Troll Hunting from Denmark to Maine to NC
Have you heard of the world famous recycled wood trolls made by Thomas Dambo?!
I can’t take credit for this discovery. We were first introduced to his work & these incredible trolls when we visited Chelsea & her family in Denmark for the first time. They shared their fascination and recent troll hunts and we completely jumped on board!
Denmark has so many of these trolls to find & explore. Honestly we need to back exclusively for troll hunting. (Chelsea, are y’all ready for house guests?!)
Thomas Dambo is an internationally acclaimed artist, activist, and environmental storyteller. He creates these giant trolls from recycled wood, fallen branches, and other materials that would be discarded otherwise.
His encouragement for us to get out into nature, explore, create something, and follow our sense of wonder is something we all need more of. So naturally, when I’m planning a road trip, one of the first things I research is to see if we could stop by to find any trolls.
Our road trip to Maine last fall did not disappoint – and there are still more to see next time!
Trolls in Maine
On our road trip up to Maine, we stopped at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to meet the Guardians of the Seeds. A friend had told me about this stop, and I’m so glad she did!
First of all, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens are STUNNING.
You’ll love walking around these gorgeous gardens to leaf peep while looking at beautiful flowers, hunting trolls, and playing in a magical fairy garden. Fall is such a wonderful time to visit. There are still so many gorgeous blooms, plus wonderful weather and fewer crowds!
If you’re there to hunt trolls, you can choose how long of a hike you’d like to take & how many trolls you’d like to see. Of course we couldn’t leave without finding all of them.
All five trolls are so different & so fun to see, and your kids will love the clues and finding the hidden seeds. This is such a fun adventure and definitely worth a stop if you’re near Boothbay or traveling up the coast of Maine.
But now for the best news (if you live in or near NC)….
Trolls are coming to North Carolina!
We are so excited that seven Thomas Dambo trolls are now coming to North Carolina, as are 12 visiting trolls!
This fall, five trolls are being installed at Dorthea Dix park in Raleigh. An additional two will make their homes in Charlotte and High Point. This installation across NC will be the biggest US installation to date.
The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville is also getting twelve troll sculptures as part of the “Trolls: a Field Study” exhibition. This exhibition will be open mid-November through mid-February. Six of the trolls are included in their Winter Lights display, while the other 6 must be found earlier in the day! Winter Lights tickets went on sale yesterday – make sure to get yours!
Have you seen any Thomas Dambo trolls? Which are your favorites?!
If you’d like to find some yourself, check out these posts:
If you’re road tripping to see trolls, here are some tips.
