Happenin’
Places › Florida › Miami › Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Photo: Chris M Morris / CC BY 2.0 · source

🌺 Gardens & wildlife

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Coral Gables, FL · Miami

About

Eighty-three acres of palms, cycads, and flowering trees spread across the edge of Biscayne Bay, with royal palms lining the long reflecting channel of the Bailey Palm Glade and a two-acre rainforest where waterfalls run beneath the canopy. The Wings of the Tropics conservatory keeps hundreds of butterflies in the air year round, while the edible garden grows fruit you will not find at the grocery store, from durian to dozens of mango varieties. Founded in 1938 around the collections of plant explorer David Fairchild, it remains a working research garden as much as a place to wander a quiet morning.

Highlights

Bailey Palm Glade allee of royal palmsWings of the Tropics butterfly conservatoryTwo-acre tropical rainforest with waterfallsRare palm and cycad collectionsEdible garden with tropical fruit

Getting there

Related places

J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge Gardens & wildlife

J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Sanibel, FL · Southwest Florida

Spanning more than 6,400 acres on Sanibel Island, this refuge protects one of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystems in the United States. Its four-mile Wildlife Drive winds past tidal flats and estuaries teeming with roseate spoonbills, herons, ibis, and alligators. The refuge is renowned among birders and is best explored by car, bike, kayak, or on foot.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Gardens & wildlife

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Titusville, FL · Space Coast

Sharing its boundary with NASA's Kennedy Space Center, this 140,000-acre refuge is one of the most biologically diverse in the country, home to more endangered and threatened species than almost any other refuge in the continental U.S. Visitors can drive the Black Point Wildlife Drive to spot alligators, manatees, bald eagles, and thousands of migratory birds. Hiking trails and the visitor center round out a rich wildlife experience along Florida's Space Coast.

Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Gardens & wildlife

Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Naples, FL · Southwest Florida

Managed by the National Audubon Society, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary protects the largest remaining old-growth bald cypress forest in North America. A 2.25-mile raised boardwalk loops through pine flatwoods, wet prairie, and ancient cypress stands, offering close encounters with wading birds, alligators, and rare orchids. It is one of Florida's premier spots for quiet, immersive nature walking.

Part of these collections

Curated guides that feature Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

Florida Attractions44 places

Florida Attractions

For much of the world, Florida means the attractions. The theme parks that built Orlando, a working spaceport on the Atlantic coast, mermaids who have performed underwater since 1947, and a coral castle one man carved by hand. This is the big statewide guide to what people fly to Florida for, the giants and the roadside icons alike, from the Keys to the Panhandle.