New England's Gardens

Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center
10 Deerfield Lane
Ansonia, CT  06401  
Phone: 203-736-1053

One hundred-acre nature preserve, with several gardens featuring ferns and wildflowers. Of particular note is the butterfly and hummingbird garden. Natural exhibits and programs are scheduled throughout the year. Over two miles of trails run through the preserve for hiking and cross-country skiing. Visitors can also enjoy a fishing pond, picnic areas and a gift shop.
Hours: Sunup to sundown. Office and interpretive center open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except holidays. Free admission.

Arnold Arboretum
The Arborway
Jamaica Plain, MA  02130  
Phone: 617-524-1718

This 265 acre site is home to an incredible 7,000 varieties of trees. Free admission.

Ashintully Gardens
Sodem and Main Roads
Tyringham, MA  01238  
Phone: 413-298-3239
Fax: 413-298-5239

A rushing stream, native deciduous trees, a rounded knoll, and rising meadows are blended into an arrangement of both formal and informal beauty. Garden features include the fountain pond, pine park, rams head terrace, bowling green, regency bridge, and trellis triptych.
Hours: Mid-June to mid-September, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, 1-5 p.m.

Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary
Off Nathan Ellis Highway
East Falmouth, MA  02536  
Phone: 781-259-9500
Toll-Free: 800-AUDUBON

Hours: May-August, daily, dawn to dusk. Fee charged.

This preserve features groves of holly, as well as a colony of barn swallows. Self-guided trails take visitors through the sanctuary. Open May - August. There is an admission fee.

Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden
9 Main Street
Bethlehem, CT  06751  
Phone: 203-266-7596

Built in 1754, this colonial offers garden lovers a formal parterre garden. Other features include family heirlooms, arts and antiques on display. Admission: $5 adults, $1 children.

Berkshire Botanical Garden
Routes 102 and 183
Stockbridge, MA  01262  
Phone: 413-298-3926

A center for horticultural and environmental education, this 15-acre public garden features intimate country landscapes, colorful perennial and annual gardens, a terraced herb garden, pond garden, rock garden, ornamental vegetable garden, display greenhouse, woodland interpretive trail and gift shop. Collections emphasize plants that thrive in the Berkshires. Open May – October.

Bidwell House
Art School Road
Monterey, MA  01245  
Phone: 413-528-6888

This home, built in 1750, has been restored and features 18th century gardens, as well as indoor exhibits. Open seasonally. There is an admission fee.

Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum
101 Ferry Road / Route 114
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-253-2707

This 45-room mansion was built in 1908 as the summer home of coal magnate Augustus Van Wickle. The property features gardens, and arboretum on 33 acres overlooking Narragansett Bay.
Hours: The mansion and gardens are open April 16 through Columbus Day for self-guided tours, Wednesday through Sunday (and most Monday holidays) 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The grounds and gardens are open year-round, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fee charged.

Boothe Memorial Park & Museum
5774 Main St. Putney
Stratford, CT  06614  
Phone: 203-381-2046

This 32-acre former homestead of the Boothe Family (1663-1949) offers with picnic facilities, rose garden, and wedding garden. Buildings on National Historic Landmark site with displays of early farm equipment, carriages and baskets; trolley history, toll booth exhibit. Hours: Park grounds are open year-round, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Museums and displays are open June 1 through October 1, Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Free admission.

Botanic Garden of Smith College
15 College Lane
Northampton, MA  01063  
Phone: 413-585-2740

Lyman Plant House and Conservatory houses tropical collections and exhibition gallery. Arboretum features woody plant collection and specialty gardens: Rock Garden, systematics garden, Japanese garden, woodland and wildflower garden, knot garden, and perennial garden.
Hours: Daily year-round. Free.

Brookfield Historical Society Museum
165 Whisconier Road / Routes 25 and 133
Brookfield, CT  06840  
Phone: 203-775-4628

Brookfield's original town hall, built in 1875 is now home to a colonial garden, as well as changing historical exhibits and a gift shop. Guided tours are available.

Cathedral of the Pines
10 Hale Hill Road
Rindge, NH  03461  
Phone: 603-899-3300

A place of spiritual nourishment for people of all faiths. The sense of peace engendered by the tall pines that form its natural surroundings is conducive to prayer and meditation. Its peaceful, garden-lined walk ways contain serene, inspirational landscapes as well as quiet spots for prayer and mediation.
Hours: May through October, open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A warm jacket is often necessary. Guided tours are available; groups are required to make reservations. Fee charged for group tours.

Chesterwood
Williamsville Road, one mile south of Routes 183 and 102
Stockbridge, MA  01262  
Phone: 413-298-3579

This mansion was the summer home of sculptor Daniel Chester French. Exhibits feature French's work and life, as well as 19th century furnishings and a garden. Open seasonally. There is an admission fee.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Barters Island Road, PO Box 234
Boothbay, ME  04537  
Phone: 207-633-4333

Open: Year-round, weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and until8 p.m. on Wednesdays in July and August; weekends, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

New England’s largest botanical garden features acres of spectacular ornamental gardens and stonework, waterfront and woodland trails, a beautiful visitor center with café and gift shop, and a shorefront Fairy House Village – all on 248 acres of coastal landscape. Special events and programs for all ages, year-round, include a house and garden tour, book fair, Maine Fairy House Festival, Kitchen Garden Series, college horticulture courses, and more. Admission: Adults, $10; seniors, $8 seniors; children age 5-17, $5; free for children under 5.

Colt State Park
Route 14
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-253-7482

A 464-acre state park on the shore of Narragansett Bay, with four miles of hiking and biking trails, gardens, 10 playing fields and 6 picnic groves. Fishing, concerts and naturalist programs in season.
Hours: Year-round. Free.

Edgerton Park
75 Cliff Street at Whitney Avenue
New Haven, CT  06511  

Once an experimental mulberry orchard, this stately public park was the home of Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin. Bought in 1906 by the Brewster family, the stately mansion stood near the great lawn of an estate designed to replicate an English landscape garden. Now a city park hosting many public cultural events.
Hours: Open from sunrise to sunset every day of the year. The conservatory is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. every day except major holidays.

Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate
2468B Washington Street / Route 138
Canton, MA  02021  
Phone: 781-821-2977

Once a Colonial farmstead, the property was transformed into a country estate. The property includes a country house, landscaped grounds, and a complex of farm and estate buildings, manicured lawns, a walled garden, and a brick-edged garden. Visitors may explore more than 60 acres of meadow and woodland along three miles of trails.
Hours: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. No charge.

Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens
Corner of Prospect Avenue and Asylum Avenue
Hartford, CT
Phone: 860-231-9443

Friends of Elizabeth Park
The park’s world famous rose garden is the oldest municipally operated rose garden in the country. The two-and-a half-acre rose garden has 15,000 plants in about 800 varieties of roses. The park is also home to a rock garden and specialized gardens of annuals, herbs, and perennials.
Open: Daily all year, dawn to dusk.

Enfield Shaker Museum
24 Caleb Dyer Lane / 447 Route 4A
Enfield, NH  03748  
Phone: 603-632-4346

This museum features the history of the Shakers, including gardens, a walking tour, demonstrations and classes. Events are scheduled throughout the year.
Fee charged.

Ephraim Holland Newton House
364 South Road
Marlboro, VT  05344  
Phone: 802-254-2172

House built in 1814 offers exhibits of historical material, a one-room schoolhouse, and a Colonial herb garden. Recent activities have included schoolhouse reunions, archaeological digs, stone wall maintenance, old games and crafts, interpretive local history, sing-alongs, square dances, a summer band concert, and thematic exhibits.
Hours: July and August, Saturdays, 2 p.m.–5 p.m. or by appointment. No charge.

Fells Historic Site
John Hay National Wildlife Refuge on Lake Sunapee
Route 103A / P.O. Box 276
Newbury, NH  03255  
Phone: 603-763-4789

Outstanding gardens, a 100-foot perennial border, and a view of Lake Sunapee from the Rose Terrace. A brook trickles to a Japanese water lily pool in the hillside rock garden, which includes a large collection of alpine and native plants. Hidden behind masses of rhododendron, a walled secret garden awaits discovery.
Hours: Late May through October, daily with tours of the estate on weekends.

Fuller Gardens
10 Willow Avenue
North Hampton, NH  03862  
Phone: 603-964-5414

Designed in the Colonial Revival style on a two -acre plot, these gardens bloom throughout the season, from an extensive tulip display in early May, followed by the Japanese garden and other late spring flowering shrubs, through the 2,000 rose bushes that bloom through October.
Hours: Mid-May through mid-October, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Garden in the Woods
180 Hemingway Road
Framingham, MA  01701  
Phone: 508-237-4924

The New England Wild Flower Society maintains this garden, the largest landscaped collection of wildflowers in the northeastern United States. Self-guided walks detail the foliage.
Hours: April 15-June 15, daily, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; June 16-October 31, daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; after October, trails close for the season. Museum Shop remains open with winter hours. Fee charged.

General James Mitchell Varnum House
57 Peirce Street
East Greenwich, RI  02818  
Phone: 401-884-1776

James Mitchell Varnum was one of George Washington’s generals. His mansion was built in 1773, and visitors can enjoy the Colonial garden, the paneled walls, and period furnishings.
Hours: June-August, Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Donation suggested.

General William Hart House
350 Main Street
Old Saybrook, CT  06475  
Phone: 860-388-2622

A Georgian-style Colonial built in 1767, featuring an herb garden and intricate decor. Of particular interest are the eight corner fireplaces. Notice the nine-window facade with 12 over 12 panes, the cornices, cornerboards and graduated clapboards.
Hours: June 12- September 13, Friday - Sunday, 12:30 - 4 p.m. Donation is requested.

Glebe House and Gertrude Jekyll Garden
Hollow Road / P.O. Box 245
Woodbury, CT  06798  
Phone: 203-263-2855

Farmhouse built in 1740 is set in the picturesque Litchfield Hills in historic Woodbury’s village center. It offers a glimpse of Revolutionary War-era Connecticut. Birthplace of the Episcopal Church in the New World and graced by the only existing American garden planned by Gertrude Jekyll.
Hours: May-October, Wednesday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; November, weekends only, 1–4 p.m. Fee charged.

Glen Magna Farms
Ingersoll Street
Danvers, MA  01923  
Phone: 978-774-9165  978-777-1666-garden tour

Mansion built in the 19th century features decorative gardens and a teahouse.
Hours: Gardens open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-dusk; Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon. A guided tour of the house and gardens is offered May-July. Reservations required. Fee charged.

Governor Stephen Hopkins House
15 Hopkins St.
Providence, RI  02903  
Phone: 401-751-1008  401 751-1758

Open: April - December, Wed and Sat, 1-4 p.m. Tours also by appointment.

Stephen Hopkins was one of Rhode Island's signers of the Declaration of Independence, and elected Governor of the state a record 10 times. Hopkins also served as the Chancellor of Brown University, and resided in this colonial home, originally constructed in 1707, but enlarged in 1743. The house is a National Historic Landmark, and contains historic items of note, furniture and an 18th century parterre garden. George Washington slept there -- twice.

Green Animals Topiary Gardens
Cory's Lane off Route 114
Portsmouth, RI  02871  
Phone: 401-847-1000

Hours: May 24 – October 12, 2008, open daily at 10 a.m.; last tour admission at 5 p.m.; close at 6 p.m. Schedule is subject to change; call 401-847-1000 for more information.

The gardens have more than six dozen trees and shrubs, immaculately groomed and sculpted, some in the shape of animals. Also features fruit trees, flower beds, and a rose arbor. The gardens are the site of a Victorian toy museum

Grotto Cascade Park
State Street, past Eastern Maine Medical Center
Bangor, ME  04401  
Phone: 207-992-4490

Cascade Park, the city’s most beautiful and popular park, features a lighted water fountain and a water fall that's more than 20 feet high. The park, which overlooks the Penobscot River, also has a small gazebo, picnic tables, and short walking trails.

Harkness Memorial State Park
275 Great Neck Road / State Route 213
Waterford, CT  06385  
Phone: 860-443-5725

This beachfront park on Long Island Sound, site of a former mansion is home to an unusual historic and beautiful experience. Enjoy a garden of heliotropes, bred from the plants grown on the site over a century ago.
Hours: 8 a.m.-sunset. Mansion is open for tours weekends and holidays from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day. The first tour starts at 10 a.m. and the last at 2:15 p.m. Fees for parking.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House
77 Forest Street
Hartford, CT  06105  
Phone: 860-522-9258

Open: Tours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m.; open on Mondays, Memorial Day to Columbus Day and December. Closed major holidays.

Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in this home from 1873 - 1896, which features a picturesque Victorian garden. Inside, exhibits focus on family antiques and Victorian furnishings. Guided tours are available during regular operating hours.

Harvard University Museums
24 Oxford Street and 11 Divinity Avenue
Cambridge, MA  02138  
Phone: 617 495-3045

Botanical Museum contains the world famous collection of Blaschka glass flowers, hand-blown detailed glass models of dozens of flower species. It’s like a garden made of glass.
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Fee charged.

Hatheway House
55 South Main Street
Suffield, CT  06078  

This mansion is a showplace for the history of the 18th century including a formal colonial garden. Exhibits include French wallpaper and neo-classical architecture.

Heritage Plantation
Pine and Grove Streets
Sandwich, MA  02563  
Phone: 508-888-3300

Open: April 1-October 31, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; November 1-December 31, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The gardens, on 76 acres of gently rolling hills next to Upper Shawme Pond, are a showplace of distinctive rhododendrons with larger flowers in vivid colors. They usually bloom from late may through mid-June. Other items of horticultural interest include: a holly dell and day lily, herb, hosta, and heather gardens. About 900 daylilies bloom from mid-July to August. The property also includes a labyrinth.
Hours: January, February, March, by appointment or program registration; April 1-October 31, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fee charged.

Holley - Williams House Museum
15 Millerton Road
Lakeville, CT  06039  
Phone: 860-435-0566

Open: Early July-Labor Day, Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekends: house tours, Friday-Sunday and holidays, noon-5 p.m. or by appointment. Grounds and outside exhibits open daily year-round.

The focal point of this 173 year old home is its outdoor garden with maze. Other exhibits include historic portraits, furnishings, an outhouse, and an ice house.

Hubbard Park
West Main Street
Meriden, CT  06450  
Phone: 203-630-4259

Hubbard Park is located around East Peak and West Peak of the area called the Hanging Hills. It comprises approximately 1,800 acres of carefully kept woodland, lake and stream, flower gardens, and picnic spots.
Hours: April-October, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fee: Call for details.

Hunter House
54 Washington Street
Newport, RI  02840  
Phone: 401-847-1000  401-847-7516

Hours: June 21- September 1, 2008, tours offered at 10 and 11 a.m., noon, 1:30, 2:30, 4 and 5 p.m. Schedule is subject to change; call 401-847-1000 for more information.

The French admiral Charles Louis d’Arsac de Ternay used this 1748 home as his Revolutionary War headquarters. The carved pineapple over the doorway was a symbol of welcome throughout Colonial America. The elliptical arch in the central hall is a typical Newport detail. The 18th century garden has been restored.

Jeremiah Lee Mansion
161 Washington Street
Marblehead, MA  01945  
Phone: 617-631-1069

Stroll through the historic gardens at this 1768 this mansion. The site also features exhibits of military and maritime items, antique childrens toys and furnishings, and examples of decorative arts from the 18th and 19th centuries. Open seasonally. There is an admission charge.

John Whipple House and Garden
53 South Main Street
Ipswich, MA  01938  
Phone: 508-356-2811

The house was built in the 1650s and moved to its present site in the 1920s. With more than 60 authentic Colonial flowers and herbs, the garden in front of the Whipple House represents a traditional housewife’s garden of the 17th century. The plantings are made up mostly of herbs that would be used in cooking and for medicinal purposes.
Hours: May 25-October 22, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment only. Tours begin on the hour. Fee charged.

La Salette Shrine
947 Park Street, Route 118
Attleboro, MA  02703  
Phone: 508-222-5410

These historic statuary gardens were designed as areas for meditation and worship. During the Christmas holiday a unique and decorative light display is offered.

Linden Place
500 Hope St. / Route 114
Bristol, RI  02809  
Phone: 401-253-0390

The mansion was built in 1810 in the historic district of Bristol. The property includes the mansion, a ballroom built in 1906, a barn built in the 19th century, and an 18th century summer house. The grounds include historic sculpture and gardens.
Hours: Mansion and museum store, May 1 through Columbus Day, Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; office open daily, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Long Hill
572 Essex Street
Beverly, MA  01915  
Phone: 978-921-1944
Fax: 978-921-1948

From 1916 to 1979, Long Hill was the summer home of author Ellery Sedgwick and his first wife, Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, an accomplished horticulturist and gardener. Five acres of cultivated grounds are laid out in a series of separate garden rooms and accented by garden ornaments, structures, and statuary.
Hours: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. No charge.

Lowell Holly
South Sandwich Road
Mashpee & Sandwich, MA  02563  
Phone: 508-679-2115
Email: seregion@ttor.org

Open: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset

Lowell Holly’s 135 acres feature stands of a wide variety of holly trees, rhododendrons, and mountain laurel, but the property’s most intriguing feature may be its two peninsular knolls, jutting into Mashpee Pond and Wakeby Pond. Both vantage points offer spectacular views over these large ponds. Mashpee and Wakeby ponds are renowned for their exceptional trout, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, and bluegill. Four miles of carriage paths and footpaths connect all points of interest, including two small sandy beaches. Activities at the reservation include swimming, fishing, boating, bicycling, birdwatching, hiking, food concessions, restrooms, bathhouses, and wheelchair access. Year-round parking area is free to all. Seasonal parking area is available Memorial Day through Labor Day. Fee is $6 per car or motorcycle. Boat landing fee is $6 for daily landing fee or $40 for seasonal permit.

Lyman Estate and Greenhouses
185 Lyman Street
Waltham, MA  02452  
Phone: 617-893-7232

On this historic country manor, built in the 18th century, visitors will find interesting gardens, landscaping and indoor furnishings. Of particular interest are the grapevines and camellia trees, both of which are over 100 years old.

Lynn Woods
Great Woods and Penny Brook Roads
Lynn, MA
Phone: 617-593-7773

This 2,200-acre municipal forest is the perfect spot for hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, cross-country skiing or just enjoying the view. A rose garden adds to the scenery.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset. No charge.

Martin House Farm
22 Stoney Hill Road at Route 6
North Swansea, MA
Phone: 508-379-0376

Built in 1728, this farmhouse features a rose garden and 18th century furniture. Open seasonally. There is an admission charge.

Mayflower Society Museum
4 Winslow Street
Plymouth, MA  02360  
Phone: 508-746-2590

Open: July – mid-September, daily, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Memorial Day weekend-June 30 and mid-September to mid-October, Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The headquarters of the General Society of Mayflower Descendents is located in this 1754 home built by Edward Winslow, a Pilgrim descendant. It features furnishings spanning three centuries, a flying staircase and formal gardens.
Hours: July-Labor Day, open daily; Memorial Day weekend-June and early September-October, Friday-Sunday. Fee charged.

Mayhew Chapel and Indian Burial Ground
South Indian Hill Road
West Tisbury, MA  02568  
Phone: 508-627-8687

This Christiantown memorial is the site of an Indian burial ground and the Mayhew Chapel, named after Thomas Mayhew Jr., a missionary. This site is owned by the Wampanoag Tribe and grounds are maintained by Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club. Includes a wildflower sanctuary.
Fee charged.

Merryspring Horticultural Nature Park
Conway Road
Camden, ME  04849  
Phone: 207-236-2239

This nature preserve offers visitors ample opportunities to observe gardens of wildflowers and wildlife, as well as hiking and cross-country ski trails.

Mission House
19 Main St.
Stockbridge, MA  01262  
Phone: 413-298-3239

Built in 1739 and originally located atop Prospect Hill, this National Historic Landmark was disassembled, moved, and restored between 1926 and 1927. Landscape architect Fletcher Steele designed the Colonial Revival garden, which features a colonial-style dooryard garden of circular brick paths enclosed by a tidewater cypress fence. A replica of an old cobbler shop serves as the entrance to the property; a grape arbor in the Well Courtyard behind the house leads to a small Native American museum.
Hours: Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day, daily, 10 a.m.- to 5 p.m. Fee charged.

Mohegan Park Rose Garden
Judd Road
Norwich, CT
Phone: 860-823-3791

Norwich is known as "The Rose of New England", and this formal rose garden commemorates this, and is dedicated to all veterans of foreign wars. Especially delightful in late spring and summer.

Mytoi
Dike Road, Chappaquiddick Island
Martha’s Vineyard, MA  02568  
Phone: 508-627-7689
Fax: 508-627-3659

Japanese-style garden set within an open pine forest. Includes mixed plantings of native and exotic trees and shrubs, some rare. The garden’s signature feature is a small pond with an island that is reached by walking over an arched bridge. Winding footpaths take visitors through a birch walk, camellia dell, stone garden, and hillside garden. A rustic meditation shelter offers broad views of the garden and landscape.
Hours: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. No charge.

Naumkeag
Prospect Hill Road
Stockbridge, MA  01262  
Phone: 413-298-3239
Fax: 413-298-5239

This 44-room house was the summer cottage of the Choate family, and features original furniture, ceramics, and artwork collected from America, Europe, and the Far East. Famous for its eight acres of terraced gardens and landscaped grounds, transformed from 1926 to 1956 into separate garden rooms such as the afternoon garden, rose garden, evergreen garden, Chinese garden, arborvitae walk, and linden walk. The most famous feature of the landscape is Steele’s Blue Steps, a series of deep blue fountain pools flanked by four flights of stairs overhung by birch trees.
Hours: Memorial Day to Columbus Day, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission fee for non-members.

New Canaan Nature Center
144 Oenoke Ridge
New Canaan, CT  06840  
Phone: 203-966-9577

Fascinating look into the science and nature in the area. Set on 40 acres, the nature center features gardens and a solar-heated greenhouse, as well as numerous trails, exhibits, an arboretum, live animals, and even a maple sugar shed. A donation is requested from all visitors.

New England Gardens

Every spring and summer, gardens across New England come alive with color. For the gardener and flower-lover alike, there are numerous botanical gardens, historic gardens, and even some unusual gardens from Western Connecticut all the way up toward the Canadian border. What follows is a state by state list of these gardens. Each is worth visiting for its natural beauty and vivid colors during the height of the season. Good luck choosing!

New England Wildflower Society
180 Hemenway Road
Framingham, MA  01701  
Phone: 508-877-7630
Fax: 508-877-3658

This magnificent native plant botanical garden displays 1,500 native plant species including 200 rare and endangered species on 45 acres.
Hours: April 15-June 15, daily, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; June 16-October 31, daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Trails close for the seasons after October. Fee charged.

New Hampshire Farm Museum
Route 125, Plummer’s Ridge
Milton, NH  03851  
Phone: 603-652-7840

Open: April through October.

The Farm Museum consists of the historic Jones Farm and the Plummer Homestead. The properties consist of 50 acres of field and forest, a working farm, historic houses and barns, a blacksmith shop, a shoe shop and exhibits on agriculture and rural life. The museum hosts special events, programs, and workshops.

Norwich Rose Garden in Mohegan Park
Rockwell Street
Norwich, CT  06360  
Phone: 860-823-3791

Situated on two acres of gently sloping parkland, the garden features 2,500 rose bushes in 120 varieties. The roses are at their full height during June but continue to blossom throughout the summer.

Ogden House and Gardens
1520 Bronson Road
Fairfield, CT  06824 - 2828  
Phone: 203-259-1598

Built in the 18th century, this traditional New England farmhouse is host to exhibits detailing the daily lives of colonial Americans. The property also has a wildflower garden and a kitchen garden. Admission: Adults $2, children $1.

Osborne Homestead Museum
500 Hawthorne Avenue (near Osbornedale State Park)
Derby, CT  06418  
Phone: 203-734-2513

Open: Late April-mid-December, Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Grounds: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

This 1850 estate offers several gardens, including an English rock garden and formal rose garden. Inside, visitors will find art and antiques collections. $1 donation is requested from visitors.

Osterville Historical Society Museum
Parker and West Bay Roads
Osterville, MA  02655  
Phone: 508-428-5861

Open: Mid-June-mid-September, Thursday-Sunday 1:30-4:30 p.m.; other times by appointment

Set in the home of a sea captain built in the 18th century, the museum features home-oriented exhibits, a boat shop and outdoor gardens. seasonally. There is an admission fee.
Hours: June-September, Thursday-Sunday, 1:30 -4:30 p.m. Fee charged.

Pardee Rose Gardens
180 Park Road
New Haven, CT  06517  
Phone: 203-946-8025

These gardens include more than 15 different types of roses (peaking in June and July), annuals, perennials, and herbs. Picnic areas are available in this tranquil formal rose garden open free to the public. The garden is also available for weddings and special events.
Hours: Open mid-May to early September.

Park-McCullough Historic Estate
1 Park St. / P.O. Box 388
North Bennington, VT  05257  
Phone: 802-442-5441

Home to two Vermont Governors, this Victorian mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors will see displays of the three families who have occupied the home, including furniture, children's items and horse-drawn carriages. There is a formal garden adjacent to the house.

Pine Tree State Arboretum
153 Hospital St.
Augusta, ME  04332  
Phone: 207-621-0031

Enjoy the native trees of Maine and North America while strolling on over 25 miles of trails. Good for hiking and winter cross-country skiing.

Portsmouth Harbor Trail
Portsmouth, NH  03801
Phone: 603-436-3988

The trail passes more than 70 points of scenic and historic significance in Portsmouth, include ten buildings on the National Register of Historic Buildings, ten National Historic Landmarks, and three homes maintained by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities.
Hours: Tours offered July 4 through Columbus Day, 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday; and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Pratt House
19 West Ave.
Essex, CT
Phone: 860-767-0681  860-767-1191

Colonial home, built in 1734, features antique American furniture and an herb garden. The house documents the life of early Essex through a single family over 200 years.
Hours: June-Labor Day, Saturday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Fee charged.

Putnam Cottage
243 East Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, CT  06830  
Phone: 203-869-9697

Known as Knapp’s Tavern during the American Revolution, this Colonial house dates to the early 1700s. It is furnished with period antiques and artifacts and includes a Colonial herb garden and carriage shed. Located on the Boston Post Road, it has been a tourist destination for almost 100 years.
Hours: Tours by appointment only during January, February and March. In season, open Sundays, 1-4 p.m. and by appointment. Call for group tour information. Fee charged.

Rhododendron State Park
Route 119 West
Fitzwilliam, NH  03447  
Phone: 603-532-8862

Rhododendron State Park is named after the 16-acre grove of Rhododendron Maximum. A 0.6-mile long universally accessible trail encircles the grove allowing visitors to observe the fragrant blossoms in mid-July. A wildflower trail winds through the forest adjacent to the grove.
Hours: Early May to mid-June, weekends only, daylight hours; mid-June to Labor Day, daily, daylight hours.

Roger Williams Park
1000 Elmwood Avenue
Providence, RI  02907  

Open: Daily, year-round, 7 am - 9 pm

As with most late 19th century/early 20th century parks, a focal point for visitors is the landscaped gardens. This 430 acre park also contains a zoo, landscaped grounds, a carousel and historic buildings.

Rosecliff
Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI  02840  
Phone: 401-847-1000

This house was completed in 1902 and modeled after the Grand Trianon at Versailles. Rosecliff was the setting for many spectacular Newport parties and the setting for several Hollywood movies, including “The Great Gatsby,” “True Lies,” and “Amistad.”
Hours: November 17, 2007 – January 1, 2008, open daily at 10 a.m.; last tour at 4 p.m.; close at 5 p.m.; last tour on Christmas Eve at 3 pm. Closed Christmas Day. January 2-April 4, 2008, open Saturday, Sundays, holidays, and daily during Winter Festival (February 19-22); open at 10 a.m.; last tour at 4 p.m.; close at 5 p.m. April 5-May 23, open daily at 10 a.m. last tour admission at 5 p.m.; close at 6 p.m. May 24 – October 12, open at 10 a.m.; last tour at 5 p.m., close at 6 p.m.; October 13 – November 14, open at 10 a.m.; last tour at 4 p.m., close at 5 p.m. November 15 – January 4, 2009, open daily at 10 a.m.; last tour at 4 p.m.; close at 5 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum
936 County Street
New Bedford, MA  02740  
Phone: 508-997-1401

Open: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

This 28-room Greek Revival mansion was built for whaling merchant William Rotch, Jr. in 1834. The house and formal gardens chronicle 150 years of economic, social and domestic life in New Bedford. The grounds encompass a full city block of gardens including a Wildflower Walk, a formal boxwood rose parterre garden, a cutting garden, a boxwood specimen garden and an historic wood lattice pergola. Fee charged.

Saint - Gaudens National Historic Site
139 Saint Gaudens Road
Cornish, NH  03745  
Phone: 603-675-2175

Open: Daily late May- late October, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

This site was once the home of one of the country’s greatest sculptors, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The estate has a house, studio, and gardens. Fee charged.

Samuel Whitehorne House
416 Thames Street
Newport, RI  02840  
Phone: 401-849-7300

Built in the 18th century, the house is now home to exhibits of hand-made silver, pewter, and furniture created by Newport artisans of the period. Features a traditional Colonial manor garden.

Seahorse Grill and Gardens at Theatre by the Sea
364 Card’s Pond Road
Matunuck, RI  02879  

These lush seaside gardens embrace the historic Theater-By-The-Sea complex from the gazebo area, down the unique arbor walk to the rolling lawns surrounding the inn. More than 300 varieties of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and climbing plants.

Sharon Audubon Center
325 Cornwall Bridge Road / Route 4
Sharon, CT  06069  
Phone: 860-364-0520

Nature trails meander through gardens, woods and around ponds. Exhibits include a children's discovery room, live animals and natural history. A gift shop and book store can also be found in the museum.

Shelburne Museum
U.S. Route 7 / P.O. Box 10
Shelburne, VT  05482  
Phone: 802-985-3346
Email: info@shelburnemuseum.org

Open May - October

Shelburne Museum is one of the nation’s most eclectic museums of art, Americana, and design, displaying over 150,000 objects on 45 acres in Vermont's beautiful Lake Champlain Valley. Collections of folk art, decorative arts, tools, toys, and textiles, are exhibited as are American paintings and Impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Manet, Degas, and others. The museum's 25 historic New England buildings include period houses, a lighthouse, and a 220-foot paddlewheel steamboat. New exhibits in 2006 include paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe, the art of Tasha Tudor, contemporary Knoll design, and kaleidoscope quilts.

Stanley Park
Western Avenue
Westfield, MA
Phone: 413-568-9312

Set on 300 acres, this park features a Japanese garden, rose garden and arboretum. Open seasonally. There is an admission fee.

Stanton Bird Sanctuary
Highland Spring Road
Lewiston, ME  04240  

Also known as "Thorncrag," this 230 acres nature preserve is one of the largest in New England. Visitors will enjoy observing a wide variety of native birds and small animals, among thousands of wildflowers.