Spring in bloom: Where to see beautiful gardens in New England this season
Looking for an engaging way to get outside this spring? These garden destinations in eastern New England offer a special experience, highlighting the variety of flora native to the region.
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Heritage Museums & Garden
67 Grove St., Sandwich, Massachusetts
Adults $21, children over 2 $11, children 2 and under free
This Sandwich destination off Route 6, less than 5 miles from the Sagamore Bridge, features 100 acres of gardens, lawns, flowers, trees and shrubs, and a museum collection of 18,000 pieces celebrating southeastern Massachusetts, including folk art, 41 antique cars and a hand-carved 1908 carousel.
Open from April 23 to Oct. 16.
Garden in the Woods
180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, Massachusetts
Adults $16, seniors $12, children 5 and older $6, children under 5 free
Garden in the Woods is a 45-acre native plant garden featuring more than 1,000 New England species. Take a virtual tour before your visit here.
Open from April to October.
Acton Arboretum
2 Taylor Road, Acton, Massachusetts
Free
Twenty acres of gardens, lawns, ornamental trees and shrubs and an additional 40 acres of woods, meadows, ponds, orchards and wetlands. Trails are blazed in wooded areas but not in the open areas. Check out the "wildflower loop" and the "fragrance loop" for lilac, hyacinth, peony, lavender and azalea.
Open year-round.
Maudslay State Park
74 Curzon Mill Road, Newburyport, Massachusetts
Parking: $5 for Massachusetts residents, $20 for nonresidents
On the bank of the Merrimack River, Maudslay features one of the largest naturally occurring stands of mountain laurel in the state. The more than 450 acres include gardens and thickets, including old-growth white pines used as nesting sites by bald eagles. Check out the park's summer concert series and free outdoor theater performances.
Open year-round.
Bedrock Gardens
19 High Road, Lee, New Hampshire
Adults $15 suggested donation, children 12 and under free
This former dairy farm is now nearly covered in gardens, with a variety of installations and art features, including a wildlife pond, a large ornamental grass "painting" and a Japanese tea house and garden. In October the gardens will once again host the Fairy & Hobbit House Festival.
Open May 11 to Oct. 10, Tuesday through Friday, and on the first and third weekend of the month.
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum
101 Ferry Road, Bristol, Rhode Island
Adults $16, children ages 6 to 17 $6, children 5 and under free. Includes tour of house and gardens.
Surrounding a historical 45-room mansion, the 33-acre estate is home to a large collection of unusual plants and specimen trees. The 10-acre great lawn, enclosed garden, orchard and cutting and vegetable gardens date from the late 1800s. The estate, which has stunning views of Narragansett Bay, was built as a summer retreat for Pennsylvania coal magnate, Augustus Van Wickle.
Open from April 2 to Oct. 6.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay, Maine
Adults $22, children 3 to 17 $10, children under 3 free
The largest botanical garden in New England, the 300-acre property was opened in 2007 after 16 years of planting, planning and construction. Guests can visit natural attractions, including a rhododendron garden, a garden of the five senses and a native butterfly and moth house, and go on a hunt through the woods for giant trolls constructed in Denmark of recycled wood products.
Open from May 1 to Oct. 23.
This article originally appeared on Wicked Local: Where to see beautiful flowers, plants in New England this spring
