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. 

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

When Dan and I set out to travel the United States, one of my fondest desires was that our kids would try to meet us along the way, to visit with us, and to see new places they otherwise might not have considered. But, between the demands of the job, kids in school, limited vacation time, and limited funds, this hasn’t always proven an easy thing for them to do. Last March, however, we were quite happy to have my daughter (Jill) and granddaughter (Cece) make it out to Tucson for a short visit, and we tried our best to squeeze in some of the highlights of the area.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a great place to visit for anyone who wants to learn more about the Sonora desert environment. It has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Museums in the country, and the #1 Tucson attraction. It is unique in that 85% of the experience is outdoors. The 98 acres expanse includes a botanical garden, art gallery, aquarium, natural history museum, and is home to more than 230 animal species. Two miles of walking paths wind through various desert habitats where over 1200 types of plants grow.

From their website, this is “…not a ‘museum’ in the usual sense, it is an unparalleled composite of plant, animal, and geologic collections with the goal of making the Sonoran Desert accessible, understandable, and valued.”

We couldn’t have picked a nicer day, or time of year for our visit, with the wildflowers in bloom (along with the birds who seem to love them, too), outstanding vistas in full view, and comfortable weather for walking around.

It  really was a pleasure to be able to share some of our home away from home with those we love!