Fairchild is offering free admission to all visitors on Earth Day, Friday, April 22. In support of earth friendly products, The Shop at Fairchild will have a display of sustainable and recycled products for purchase and will offer a 10% discount on all items in Shop. This is the perfect opportunity to walk Fairchild’s grounds, have a family picnic, admire the monumental sculptures of Claude and Françoise-Xavier Lalanne, make a wish at Yoko Ono’s Wishing Grove or simply sit on a bench and read your favorite book while overlooking 83 acres of lush tropical paradise.
In addition to free admission, guests can take advantage of the following special offers on Earth Day!
- Enjoy Free Admission to the garden
- Indulge the little ones in educational Kids’ Activities
- Eat gourmet food from local food trucks gastroPod and MexZican Gourmet
- Learn about local non-profit environmental organizations
- More to come!
Membership Special: 50% off for new members. Renewing members receive 10% off. Special Earth Day offers are available by phone or in person only on April 22, 2011.
3:00 p.m. Garden House
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Books & Books present a special Earth Day book signing featuring author Joel M. Curzon presenting his book Light Fading: Reflections on the Imperiled Everglades. (http://www.lightfading.com/). This event is free of charge. Kindly RSVP to marketing@fairchildgarden.org.
Earth Day, originated by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 and now observed throughout the world, is intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. Fairchild serves its mission as an advocate for saving tropical plant diversity by exploring, explaining and conserving the world of tropical plants and inspiring a greater knowledge and love for plants and gardening so that all can enjoy the beauty and bounty of the tropical world.
Some of Fairchild’s highlights include the Vine Pergola, where a display of some of the most amazing flowering vines can be seen in bloom year-round; The Palm Allée and the Overlook, where shady passages open up to sunny views overlooking Fairchild’s lakes, giving the impression of indefinite space; The rainforest, where the soothing sound of waterfalls and the cool shade make it a summer must-see; and, of course, the Bailey Palm Glade which has become one of the most popular photos spots, because of its breathtaking view of Fairchild’s lakes and lowland areas.
The oldest major cultural institution in Miami-Dade County, Fairchild was incorporated in Florida in 1936 and opened to the public in 1938. Fairchild was named for Dr. David Fairchild, the nation’s foremost economic botanist and founder of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Plant Introduction Section, who retired to Miami. Many of the plants still growing at Fairchild were collected and planted by Dr. Fairchild, including a giant African baobab tree near the historical Gate House Museum.