Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, located in Coral Gables (just south of Miami) opened to the public in 1938. In addition to a botanic garden, Fairchild is a museum, a laboratory, a learning center, and a conservation facility. Its main role is preserving biodiversity, and this 83 acre facility is home to extensive collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycad, flowering trees, and orchids. A butterfly house called “Wings of the Tropics” features exotic butterflies mainly from Central America, South America and Southeast Asia flying freely in the 25,000 square foot conservatory.

Since 2003 Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has had art exhibits featuring a wide range of renowned artists, and the garden hosts a series of seasonal weekend festivals including the International Chocolate Festival, the International Mango Festival, the Butterfly Festival, the Bird Festival, the Orchid Festival, the Ramble, the Food and Garden Festival, and the Edible Garden Festival.

We spent one entire day in March 2019 touring this beautiful setting. A break for lunch at the Glasshouse Café provided us with vegan tacos, and panoramic views into the Wings of the Tropics exhibit. We also took a guided tram ride through the gardens where we learned much about the origins, history, and development of the property. Here are some selected photos of what was growing and blooming the day we were there.