While you are in South Florida, take a journey into a tropical paradise and visit the Kampong. What started as the personal garden of renowned plant explorer David Fairchild in 1916 has grown into a magical oasis in the Coconut Grove area of Miami, in Miami-Dade County. Between his time as an explorer and his time working for the United States Department of Agriculture as the Head of the Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction Office, Fairchild introduced approximately 30,000 new species of plants to America. Many of these plants are featured in the Kampong gardens, like the Baobab tree, the Green Monkey Orange tree, or the Asoka tree.  The garden was eventually gifted to the National Tropical Botanical Garden or NTBG.



The Kampong gardens in Coconut Grove have tropical plants that you would literally have to travel around the world to see, and they are collected here in one place where they can be appreciated by visitors. They are not just pretty to look at, they are also studied by schools and researchers, with an education center constructed fairly recently. Students can learn tropical botany here, and there is also a Physicians course that is for medical professionals. In addition to the classes taught there, there are also lectures given by experts in botany and related fields, and workshops for people of all ages.



The Kampong gardens offer tours for those who choose to visit them, and they are either guided or self-guided, taking you through the facilities so you experience all of the magnificent splendor. If you want your tour to be extra special, try the Kampong Twilight Tour, a guided tour through the gardens at an exceptional time of day. No matter what tour you choose to experience, you will see breath-taking beauty like you have never seen before. As if that weren't enough of a reason to visit, you can also book your wedding or other special event at the gardens, for a truly unique and spellbinding location for your special day.