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Hanami - Flower Viewing, Orchard Tour + Picnic 2023


Hanami (花見, "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of cherry blossoms ("sakura"), and celebrating the fleeting beauty of life, itself.

HANAMI PICNIC RESERVATIONS NOW AVAILABLE FOR 2023

We’re inviting reservations for 2023 picnic dates and are excited to welcome our first guests to Hanami Days. Please join us Saturday May 13 and Saturday May 27 for our only two picnic dates this Spring.

GROW WITH US AS OUR TREES MATURE

Traditionally Hanami is enjoyed under the cherry blossoms at full bloom and that is what we we will offer too, when our trees have matured. Since our trees are very young, this year we invite you to tour the orchard and then picnic in Blenheim Park’s private gardens, alongside the pristine shores of McCurdy Pond — dining lakeside will be a more lovely experience in these early years.

BYO PICNIC BASKET

Admission tickets do not include food so pack your picnic basket to the brim with your favorite foods and refreshing beverages (please note, we are not licensed for you to bring alcohol) and we’ll do all the work of creating a beautiful environment for you to dine with friends to welcome Spring to the beautiful midcoast of Maine.

TICKETS ARE $28 PER PERSON

Your investment includes use of a dining table with chairs in the garden, complete with lace tablecloth and bud vase, or a picnic blanket if you’d prefer. We’ll have lawn games set up along with lovely vintage music floating over the grounds. We’ll also include a coupon you can redeem in our farm store to take home a little memento of the day.

TOUR THE ORCHARD, SAMPLE PRODUCTS, SHOP IN OUR FARM STORE

Your day will begin at 12:00 noon with a tour of the Sour Cherry and Cherry Blossom Orchards, where you’ll learn about the varietals we’re growing, the history of the beloved cherry blossom, and you can sample some of the products we’re creating here at Blenheim Park.

PICNIC IN THE GROUNDS OF A CENTURY OLD ESTATE

We’ll then make our way to the private home of Blenheim Park’s owners, surrounded by flower gardens, next to a sparkling lake, where you can relax and dine on the fine fare you’ve prepared while being serenaded by the loons and vintage melodies as you soak up the beautiful views or get your ‘old sport’ on with a game of croquet, bocce or badminton. The event will wrap up at 4:00pm and you are welcome to browse in our farm store or stroll through the orchard until we close the property at 5:00pm.

BLENHEIM PARK, BEAUTIFUL ALL YEAR LONG

Cherry blossom season usually lasts about a month from the earliest bloomers to the latest. Blenheim Park’s orchard has a variety of trees to extend the viewing period. Dates for peak bloom will vary every year for this event, depending on weather, and the viewing will grow more beautiful with each passing year as our trees mature. For reference, our blossoms reached peak bloom around May 20 in 2021 and May 23 in 2022.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  1. One ticket is for one person. If booking for a group please select the appropriate number in your party.

  2. In the event of rain, refunds will not be issued but we will reschedule the picnic to a future date. Guests will be welcome to visit the Farm Store, all weather.

  3. Blenheim Park is located in a town which has been ‘dry’ since Prohibition therefore we cannot sell alcohol and are not licensed for guests to BYO. (our money is on the Teahouse seeing some Speakeasy action back in the day though, and we confess we quite like the idea).

  4. Not everyone shares our love of pets, so please leave yours at home for this event. (but do check out our Dog Halloween Parade and start planning your joint costumes now!).

  5. For the safety and enjoyment of all guests, we ask that you observe our no-smoking policy throughout the property, thank you.

  6. Protecting the beautiful waterways of Maine is a role we’re passionate about, we are in fact Stewards of the McCurdy Islands Preserve, so we ask you not to bring paper napkins or any other picnic goods likely to ‘take flight’ so they do not end up in the lake.

  7. Our aim is to provide you with a lovely, elegant afternoon, so thank you for not bringing in outside seating, grills or electronic music devices. (Lutes, Harps, Sitars and Mandolins welcome). ;)

  8. Please advise in advance if anyone in your group has special needs so we are able to make a plan to accommodate them, since we are a working farm and some areas of the orchard are not readily wheelchair accessible. Thank you.

WORKING FARM — NO LIABILITY FOR INJURY

Warning: Under Maine law, there is no liability for injury to a participant in an agritourism activity conducted at this agritourism location if such injury results from the inherent risks of the agritourism activity.  Inherent risks of agritourism activities include, among others, risks of injury inherent to land, equipment and animals, as well as the potential for injury if you act in a negligent manner.  You are assuming the risk of participating in this agritourism activity.

Saturday May 13, 2023

$28 PER PERSON

LIMITED TO 40 PEOPLE

12:00 noon — 4:00pm

Saturday May 27, 2023

$28 PER PERSON

LIMITED TO 40 PEOPLE

12:00 noon — 4:00pm