Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Fairchild doesn't normally allow dogs on its grounds, which makes Dog Dates all the more worth knowing about. On Sunday mornings, leashed dogs and their humans get two hours to roam all 83 acres—past the waterfalls, through the rainforest, around the lakes, in view of iguanas—before stopping at the Glasshouse Café for snacks and drinks for both species. Sessions have occassionally been themed, with past editions including doga, pet portraits and glow nights, however plainclothed pets and their parents are welcome just the same.

Fairchild's beloved Easter tradition returns on April 5, turning the garden's grounds into a full morning of egg hunts, train rides and bubble-filled chaos for little ones. The Eggsplore Galore egg hunt — the main draw — runs in age-grouped time slots across the Garden House Lawn and requires an All Access ticket. General Admission gets you Mr. Bunny meet-and-greets, the Cottontail Express trackless train and the Bubble Bunny Hop. Picnic baskets, mimosa flights and cocktail add-ons are available for the adults keeping up with it all. Book early, as this event tends to sell out.

Fairchild swaps its usual tropical elegance for cowboy boots on April 11, when Boots & Blooms returns for a country-themed evening across the garden's grounds. The Back Country Boys, a Southwest Florida country-rock band that has shared stages with Jake Owen and Chris Janson, headline the night, with line dancing led by Country Heart Dance, lawn games and pie-eating contests rounding out the festivities. Moonshine and bourbon flights, food truck bites and optional picnic baskets and VIP seating keep things comfortable. 

Mango season in Miami is a big deal—so much so that we gave our favorite local produce its own festival, an annual tradition at Fairchild Garden for over three decades. If there's one thing Miami summers are made for besides the heat, it's mango season — and Fairchild's annual Mango Festival is the best excuse to lean into it. Every June, the garden transforms into a two-day celebration of the fruit that defines South Florida summers, with tastings of rare and hard-to-find cultivars, chef demos, cooking classes, lectures and whole mangoes to take home by the bagful. We're talking thousands of mangos, in varietals you've probably never even heard of. The festival has been running for over three decades, so if you haven't been, this is the year to go.