Botanical Garden and Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary (Flamingo Gardens) Davie, Florida

Located in southern Florida, Flamingo Gardens is a 60-acre Botanical Garden and Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary. The gardens feature over 3000 species of rare & exotic, tropical, subtropical, and native plants and trees.

Established in 1927, Flamingo Gardens is one of the oldest botanical gardens in southern Florida.

The highlight of this tropical oasis is the beautiful pink flamingos, from which the gardens gets its name.

The non-native Cluster Fig is the largest tree in the Florida Champion Tree register.  It is 102 feet tall and a little over 54 feet in circumference.

The 1930s Wray Home Museum on the property was built by Floyd L. and Jane Wray as a weekend retreat. It is one of the oldest residences in Broward County. 

The half-acre aviary is home to over 250 wading birds from over 45 species and over 90 species of Florida native birds and animals. Most of the birds are permanently injured or non-releasable.

The Flamingo Gardens is 17 miles west of Fort Lauderdale and 30 miles north of the Miami International Airport.

Address:

3750 S Flamingo Rd, Davie, FL 33330

Hours:

Daily 9:30AM–5PM

Admission:

Adults (ages 12+)  $19.95

Children (ages 3-11)   $12.95

Children ages 2 and under are free.

Happy Travels!

Discovering the Sunflower Trail and Festival near Shreveport, Louisiana

Looking for something fun to do in the Shreveport area in June? The Sunflower Trail and Festival in Gilliam, Louisiana is the perfect activity! And guess what! It’s free!

The annual festival is held every June in the downtown area of the very small town of Gilliam. What looked to be about a hundred arts and craft booths are grouped in a shaded area behind an old general store. As we make our way through the crowds, I notice several booths with activities for children and can hear music from a band. We didn’t stay long due to the heat and what seemed like thousands of people. I would recommend going early to find a parking place.

The highlight of the festival is the sunflower trail. It runs along Highway 3049 from Gilliam to Shreveport.

 There are many fields of sunflowers along the way to stop and visit.

 The fields are perfect for taking cute photos! There is even a photography contest. As with the festival, go early to miss the crowds!

You can drive the Sunflower trail anytime in the month of June. Oh, and you can pick the flowers!

Gilliam is located about 20 miles north of the Shreveport/ Bossier City area and about 48 miles south of Texarkana, Texas.

Happy Travels!

Exploring the Luxury and Artistic Side of Palm Beach, Florida

Palm Beach, located on the east coast of Florida, is best known for its extravagant estates, upscale shopping, Palm trees, and beautiful beaches.

It is home to the rich and famous, including President Trump. Trumps “winter home” (including the Mar-a-Lago) is located water front on Ocean Boulevard along with other massive estates.

Our fist stop was the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens. It is two-acres of lush tropical grounds with sculptures throughout. Read more about it in my post here.

After spending the morning at the gardens, we headed to Worth Avenue for some serious shopping.

Worth Avenue is a downtown area with upscale boutiques and restaurants.

Parking is a nightmare! I did notice valet parking carts in front of some of the stores, but we finally found parking about six blocks away.

I have to say, it was worth all of the trouble to get to it! Worth Avenue is beautiful!!!

And of course, my daughter had to shop in the Lilly Pulitzer store.

We had so much fun in Palm Beach! We were not able to stay in Palm Beach for the night, but we can not wait to go back and explore more of this beautiful city. We are looking at staying at The Colony Hotel, The Brazilian Court, or The Chesterfield for our return. They all are beautiful!

Location:

Palm Beach is located in southern Florida about 2 hours north of Miami and about 2 1/2 hours east of the FortMyers/Sanibel Island area.


Happy Travels!

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens: A Haven for Art Lovers

The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens is two-acres of lush tropical grounds with sculptures throughout, located in Palm Beach, Florida.

The Gardens were designed by world-renowned botanist Sir Peter Smithers and include 250 rare palm species.

The house in the gardens was the residence of Ann until the time of her death in 1982. It is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Nine of Ann’s statues are located throughout the gardens. They are made of bronze, stone and wood. More of her works can be found inside the studio and house.

The Garden is located less than two miles from the popular Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.

Address:

253 Barcelona Rd, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Hours:

Wed - Sun   10 am – 4 pm   October through June


Admission:

Adult Visitors: $15 per person
65 and over: $10
Children ages 5 and up: $7 Children under 5 free





Happy Travels!