Harry P. Leu Gardens, a 50-acre historic estate and botanical garden in downtown Orlando, is a kaleidoscope of colors throughout the year. Stroll the walkways that wind through butterfly, herb and rose gardens, past dozens of species of azalea, bamboo and banana plants, showcasing a prized Camellia collection that has more than 2,000 plants and is considered one of the best in the U.S. The gardens also include a number of whimsical sculptures, a native wetlands garden and nearly 400 species of palms.
Parking at Leu Gardens
Ample free parking is available.
Best and worst time to go to Leu Gardens
Although the park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., visit in early morning to avoid Florida's afternoon heat and thunderstorms, especially from spring to early fall. The gardens have free admission on the first Monday of each month, with added bonuses on those days including a sidewalk cafe on the patio and a popsicle stand in the gardens. The gardens are closed only on Christmas Day, although the Leu House Museum is typically closed each July for restorations.
Admission to Leu Gardens
Park admission is $10-$12, with students in grades K-12 admitted for a nominal fee and children 4 and under free. Discounted rates are available for larger groups.
Must see/do at Leu Gardens
Don't miss the guided tours of the Leu House Museum, a restored 19th-century home overlooking Lake Rowena that shows what life was like in Central Florida at the turn of the century. The tours, which start on the hour and half hour beginning at 10 a.m., last about 25 minutes and are complimentary with admission. The last tour starts at 3:30 p.m. On your walk through the gardens, make sure to visit the Citrus Grove, which showcases Central Florida's roots with more than 50 types of citrus trees. Numerous other varieties of tropical and subtropical fruit trees dot the gardens, including avocado, guava, mango, papaya, pear, pineapple and star fruit.
Other places to visit near Leu Gardens
For a romantic dining experience after your visit to the gardens, try Santiago's Bodega, a laid-back tapas-style restaurant and bar with soups, salads, desserts and more than 30 small plates, or the Funky Monkey Wine Company on North Mills Avenue, where you can enjoy an extensive wine list, sushi and American cuisine with an Asian flair. Both are within 1.5 miles of Leu Gardens.
Insider tip for visitors to Leu Gardens
For a romantic night out, surprise your significant other with Date Night at Leu Gardens. Held on the first Friday of each month from February to December, the event includes discounted admission to the garden at 6 p.m., followed by a free movie for which you can bring a lawn chair or blanket. Popcorn and other food items are available for purchase, or pack your own picnic basket with wine, cheese and fruit.
Author's bio: Kevin Adams is a freelance writer who has lived in Orlando for more than a decade and has had travel articles appear on USAToday.com and in Golfweek magazine.
With artwork dating from 2100 B.C.E. to current day, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is a wonderful walk through the world's art timeline. The museum features ancient Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Egyptian art, American and European paintings (including works by Andy Warhol and Norman Rockwell), pieces from the Harlem Renaissance, a Meissen porcelain collection, and special exhibits. Lush, historic gardens overlooking the St. Johns River are also part of the museum tour. The gardens are original to the Cummer family property and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Parking at the Cummer Museum
Park for free at the main lot across the street from the museum or at the corner lot on Riverside Ave. and Post St. There is also free parking on streets near the museum.
Admission to the Cummer Museum
Students and senior citizens get a discount, children 5 and younger are free, and adults pay $10. Admission is free for everyone on Tuesdays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and on the first Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Military families receive free admission Memorial Day through Labor Day, then $6 admission the rest of the year. College students with ID are admitted free Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Best/Worst Time to visit the Cummer Museum
Wednesdays are a great day to visit the museum because there are usually fewer people. March and April are excellent months to tour the gardens. They are in full bloom and look their best. Late summer can be a difficult time to tour them because of the Florida heat, but the museum itself is air conditioned inside. Weekends tend to be busy. During the school year, there are often school tours going on at the museum, but they generally end before 12. The museum is still open to the public during that time. Don't come on a Monday when the museum is closed.
Must see/do at the Cummer Museum
Make the gardens a priority. They are over a hundred years old and are adorned with fountains, sculptures, arbors, and rare plants. Designed by some of the famous names in landscape architecture history, among them Ellen Biddle Shipman, each one has its own style and gives the sense of visiting different garden rooms. If coming with the kids, don't leave without visiting the interactive exhibit. Take time to see "Return from the Harvest," a 19th century photorealism oil painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau and "The Diving Boy," a bronze sculpture by Jacksonville native Augusta Savage, who played an important role in the Harlem Renaissance.
Other places to visit near the Cummer Museum
Keep up your art tour by visiting the nearby Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which has works by Alexander Calder, Helen Frankenthaler, among others. From there, head to the Ritz Theatre and Museum to see the Ellie Lee Weems photography collection and take in the latest special art exhibit.
Insider tip for visitors to the Cummer Museum
Notice the bright red, steel kinetic sculpture on the museum's front lawn. Called "The Sea of the Ear Rings" and created by artist Takashi Soga, it is an open vertical ring adjoined near the top of an open horizontal ring. Watch carefully. The top ring will move up and down in response to the wind.
Author's bio: Freelance writer Barbara Merchant roams Jacksonville and St. Augustine with the experienced eye of a native and the open eagerness of a tourist.
South Florida was once home to one of the largest grouping of Holocaust survivors -- 20,000-25,000 -- in the United States. The proposed address for the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, 1933-1945 Meridian Avenue, matches exactly the years of the Nazi Regime. These are two of the reasons the Miami Beach Planning Board and the City Commission both approved plans for the Memorial. Architect Kenneth Treister's design of an arm, four stories high, thrusting skyward with emaciated figures clinging to it and each other, was controversial. It took three years for the design to be approved and another four years for the sculpture to be cast in bronze. The Memorial, with additional elements including pink Jerusalem stone that late advocate Abe Resnick would personally guard against thieves at night, was finally dedicated in February, 1990, with Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel as keynote speaker.
How to get to Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Coin-metered parking is available. Across 17th Street, at Lincoln Road, large lots with municipal parking, with modern credit card-reading machines, are also available. If you prefer public transportation, take the Metrobus Route 123- South Beach Local.
Best and worst times to go to Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
The best times to go to the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach are in the morning around 10 or 11 a.m. before it gets too hot, or in late afternoon when the sun is on its way toward the horizon. The sun can really beat down in the early afternoon, making the journey around the site physically unpleasant. Plus, food and drink are not allowed (with the exception of babies), so you can easily become dehydrated. Some of the space is enclosed and other parts are open, but either way, cooler is better. Also, if you hope to encounter a Holocaust survivor, your chances are better in the morning hours before these elderly men and women who volunteer their time need to rest.
Admission to Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Admission to the Memorial is free and the site is open every single day of the year. Hours range according to the sun: It opens around 9:30 a.m. and closes at sunset, so plan to leave around dusk. Make sure to figure Daylight Savings times into your calculations. The last time of admission on the website says 10 p.m., but daylight never really lasts that long in Miami even in the summer. If you wait that long, chances are the site will be closed.
Must see/do at Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Don't just take a glance at the main sculpture, as arresting as it is, and call it a day. There are dozens of smaller sculptures, just as intense, that can't be seen from the road. You need to circulate through the Garden of Meditation, dedicated to the six million lives lost, to see them and feel the enormous emotional affect. Continue on to The Dome of Contemplation, where an eternal light burns and a patch of yellow light shines through from the "Jude" star. The tour continues on what is called the "Lonely Path" with a series of powerful sculpture vignettes, and ends with the black granite Memorial Wall, which like the Vietnam Memorial is engraved with lists of names of those who were lost, and is constantly updated with submissions. A self-guided tour -– a brochure is available for a $2 donation –- generally takes about 60-90 minutes.
Other places to visit near Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach is located next to the Miami Beach Convention Center, where there are often antique, car or boat shows, and the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, where visitors are free to explore the grounds during daylight hours. Just a few blocks away, the The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater hosts a concert nearly every evening, and the renowned walking mall Lincoln Road Mall, filled with shops and outdoor cafes, is across 17th Street. At the far eastern end of Lincoln Road, the beach beckons, along with the famous Ocean Drive, where the restored Art Deco hotels await.
Insider tips for visitors at Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
The Holocaust Memorial isn't a religious site to the point where visitors need to wear yarmulkes or other head coverings, but respect is in order. Leave Segways, skateboards, scooters and bicycles outside the memorial, and wear clothing over bathing suits. As often as possible, Holocaust survivors circulate among guests, telling their stories. These survivors are by now extremely elderly, and should also be treated with the utmost courtesy, as all their work is volunteer and in the name of education. Keep cells phones on mute and try not to use them unless you're taking pictures with them, which is allowed. Don't bring pets unless they are service animals. Don't use profanity.
Author's bio: Jen Karetnick has been writing about Miami since she moved there in 1992. The author of 12 books, most recently the poetry book Brie Season (White Violet Press), she formerly lived in Miami Beach only three blocks away from the Holocaust Memorial.
Sarasota Garden Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the natural beauty of the Sarasota region. With more than 200 members, the organization maintains the vast gardens around its clubhouse and offers educational programs to the community on topics ranging from landscaping to basic lessons in ecology. Most meetings are held from September through May, with a yearly welcome-back potluck scheduled in October.
The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is a nationally accredited zoo in the heart of the city. Though a small space, it offers the opportunity for guests to get up close and personal with a variety of animals. Enjoy a show led by their knowledgable staff, or explore the site on your own for a fun filled afternoon.
Best and worst time to go to Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
The best time to visit is between November and May. This is when the most animal exhibits are available for guests. Plan a morning visit to avoid the severe afternoon Florida heat. The worst time to visit is June through November, when animals are removed from the zoo and exhibits are kept to a minimum.
Must see/do at Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
The Primate Expedition Cruise is a relaxing way to make your way around the zoo. The catamaran floats near several islands where you can view monkeys, lemurs and apes interacting naturally. The South African Lion exhibit is popular when they're in town, and the Giraffe Herd exhibit is always great for photos during feeding time.
Admission to Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
General admission tickets are around $20 for adults, $13 for children 12 and under. Discounts are offered for those who purchase their tickets online.
Parking at Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
Parking is free at the zoo, and a parking lot is provided on site. However, spaces fill up quickly, so it's recommended that you arrive early in the day. Additional parking is provided in the mall parking lot, which is located directly across the street from the zoo.
Public Transportation to Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
There is no direct bus stop at the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens. The Collier Area Transit (CAT) makes a stop, however, at Fleischmann Park, which is across the street from the zoo.
Food at Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
A local market manages a small cafe at the zoo, where you can easily purchase salads, sandwiches and healthy snacks. They also offer triple-certified coffee (shade-grown, organic, fair trade). Prices for items range up to $20, but most are reasonable.
Insider tip for visitors to Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
If you've moved to the area and have a local address on your driver's license, you can get free admission to the zoo for the whole family on the first Saturday of every month.
Author Bio: Renee' Novelle is an author and journalist residing in Southwest Florida.
Selby Gardens is a 9.5-acre bay-front property run by a not-for-profit institution to foster understanding and appreciation of tropical plants. There are over 20,000 living plants, including 6,000 orchids in the gardens. The Selby Gardens research staff is internationally recognized for its botanical research and plant identification.
Sunken Gardens, which began its meandering history more than one hundred years ago, is a botanical garden that houses some of the oldest and most exotic plants and flowers in St. Petersburg. Located near route 275, Sunken Gardens offers horticulture classes, and is a great location for weddings, garden tours, special events and field trips. Sunken Gardens' waterfalls are beautiful and the walking paths will take you away from the daily grind.
A serene getaway in the heart of the city, Naples Botanical Gardens welcomes guests with 90 acres of restored preserve and nearly 3 miles of walking trails. Enjoy seven distinct, themed areas including a Children's Garden and Brazilian Garden, which features a beautiful mosaic tiled backdrop. Guests lingering until evening will relish the live music and gourmet treats often offered throughout the month.
Parking at Naples Botanical Gardens
Sufficient parking is provided on site. No additional fees apply for parking.
Best and worst time to go to Naples Botanical Gardens
December is the best time to plan a visit. During select evenings, "Night Lights" is in effect and the park is lit with a variety of holiday lights and decorations. Sip on hot cider as you stroll through the whimsical setup, then let the live music of the onsite harpist and guitarist fill you with the holiday spirit.
The worst time to go is in August, when the Florida heat is at its highest. With no areas that are air conditioned, it is best to reserve your visit during this month to the early morning or late evening hours when the sun is less extreme.
Admission at Naples Botanical Gardens
Tickets range from $10-15, children under 3 are admitted for free. If you're planning an extended trip to the area, consider becoming a member of the garden, which includes unlimited free admission.
Must see/do at Naples Botanical Gardens
Guests with children will want to explore the Children's Garden, which includes a tree house, water fountain for playing in the hot summer months, and live butterfly garden. Adults will also appreciate the Asian Garden, which offers a terraced sanctuary and Balinese temple water garden - among other delights - for reflection.
Other places to visit after Naples Botanical Gardens
After enjoying your visit to the Naples Botanical Gardens, stroll down 5th Avenue to indulge in the unique shopping opportunities. Refresh yourself with an energizing drink at locally owned The Brick Coffee & Bar, and be sure to walk the Pier for the best view of Naples prized beaches.
Insider tip for visitors to Naples Botanical Gardens
The Naples Botanical Garden frequently hosts special exhibits and events. Be sure to take a glance at their website to see what's going on during your visit. Also, if you're traveling with your dog, visitors are allowed to bring pets on Sunday & Tuesday mornings.
Author's bio: Renee' Novelle is an author and journalist living in Southwest Florida.
