Few People Know There’s A Peaceful Japanese Tea Garden Hiding Right Here In Maine

It's not hard to feel content and peaceful in Maine. There's calm hiding around virtually every corner as long as you're open to being in nature. We all have our go-to spots to re-center ourselves, but this little Japanese tea garden in Maine might be your new favorite. Its very existence is surprising, but once you're there, you'll feel you've known about it your whole life. It's even got some interesting history!

The Asticou Azalea Garden was created in 1956 by Northeast Harbor resident, Charles K. Savage.

A student of Japanese garden design, Savage modeled Asticou Azalea Garden after a Japanese stroll garden. For that reason, there are numerous paths leading throughout each garden area.

Knowing how important it was to the design, Savage also included a zen garden complete with rocks and sand. The garden is raked carefully to bring about imagery of islands and flowing water.

The Asticou Azalea Garden's design is focused on the careful balance between natural and man-made beauty.

A visit here means experiencing individual garden rooms with stone benches on which to sit to enjoy the beauty all around.

While the garden is man-made and thus, totally planned out nature has a way of making it its own.

You'll find birds and flowers, as well as butterflies and other local wildlife.

Much of the area feels completely lush and it's all completely green.

It might not take all day, but you'll lose hours worth of stress during your time here.

Another beautiful garden of another sort can be found right here in Maine's own Acadia National Park. Take a look at one of our favorite places to enjoy nature in Maine in this video:

The Asticou Azalea Garden is open from sunrise to sunset beginning in early May through the end of October. If the weather stays warmer, you might find it open in November. While free to enter there is a suggested donation of $5 per person. We've found that parking is limited, so you might want to arrive early. Have you discovered a tea garden in Maine that you love? Tell us all about it in the comments. Enjoy a nice weekend getaway in one of these lovely cottage rentals near Mount Desert Island, ME.

For another beautiful garden check out this secret garden hike in Southwest Harbor. It offers a wonderful walk and some great scenery.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/maine/secret-garden-hike-me/