a family tradition for many, this year’s event takes place Friday, June 2 through Sunday, June 4. We can’t wait to see you at the Gardens.
Please note that, while it is free for all Mainers, advance registration is required for this event.
Plein Air Days
Friday-Monday, June 9-12, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Attention artists! Come join us for the annual Plein Air Days long weekend. Bring your art supplies and easels, and admission is free! You must make reservations, but you’re welcome to come any or all of the four days.
Father’s Day at the Gardens
Celebrate Dad with a day out! On Father’s Day, we’re offering free admission for all fathers throughout the day. No need to purchase a ticket for him—just purchase your own and bring Dad along.
Chewonki @ the Gardens: Mammals of Maine
Chewonki is coming to the Gardens for four single-day naturalist residency programs, free to all guests with admission. This is the first of four days, all focusing on animals and their amazing adaptations.
This exciting and interactive program introduces audiences to our native warm-blooded vertebrates: Maine mammals. Each participant can study a mounted animal and observe its characteristics, such as teeth, feet, and fur. We use these observations as clues to understanding each mammal’s adaptations, niche, and habitat. A collection of skulls, study skins, and other specimens complements a discussion of adaptations and the role each animal plays in the food web. This program also provides a living example of a non-releasable wild mammal.
Summer Discovery Walk: Pollinators
Tuesdays July 18 & August 29; Friday, August 4
Join us as we search the flowers of the Gardens for the pollinators that make this place possible! Participants will learn about the process of pollination, who qualifies as a pollinator, the differences between them, and the kinds of flowers each loves best. Participants will discover reasons to appreciate pollinators and all they do to sustain the life cycles of so many plants. This free program is intended for children ages 3-8 with an adult caregiver. Please register ONLY for the number of children in your group. Registration is strongly suggested, but walk-ins are welcome even if registration is full. To join the walk, please meet at the entrance of the Alfond Children’s Garden.
Chewonki @ the Gardens: Biomimicry
Chewonki is coming to the Gardens for four single-day naturalist residency programs, free to all guests with admission. Drop in anytime during your visit between 10 am to 2 pm. This is the second of four days, all focusing on animals and their amazing adaptations.
Many of the engineering challenges facing humans today are similar to difficulties that exist in the natural world. Plants and animals have evolved through generations of successes and failures resulting in remarkable adaptations to overcome these challenges. Join us to explore the ways engineers have taken advantage of nature’s bright ideas through biomimicry, and meet some live animals that help us draw comparisons between human-made products and animal adaptations. As we look for creative solutions to future problems, perhaps we can find inspiration by observing nature in our own backyard! Drop in anytime between 10 am to 2 pm.
Deconstructing the Boundaries: A Future of Land & Food Resilience
Presented by Indigo Arts Alliance in partnership with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
This program is the first symposium in a multi-year collaboration between the two organizations. Indigo Arts Alliance assembled a curated panel of thought leaders and workshop presenters to discuss how Black and Brown communities have always held spiritual, traditional, and cultural relationships to the land. Conversations, demonstrations, and interactive workshops will present experiences from multidisciplinary artists, cultural workers, and members of the local, national, and global community.
Through this symposium, we hope to explore and address these three key questions:
- How do we evolve our personal, communal, and institutional relationships with land ownership and stewardship?
- How do we address and heal the deep distrust that has taken root in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities?
- How do we acknowledge and appreciate the ways in which African, Brown, and Indigenous cultural and social systems, as well as spirituality exist outside of settler colonial paradigms?
Founded in 2018, Indigo Arts Alliance (IAA) is a Portland, ME-based, Black-led organization dedicated to professional development and amplification of Black and Brown thought-leadership, vision, and creative practice. As an organization of social practice artists, scholars, and activists, it seeks to strengthen multiracial democracy by cultivating and celebrating art as a key resource for healthy communities, connecting global and local Black and Brown artists, providing an affirming environment for the creation of artwork across disciplines, and promoting engagement through participatory events that bring artists' and activists' work into public conversation on social justice, culture, and community. IAA is the only Black-led, established arts incubator in northern New England. That being the case, they fill a critically important gap in representation lacking in other regional arts and cultural institutions.
The Caterpillar Lab Residency
Back by popular demand! Join us July 26–30 when perennial favorite, The Caterpillar Lab, sets up its functioning caterpillar rearing, researching, photographing, filming, and educating facility in our Education Center. This experience is free with Gardens admission. No two days of this residency are alike! Come experience live caterpillar displays and witness how The Lab cares for and works with these amazing, surprising creatures. Learn more about the residency here.
Summer Discovery Walk: Woodlands
Thursdays, July 27 & August 24
Have you ever looked closely at a tree stump or wondered who might be living in the holes left by woodpeckers? Venture into the woods with us as we investigate the plants and animals that live there and discover how they are all connected. Together we will appreciate the ecology and natural history of the Maine woods. This free program is intended for children ages 3-8 with an adult caregiver. Please register ONLY for the number of children in your group. Registration is strongly suggested, but walk-ins are welcome even if registration is full. To join the walk, please meet at the entrance of the Alfond Children’s Garden.
The Caterpillar Walk
The Caterpillar Lab is moving in, and while the exhibit is filled with munching critters offering lots to explore, the real story is the one happening outdoors. In our many gardens (as well as your own backyard), these creatures are living out their strange lives in the wild. Join The Caterpillar Lab Director, Sam Jaffe, on an exploration of the Gardens in search of native caterpillars and other insects. Learn how The Lab finds its caterpillars, all about host plants and parasitoids, and discover caterpillar-finding secrets from one of the world’s foremost caterpillar hunters! This walk is appropriate for naturalists, gardeners, and explorers of all ages. It may not, however, be appropriate for more casually interested younger children.
