desert of maine

66anthonyt

I never new about this place. it a must see to have a enjoyable ride the sand dunes and learn the history of this place. I been back a number of times.

nicks60610

I never knew this would be what it was, and all in Maine! This is a must see for anyone, at least once in their lifetime.

astro005

I was particularly impressed with the idea of a dune swallowing a structure. I had never thought about them being a moving threat. I went along with some friends from away at the end of August. It was close to the shopping and it wasn't shopping. I grew up to be an Engineering Geologist and I found the attraction hilarious. I suspect anyone with geologic knowledge will have a similar reaction, especially when they see the camel. It's an average tourist attraction in the same class the giant ball of twine in KS, the giant Bollweevil in Enterprise AL, or the Cadillac ranch in Amarillo.

KenH334

We went to the Desert of Maine one afternoon with our 6 and 7 year old grand kids. It was a good way to entertain them for a couple of hours. We started out spending about 10 minutes in the butterfly house where there were about a half dozen different butterflies. Then we enjoyed a ride around the sand dunes where we sat in a trailer being pulled by a Jeep. I found the history of the old farm there to be interesting. It's a LOT of sand! The kids did a gem hunt on the dune after the ride. Basically they toss some polished gem stones out on the sand and younger (under 12?) children can hunt for them. My wife and I probably would not have visited this attraction ourselves but it was a good way to spend some time with the kids outside.

baliNY

Had a very nice guide who explained everything on this guided tour and was quite entertaining as well. I had never heard that there was a desert in Maine so I was curious about this. Enjoyed and kids would like this too I think. Barn details were interesting also. I was on bus tour for this so don't know much about pricing as it was all taken care of by bus company. Would recommend but I probably would not go back --not anything else to see.

brutus313

It’s not the most important thing to do and see in Freeport Maine, but it’s only minutes away from L.L.Bean and doesn't take very much time to see, you won’t see anything like it anywhere else in Maine. The deserts has been around for years, yet ask a local they wouldn't even know what you’re talking about. Don’t wait to go someday this natural event won’t be around to enjoy. Would have been nice to spend more time walking around on our own, the tour ride didn't seem to match the price of admission. The butterfly house was a great idea for kids but looked as if it was left to run on its own, needed a little fixing up. It’s a must do once in a life time, not sure it’s a do over event??

626cliffw

I went awhile ago... Interesting for adults.... Kids would probably not a get a lot out of it... It was an ok attraction to kill some time.... There was an entrance fee.... Don't recall what it was though...

trendab2014

Wasn't sure about this....but so glad that I went. It is truly a desert and so worth seeing. I was amazed at the dunes, the wildlife, and the surrounding forest. There is a guided tour, but you are welcome to walk around also. The barn there is original and is over 200 years old. The tour short (30 minutes) but the guide is very informative.

FamilyManKOA

Overpriced. My wife and I walked in and we found out what the price was. Way too expensive for my taste. I even asked if they gave military discounts. Of coarse not. My wife and I turned our butts around and walked right out.

acg2111

It was ok. It was interesting for adults not much for kids. It only takes 1/2 hour and make sure you can understand someone with an accent a little hard to understand. It's something to do if you need to fill in your day.

Sunjammerz2

This place was about 10 miles from the LL Bean Flagship store. Its out in the country, very little traffic to get there. Tours depart about every half hour or so. Everyone hops on an open air tram although it has a roof which is towed by a Jeep. The tour guide stops along the path to point out interesting facts about the desert as well as interacting with the patrons. The ride lasts about 35 minutes and the commentary is very interesting. There are also some hiking trails and a screened in butterfly house you can go in. The story about the barn is amazing. The gift shop has lots of items as well as cold drinks. If you like off the wall stuff then this is a neat thing to see.

Tinkonthego0628

Guide was from Bermuda??? He told us all of the history of the property which was very interesting. They needed some more staff. Only had one guide. Good thing we went early in the morning when it wasn't too busy!!

Gustoguy

The place was recommended by an elderly gentleman. Its an interesting place in that its history shows that poor agricultural practices coupled with terrible animal husbandry can devastate an ecosystem in a matter of years. So once the topsoil was denuded, low and behold, what was left was sand. About as much as you'd see on a beach. A fun place for young kids to go "gem hunting". If you want dunes, go to Nags Head NC and see Jockey's Ridge state park- now that's a Five on the Sand Dune scale of Eastern dunes.

Carolin2204

It´s an interesting experience to see the desert and it actually is a desert. There is a temperature difference between the gift shop and the desert. I did the guided tour which is about 30 minutes and very interesting. You can also walk around there by yourself but either way you have to pay the entrance fee to see the desert (it´s fenced in).

KathyR902

To be honest, when I saw the brochure in the hotel rack, I found it hard to believe. But we did go to see it and it is absolutely an interesting phenomenon. We took the guided tour around the property of what use to be (in the 1700's) a prosperous farm. "Failure to rotate crops combined with massive land clearing and overgrazing resulted in severe soil erosion that exposed the Hidden Desert". Our guide was great at explaining the history and scientific facts of how this happened and how long that geologist predict it to remain. Our guide gave us some fun facts such as a question on JEOPARDY "What is the most eastern Desert in the US where the contestant answered "Desert of Maine" and was ruled incorrect and later received a call from the show inviting her back to play as her answer was correct. Be sure to allow time to see the Barn Museum and the World Sand Collection. If you are visiting with children they can dig for gems in the sand.