Maine’s Giant Blueberry-Shaped Roadside Attraction is for Sale

One of Maine’s more unusual roadside attractions is up for sale. Wild Blueberry Land in Columbia Falls, with its giant blue dome along Route 1, is now for sale.

The attraction opened in 2001 and has spent the last 25 years celebrating Maine’s wild blueberry industry. Maine Preservation recently added it to its 2026 list of the state’s most endangered historic places.

The building itself isn’t falling apart. Maine Preservation says the 26-foot-tall dome is structurally sound, but owners Dell and Marie Emerson are ready to pass the property on to someone else.

The preservation group says the couple has already heard from potential buyers who wanted to tear it down and redevelop the Route 1 property.

The Owners Are Looking For The Right Buyer

Embedded media follows. Please allow a moment for it to load.

Marie Emerson told the Bangor Daily News that a for-sale sign is posted at the property, but she declined to give a price.

The Emersons are considering a few possibilities. They could sell the building with two acres, sell the attraction and its trademarks as an operating business, or include some of their blueberry acreage for someone interested in farming.

Their main concern is keeping the dome standing. Maine Preservation says their ideal buyer would be the Passamaquoddy Nation, though they are willing to consider other buyers who want to maintain the structures and educational work.

They Built The Giant Blueberry Themselves

Dell and Marie already had Wescogus Wild Blueberry Farm when a former hotel and restaurant property became available along Route 1. They bought it and decided to build something hard for passing drivers to miss.

Maine Preservation says the design drew inspiration from the geodesic domes popularized by architect R. Buckminster Fuller. A Canadian engineer, Marie’s father and a group of friends helped with the project.

The Emersons built the timber-and-steel frame at their farm before assembling it on the property, beginning in 1999. The finished dome is about 50 feet across and opened as Wild Blueberry Land in 2001.

There’s More Inside Than Blueberry Pie

The dome has served as a museum, gift shop and bakery, with exhibits covering the long history of wild blueberries in Maine. The attraction’s current website still sells blueberry coffee, candy, spreads, syrup and other products.

Dell spent more than 50 years working at the University of Maine’s wild blueberry research farm, while Marie is a chef and educator. Their roadside attraction brought those interests together in one very blue building.

The state of Maine even includes Wild Blueberry Land on its Route 1 travel information, calling it the “Big Blueberry.”