Botanical Gardens

We went to Boothbay today, with some homeschooling friends, to tour the Botanical Gardens.  We'd never been there, and despite what I'd heard (that it is amazing) I was hesitant.  First of all it was rainy and cold.  Secondly my kids have seen gardens. They walk in the woods all the time.  They are not nature deficient.  The idea of driving an hour and a half one way to walk in the rain and possibly hear my kids complain that they were bored, wasn't high on my list.  But we went.  And it was amazing.  If you live anywhere near Midcoast Maine (or even farther) it is well worth the drive.  A friend had scheduled to have a group program for our "school" group, so the session was nearly free, and they provided us with a warm room to lunch in as well as a guided tour for not much more money.  The educational tour was something we chose from a list of options, and it ended up being kind of a waste of time given our children's experience with and fondness for nature (as we overheard our 6 year old friend whisper while rolling her eyes, "she doesn't need to tell me this--I already love nature").  Even so it was something I plan to do again.  Due to the weather and time of year we had the place nearly to ourselves, but I imagine it would even be worth braving the crowds for.   If it was this beautiful in October, I'd love to see it in July.