{"id":4856,"date":"2019-11-05T12:02:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T17:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=4856"},"modified":"2019-11-06T11:58:32","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T16:58:32","slug":"fairchild-tropical-botanic-garden-offers-unique-experiences-for-holiday-season","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=4856","title":{"rendered":"Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden offers unique experiences for holiday season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted November 5, 2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BY PAM GIGANTI-BUNGE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patti Galea and her husband Chuck have been\nvisiting Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for nearly 25 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cIt\u2019s\ndifferent every time I come, something different is blooming, the volunteers on\nthe train are so informative and I learn something new every time.  It\u2019s just a peaceful relaxing place,\u201d she\nmused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dale Chihuly, “End of Day Tower” \u00a0(Photos by Pam Giganti-Bunge).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The couple loves it so much, they became\nmembers. They say it\u2019s a must stop when giving friends and family a tour of\nSouth Florida. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great place to bring out of town guests\nwho come down from up north to thaw out in the winter and to show our European\nguests what tropical foliage is like,\u201d said Chuck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the idea back in 1938 when the garden\nopened to the public for the first time, to create a botanical garden where\ntropical and sub-tropical plants could grow year-round.  Thanks to the vision of retired businessman and\nplant enthusiast, Col. Robert H. Montgomery, who deeded the land to the county,\nthe garden became a reality and was named in honor of his friend,\nhorticulturist Dr. David Fairchild.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tucked between Matheson Hammock Park to the east\nalong Biscayne Bay and Old Cutler Road to the west in lower Coral Gables,\nFairchild encompasses 85 acres of rare tropical plants.  Fairchild traveled the world in search of\nseeds and exotic specimens he could bring back — some still seen in the garden\ntoday, including the giant African baobab tree by the Gate House. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we think of the tropics, we think of rain forests, jungles and walking through thickets of plants and we have that at Fairchild with the only tropical rain forest in the continental United States,\u201d said Nanette Zapata, chief operating officer at Fairchild. She says the garden is considered one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world, often ranking first or second among the best every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Albizia niopoides, tallest tree in the Garden collected by Dr. David Fairchild.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lindsay Alma found\nFairchild on Google and knew she had to visit on her second trip to Miami from\nSeattle.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first time around, I\ndid the whole South Beach thing with my ex-boyfriend,\u201d she said.  Alma loves house plants and walked around\nFairchild for two hours enjoying the enormity of the plants in the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cNow I\u2019m thinking about moving here,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of its rich history, there is so much to\ndo and explore.  One of the best ways to\nstart a visit is aboard the free narrated tram ride that takes guests on a\ncomprehensive, educational skim around the property.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The volunteer tour guides delight riders with the garden\u2019s rich history, while pointing out unique features such as the Madagascar spiny forest, the kaleidoscope colored trunks of the eucalyptus trees, the historic structures and sprawling vistas.  One of the highlights is a slow glide through the tropical rain forest with its lush foliage and babbling water holes.  Guests can feel the temperature drop just a few degrees under its splendid canopy.                 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children and kids at heart must spend some time\nin one of the most delightful exhibits on the property, the Wings of the\nTropics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI bring my five-year-old grandson to come look at the turtles and butterflies,\u201d said Galea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She and her husband agree that the garden is a\nwonderland for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visitors are delighted as hundreds of colorful, exotic butterflies flutter and flap right before their eyes in a massive screened enclosure.  Guests follow a winding path past rich green ivy and orchids covering the walls and walkways as 40 different species, such as heliconids, morphos and owl butterflies from Central and South America put on a mesmerizing performance.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angel wing begonia.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A glass wall allows guests a glimpse inside the\nVollmer Metamorphosis Lab where they can observe the different states of\nchrysalis in the butterfly life-cycle. \nDaily releases mid-morning and mid-afternoon allow visitors to get even\ncloser.  Trained volunteers operate the Butterfly\nBonanza Discovery Cart and allow guests to interact with the winged creatures,\neven putting them right in people\u2019s hands.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon leaving the butterfly exhibit, guests walk\ninto the Tropical Plant Conservatory and Rare Plant House.  It\u2019s a bit more humid in this 1968 building\nwhich houses spotted African Cichlids, rare philodendrons, anthuriums,\npentagonias and orchids.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most striking and mesmerizing\nfeature is the glorious multi-colored Dale Chihuly, End of Day Tower glass\nsculpture nestled in the middle of the pond, twisting and arching its way\nupward as if mimicking the surrounding palms. \nPetrified logs lie on the ground and the \u201cPride of Burma\u201d tree with its\norchid-like pink flowers blooms between January and March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of orchids, beautiful specimens are all\nover the garden.  In 2012, the American\nOrchid Society moved its international headquarters to Fairchild from\nMassachusetts, bringing with it a massive collection of rare beauties.  Fairchild is currently in the midst of a\nmajor initiative, the Million Orchid Project. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan is to propagate millions of native\norchids from seedlings and restore them back into South Florida\u2019s urban\nlandscape. Many species were decimated when they were pulled from trees in the\n1800s, packed into train cars on the Flagler railroad and sold up north.  So far, some 250,000 plants have been\nre-introduced to the local area.  Conservation\nand education are at the heart of Fairchild\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have the most robust citizen science program in the world,\u201d Zapata proudly points out. \u201cThe only botany high school in the world and the only botany elementary school in the world.  We have four laboratories and we have the best native plant program in the nation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Charcuterie plate at the Glass House Caf\u00e9.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When hunger pangs attack, one of the best places to catch a bite is at The Glasshouse Caf\u00e9.\u00a0 Centrally located in the Upland area of the garden, this quaint eatery is nestled next to the Wings of the Tropics exhibit and makes for a delightful dining experience.\u00a0 Guests order food at a window outside and can sit either on the outside patio or at tables inside under a striking Dale Chihuly chandelier.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Menu choices include, organic and locally grown\nfare, including soups, quiches, and charcuterie plates with hummus and pita\nbread, along with smoothies, desserts and a variety of juices and waters.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Culinary pursuits are one of the elements at the root of what might be called a renaissance for Fairchild.  The garden recently hired Heidi Lidell, a long-time caterer and culinary, hospitality planner as its new chief experience officer.  Lidell, who has worked for Bravo TV and the South Beach Food and Wine Festival among others, wants to breathe new life into the way people interact with Fairchild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked with different areas of the garden\nto form a collaboration.  So, I\u2019m working\nwith education, I\u2019m working with horticulture, I\u2019m working with food and\nbeverage and I\u2019m creating annual programming that involves culture and arts,\nbringing in a lot of activity that centers around families and children,\u201d she\nsaid. \u201cI want to bring a different demographic, young a more diverse crowd.\u201d  She says families who love coming the garden\ncan in-turn become great ambassadors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Projects soon set to launch include a re-boot of last winter\u2019s wildly successful Night Garden event, where the grounds are illuminated with spectacular multi-colored displays and sensational delights surprise guests as they walk along delineated paths.\u00a0 In May, a new monster dinosaur exhibit will open and a new children\u2019s garden and play area will be erected within the next 12 months.\u00a0 Certain Sundays will feature jazz in the garden as part of a new jazz, art and music series with entertainment for the whole family, including delicious bites and games for the kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But perhaps the initiative Lidell is most\nexcited about is the launch of a culinary division. She\u2019s creating a new brand\ncalled \u201cFresh from Fairchild\u201d where fruits, vegetables and seeds from a 20-acre\nfarm Fairchild owns in Homestead will be packaged and made for sale on site and\nused in dishes served at garden restaurants. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new kitchen and food lab is in the works located\nalong the tram path.  An existing\nbuilding is being gutted and outfitted with state-of-the-art Viking appliances\nto create a space for teaching adults and kids how to make healthy, tasty\ndishes.  An old storage shed is set to be\ntransformed into The Shed at Fairchild. \nRetro-fitted with new, glass garage doors, this will be an inviting eatery\nthat literally opens its doors to guests and serves items like coffee, wine and\nsalads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have support to test things,\u201d said Lidell. \u201cWhen\nyou go to the garden, you\u2019re going to feel fulfilled.  It should deliver to you experiences that you\nnever associated with the garden,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur first time here was for the Mango Festival and that\u2019s how we got hooked,\u201d said Alejandra Arriaga who recently became a member and believes Fairchild just makes you feel good. \u201cDuring the week you\u2019re at work, on the phone, computer, cell phone and all that.  So, it\u2019s like to disconnect and relax.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zapata agrees and is excited about the way the garden is expanding its outreach to the community. \u201cI believe empirically that when you\u2019re at Fairchild, somewhere in the tropics or somewhere in nature, something evolutionary unlocks in all of us and there\u2019s this sense of place, of being home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If You Go<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n