Miami's Fairchild Botanical Gardens

Miami is known for the white sandy beaches and tropical climate, but the sea and the sand is not all there is to this area. A day away from your Miami beach hotel should include a trip to the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, located on Culter Rd, Miami only about 20 minutes from downtown Miami it is one of the world's premier botanical gardens and has been welcoming visitors to since 1938. The gardens have a well-documented collection of tropical plants, palms, cycads, flowering trees, vines and fruit trees. The collections at the Botanic Gardens are of world significance as many have been collected from the wild.

Learning is at the heart of the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens and includes kids programs such as "How does light sustain life?" and “Can you combine reading maps, discovering art and using technology in a garden?" a program where students use GPS units, compasses and or maps to find glass and plants in the gardens. If you can bring along 5 students, then the accompanying adult gets in for free.

For adults, programs include all kinds of summer classes, with art, photography, cuisine, health and cooking. While many of the classes run for a number of weeks and are not very conducive to a vacation, there are a number of fun classes that are one session. Such as the

"Where’s There Smoke There’s Fire"

"Learn the secrets of real BBQ, Chef Rudy will teach the techniques of grilling and hard wood smoking. As we will prepare our own dry rubs for juicy Beef Brisket, succulent Chinese Char sui Pork Ribs and Kansas City Style Ribs, Boston Baked Beans and BBQ Tofu. Bring an apron and an appetite."

This class is one Tuesday in March from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Enjoy some great BBQ and then when you get home, try out your newfound skills on your neighbors.

While on vacation, one of the best ways to find out about an area is to participate in the local events, with a little fore planning before you leave, you can have a fun packed holiday and go home from Miami with more than a sunburn.