Name: Let’s Talk Biodiversity Tour
Start: 2025-05-31T13:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-05-31T14:30:00+00:00
Location: Lerner Visitor Center

Try a Tour!

With 323 acres to explore, there is so much to see and do at the Gardens! Not sure where to begin? Try one of our many docent-led tours, from the Gardens’ art exhibits and history to its wild and cultivated spaces.

Two free tours daily.

Every day at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., you can access a free tour. Whether introducing friends to the Gardens on a Highlights Tour or diving deeper with a Wetlands Hike or other specialty tour, there is something for everyone. Pre-registration is recommended for specialty tours.

Highlights Tour

Daily, May 1-October 19

11 a.m.-noon

Join us for this hour-long tour through our central gardens. Meet on the Great Lawn, then walk through its surrounding gardens. Hear about the origin story and the people who made each garden possible, highlights of Gardens’ history, design elements, and botanical details. This is a free, drop-in tour.

Drop in with Admission

Hike the Trolls

Thursdays & Fridays, May 1-October 17
1-2:30 p.m.

The Guardians of the Seeds have emerged from the woods and are waiting for you to find them! On this guided hike, we’ll find all five of the trolls hidden in the woods and, along the way, explore the botany behind the magic of the exhibit. Join us to learn more about the artist Thomas Dambo and the team that built them, hear behind-the-scenes stories of how they were constructed, and discover how you, too, can join the trolls and become a guardian of the forest. This tour will last approximately one and a half hours and will cover about 2.5 miles of paths and trails. While this tour is free, pre-registration is encouraged; drop-ins are welcome.

Hike the Trolls

Native Plant Hike

Mondays & Tuesdays, May 5-October 17
1-2:30 p.m.

Join our Native Plant Hike for a deeper dive into the world of native plants. We begin the hike down the Haney Hillside, moving from cultivated native plantings to the natural landscape of the Shoreland Trail and Maine Woods Trail, and end the hike traveling up the Birch Allée. This hike lasts about ninety minutes and moves swiftly over the trails; sturdy boots or shoes are recommended. While this tour is free, pre-registration is encouraged; drop-ins are welcome. Please meet outside the Café building by the Great Lawn to join the tour.

Native Plants Hike

Wetlands Hike

Wednesdays, May 7-October 1
1-2:30 p.m.

From ponds and vernal pools to small rivers, on this free hike, we’ll explore the Gardens’ many wetlands to see how water affects each natural community. Learn how important wetlands are to our ecosystem, how they provide vital habitat for wildlife, and what we can do to preserve them. This hike lasts about ninety minutes and moves swiftly over our steeper hiking trails. While this tour is free, pre-registration is encouraged; drop-ins are welcome. Please meet outside the Lyn and Daniel Lerner Visitor Center by the Heafitz Wetland Bridge to join the tour.

Wetlands Hike

A woodland forest of trees native to Maine.

Let’s Talk Biodiversity Tour

Saturdays and Sundays, May 3-October 19
1-2:30 p.m.

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth. It provides us with everything that makes life on Earth possible—clean air and water, fertile soil, medicines, fuels, materials, shelter, places for recreation, and a stable climate. In this tour, we’ll explore the rich biodiversity at the Gardens and share stories about how biodiverse landscapes enrich and strengthen our communities against change and other challenges. Enjoy the chance to share your perspectives and explore new ones on how we all can protect biodiversity in our own homes. This tour follows an accessible route for wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility aids. While this tour is free, pre-registration is encouraged; drop-ins are welcome.

Let’s Talk Biodiversity Tour

Accessible Cart Tour

Our 90-minute Accessible Cart Tours are led by trained Gardens’ docents, rain or shine, on our quiet electric cart. These tours are a wonderful opportunity for those who may not otherwise be able to walk the Gardens. The cart can accommodate up to five (5) passengers. The tour is $15 for members and $18 for nonmembers (in addition to admission), except on Wednesdays when the accessible cart tours are free.

Accessible Cart Tour Free Wednesday Accessible Cart Tour

May 1

May 1 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 2 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 3 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

May 6 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 7 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 8 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 9 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 10 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

May 13 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 14 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 15 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 16 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 17 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

May 20 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 21 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 22 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 23 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 24 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

May 27 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 28 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 29 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 30 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

May 31 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Highlights Tour

May 31 @ 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Let’s Talk Biodiversity Tour

For our full course listing, members-only events and other programming that requires registration, please visit: Shop.MaineGardens.org.

Tours

Garden Tours

Try a Tour!

Two free tours daily.

Highlights Tour

Hike the Trolls

Native Plant Hike

Wetlands Hike

Let’s Talk Biodiversity Tour

Accessible Cart Tour

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