Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens are located right on the border of Delray Beach and Boca Raton. It is on Jog Road just south of Linton on the west side of the road.  This cultural and historical attraction has so much to offer from an adorable gift shop to wonderful cultural/art exhibits to marvelous gardens and an award-winning cafe, you can easily spend an enjoyable day here with the enitre family.  The small museum inside the gardens, Yamato-Can has an excellent interactive, child-friendly "Japan Through The Eyes of a Child" exhibit. There are different rooms that allow children to interact within as if they are in Japan. There is a mock train with a real piece of a bullet train, a shop, a classroom, and parts of the inside of a typical Japanese home (kitchen, living/bedroom, and bathroom). My children make a beeline for this exhibit now and spend almost the ENTIRE TIME playing in there. It is a vast improvement over what was there which was much too dry for most young kids to get much out of it.

The gardens are absolutely amazing. On quiet mornings you can walk thru the gardens in virtual solitude and really enjoy the serenity of it. A master gardener designed where every rock and plant would sit. All of the plants used are native or popular in Florida but many have been sculpted into Bonsai so that you really feel transported to Japan when walking around. There are picturesque bridges and vistas across the water. Many people book the gardens for photos and major events. You can easily spend an entire day wandering the rock gardens, waterfall, yamato-kan that you forget that there's an INSIDE to the place!

The Cornell Cafe is open from 11-3p for lunch and has been given kudos by the Food Network for their culinary skills. There is a mock up of a traditional tea room where there are occaisional demonstrations of the ceremony. Rotating exhibits on Japanese culture and art are in the main museum and a video plays in the auditorium with a film on the man, Morikami. If you are lucky enough to be here when there are festivals, just plan ahead and make sure you get there EARLY or you could be overwhelmed by the crowds...it's that popular. Definitely a FAVORITE place in South Florida.