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独家巡回活动！
THE GARDENS OF BAR HARBOR & MOUNT DESERT ISLAND
September 10 to 13, 2026 · Thursday to Sunday
Tour arranged by Classical Excursions exclusively for 老韦斯特伯里花园
Since opening to the public in 1959, Old Westbury Gardens has inspired visitors through the beauty of its gardens, landscapes, and shared experiences in nature. We are delighted to extend that tradition beyond our gates with an exclusive tour of the celebrated gardens of Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island. This unique program invites guests to explore extraordinary places alongside fellow garden enthusiasts who share a passion for horticulture, design, history, and discovery.
Our four-day visit to Bar Harbor includes private gardens and many other sites to be enjoyed and explored. Mt. Desert Island is considered one of Maine’s most revered summer resort islands where such towns as Bar Harbor, Seal Harbor and Northeast Harbor dot the area. The island has been a destination for inspiration, relaxation and outdoor activities since the 1840s. At first, Hudson Valley School painters, most notably Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, travelled to Mount Desert Island and in particular to Bar Harbor to paint images of the area’s spectacular seascapes and landscapes.
A major aspect of Mt. Desert Island is nature and the cultivation of beautiful gardens. Not only is its beauty unique, but according to the Wild Gardens of Acadia organization at the Acadia National Park, “the glacial accidents which left it with flora from both the cold north and the warmer south.” One person stands out for her highly talented contribution, the legendary landscape designer Beatrix Farrand, who summered at Bar Harbor for over half a century, creating over 60 gardens on the island. One of Farrand’s greatest projects was the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden at Seal Harbor designed collaboratively with Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Last year the garden came under the ownership of the Mt. Desert Land & Garden Preserve, “Set within acres of moss-carpeted woods, [there is an] unique atmosphere…derived from a combination of Eastern statuary with a border garden in which perennials build the foundation of the flower beds and annuals provide an explosion of color.”
Collections of plants from Farrand’s Reef Point home that no longer exists can now be seen at the Asticou Azalea Garden, a Japanese-style flowering garden, and at the Thuya Garden, both at Northeast Harbor. The latter offers a variety of annuals and perennials that line two long sides of the garden. Another Farrand garden can be found at her last home, Garland Farm, Salisbury Cove, now maintained by the Beatrix Farrand Society and where a lecture will be given on her life and work.
Old Westbury Gardens invites you to join an exclusive tour to discover these gardens and more. We plan a three-night stay with four-star accommodations at the Harborside Hotel and Spa with waterfront views of beautiful Mt. Desert Narrows and Frenchman’s Bay.
OVERVIEW OF OUR DAYS
DAY 1
下午3:30
下午 6:00
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Check-in to the Harborside Hotel & Spa for three-nights (55 West Street Bar Harbor).
Welcome dinner.
DAY 2 Breakfast at the hotel
上午8:30
上午9:00
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Departure for Seal Harbor.
Private garden tour of Skylands led by the gardeners. The house was designed by architect Duncan Candler, c. 1924-1926, for Edsel and Eleanor Ford. Refreshments on the terrace.
下午 12:00
下午1:30
Lunch
Private tour of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Seal Harbor. This was created by Beatrix Farrand, 1926 – 1935. Today it is maintained by Mt. Desert Land & Garden Preserve; the previous owner was David Rockefeller.
下午3:30
Private tour of Garland Farm, a vernacular farm,
with architectural elements taken from Reef Point, razed home of Beatrix Farrand by Rotch & Tilden, and other elements from another period cottage by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr.; renovations by Robert Patterson, 1955. Beatrix Farrand was the original owner, today it is maintained by the Beatrix Farrand Society.
Dinner on your own this evening. Our hotel is well located for easy walking into the town of Bar Harbor.
DAY 3 Breakfast at the hotel
上午8:30
上午9:00
上午10:30
12:15 am
下午 1:45
下午3:00
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Departure for Southwest Harbor.
Visit with the Director of the Charlotte Rhoades Park & Butterfly Garden in Southwest Harbor. The plants here support a butterfly habitat, and the garden is a certified monarch habitat site.
Private tour of house and garden of The Yellow House,
architect Fred L. Savage, c. 1893. Patrick Chassé, garden designer.
Lunch in Northeast Harbor at the Asticou Inn, architect
Fred L. Savage, c. 1883, rebuilt 1901 following a fire.
Special tour of the Asticou Garden, garden designer Charles K. Savage, c. 1957. Now a Property of the Mt. Desert Land & Garden Preserve. (image right)
Private tour of Thuya Garden & Lodge in Northeast Harbor. Garden designer Charles K. Savage, c. 1956–61; Joseph H. Curtis, 1912–16 was the original owner, it is now a property of
Mt. Desert Land & Garden Preserve.
Group dinner tonight.
DAY 4 Breakfast at the hotel.
上午9:30
10:45 am
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
这 Wild Gardens of Acadia. This is our last visit of the tour. Here we will meet with the Conservation Director as we visit 12 sections set on just a three-quarters of an acre, each reflecting a typical habitat found on Mt. Desert Island.
Return to hotel. Check-out of room. Independent departures.
FOR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION, CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW.
