By Jan Engoren and Yours Truly

Spring in South Florida is the perfect opportunity to wander through Miami and environs’ most beautiful gardens, each offering its own mix of history, tropical color, and quiet escape. From the lush, Secret Garden Tour in Coconut Grove, to the expansive Villagers’ Primavera Tour with a peek into private landscapes and specialty collections, the season invites slow strolls and open‑air discovery. Also on our list are sites in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. Even better are those garden tours with art and sculpture – such as the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden or the Mounts Botanical Gardens, both in Palm Beach.

Spring arrives quickly here, and these gardens are at their most vibrant just as the season begins – don’t miss these South Florida House and Garden Tours 2026!

Pinecrest Gardens

Pinecrest Gardens is a 14-acre, lush, botanical garden located in and managed by the Village of Pinecrest dating back to 1936. On March 21, they will host their Spring Garden Day: “Wonder in the Gardens.”

The theme of Wonder will be woven throughout the day’s activities and exhibitions, with poetry, hands-on kids activities, garden exploration, and more.

Pack a picnic blanket, bathing suit and enjoy lunch from food vendors and enjoy a family-friendly day outdoors.

Pinecrest Gardens are located at 11000 Red Road, Pinecrest, FL 33156.

Sensory Hour: 9 AM to 10 AM; General Admission: 10 AM to 1 PM.
Admissions until 1 PM

Free parking available in their on-site parking lot.

General admission tickets are $8.00.  To purchase tickets, visit https://www.pinecrestgardens.org/

Miami Beach Botanical Gardens –

The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is an urban oasis and micro forest in the heart of Miami Beach. Through immersive educational, wellness, and cultural programming, the gardens encourage everyone to become environmental stewards.

Tours of the gardens are offered with advance scheduling. They recommend two to three weeks notice for Guided Garden Tours and custom experiences.

Tour Options:

Guided Garden Tour – $10 per person (Max Group Capacity 40 visitors.).  Learn about the plants, habitats and seasonal highlights of the Garden.

The Gardens also offer a variety of “Experiences,” designed to reduce stress and celebrate beauty, including a Bonsai Experience, Forest Bathing with a Neuroscientist, which blends science and serenity, Floral Arranging, Yoga in the Garden, Sound Bowl Experience, Tea Ceremony, A Secret Life of Bees Experience and a Botanical Perfume Workshop.

The gardens are open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm.  Admission is free.

Miami Beach Botanical Gardens are located at 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL. 33139.

7^th Annual Secret Garden Tour of Coconut Grove 

The Secret Garden Tour of Coconut Grove celebrates The Grove’s lush tropical landscape, heritage trees and local history.

On March 14th & 15th, 2026 tour-goers will have the opportunity to explore private and historic gardens that are usually hidden from public view.  Take the opportunity to get a first-hand view into the living history and tropical wonder of one of Miami’s most historic, charming neighborhoods.

The Secret Garden Tour was created in 2020 to inspire people to preserve the Grove’s heritage trees, plant more and cut less. For the past six years, the Tour has showcased private, tree-canopied gardens of all sizes and styles, demonstrating what is possible and why preserving trees and planting gardens are important amid rampant overbuilding of Coconut Grove and other properties.

Highlights of the tour include:

• A walkable, self-guided tour of 6 secret gardens in South Coconut Grove
• Insights from landscape designers and garden stewards
• A celebration of community, horticulture and outdoor living
• Inspiration to plant more gardens and cut fewer trees

Proceeds support the Secret Garden Tour through the Secret Garden Preservation Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  For more information, visit secretgardenps.org.

LINK TO TICKETS

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-secret-garden-tour-of-coconut-grove-march-14th-15th-tickets-1980130951981?aff=oddtdtcreator

El Cid Historic District

El Cid is a waterfront community originally built in the 1920s in West Palm Beach, known for its large, ornate Mediterranean and Spanish Mission-style homes and recognized by designers and architecture buffs throughout the country.

The Historic District is a 500-acre neighborhood bound by Flamingo Dr., South Flagler Dr., Dyer Rd. and S. Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach.

Once a pineapple plantation, this area is home to some of the most prominent families in West Palm Beach. Every home has lush landscaping, and due to its beauty, preservation and nearly 100-year history, the entire district is listed on the Local, State, and National Register of Historic Places. Wander through the area and you’ll find 281 historic buildings and homes, including the Norton Museum of Art and the 1.7-acre Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens.

While in the area, take a tour of the historic 100-year old Hale House and Sculpture Gardens at 2715 S. Olive Ave, which recently gained recognition as an historic home. Like the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, the house is an affiliate member of the Historic Homes and Studio program, part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The former residence of artist Reuben Hale, the house is now a living museum to his life and work.  Tours are available by appointment (561) 833-6522 or by visiting reubenhale.com.

Visit https://elcidhistoric.org

South Florida House and Garden Tours 2026 

Key West Garden Club

Visitors to the Key West Garden Club and the Joe Allen Garden Center, the club’s meeting and educational facility, are invited to stroll the brick pathways through graceful arched courtyards and lush, colorful foliage of the West Martello Tower, a Civil War fort and a National Historic Site.

Don’t miss the Butterfly garden, which attracts up to 20 different types of butterflies thanks to the planting of more diverse host and nectar plants. There is also a newly created white perfumed garden inside the inner courtyard, with many different types of Jasmin and gardenia. Visit the orchid, cactus or waterfall gardens.  Plus, stop by their garden featuring prehistoric plants that can live to 1,000 years and are beautifully sculptural.

In place of a Strangler Fig lost to Hurricane Irma in 2017, there is a large pool and fountain, book-ended with two stands of dramatic Black Bamboo, each featuring red lipstick palms on either side. Head to the top of the hill where overlooking the ocean, are native trees, shrubs and wild flowers.

Admission is free, but donations accepted. Guided Tours available on Mondays Between 9:30 am – 11:30 am for $25.00.

Key West Garden Club is located where White St. meets the Atlantic Ocean. Open every day 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (305) 294-3210. http://www.keywestgardenclub.com

The Villagers at Douglas Entrance

When a group of Miami locals gathered together to save Douglas Entrance in 1966, a preservation group was created – and today, that group is called The Villagers. As advocates for the Greater Miami area, this group is a volunteer, non-profit 501(c) 3 organization that has dedicated itself to the restoration and preservation of historic places in Miami, including Pinecrest Gardens, The Kampong, Montgomery Botanical Center and Miami-Dade Courthouse, etc.

Every year, this organization hosts one house and one garden tour, with proceeds benefitting the preservation of historic properties and which funds scholarships for students interested in historic preservation. The House Tour usually has a theme centered on a certain time period or design style, and features some of the city’s most beautiful and interesting homes. Every property will have a dedicated guide, and in terms of transportation, visitors can walk or drive to the various properties featured on the tour.

This year, they are hosting, Primavera, The Villagers’ 2026 Spring Garden Tour, on March 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Two expansive and multidimensional properties will feature an extensive collection of orchids, Asian-inspired accents, water features, restored hardwood hammock, paths, pools and tropical plants, as well as several unique properties throughout 20+ acres. Members of The Villagers will be on hand to guide tour-goers through the South Miami-Dade Redland sites located at 21900 SW 157 Ave and 28100 SW 181 Avenue.

Five exceptional private tropical gardens in South Gables and Pinecrest will be open for viewing.  Villagers and garden experts will be on hand to explain special features and plant varieties.  A boutique will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors drive their own vehicles between the properties. Venues cannot accommodate wheelchairs, walkers or strollers. Carpooling and flat, comfortable walking shoes are encouraged. There is no smoking or commercial photography.

Tickets are $50 from a member, $55 online, $60 day of the tour, and are available through Villagers’ members or online (with a $2 service fee), at www.thevillagersinc.org.

Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach

Mounts Botanical Garden, in West Palm Beach, is the oldest and largest public botanical garden in all of the Palm Beaches. Walk through its colorful grounds, and you’ll find endless collections of rare and vibrant gardens: like the O’Keeffe Rain Garden, the Rose and Fragrance Garden, the “Garden of Well Being,” the Mediterranean Garden, the Tropical Forest, Children’s Maze, An Edible Landscape, Windows on the Floating World – Blume Tropical Wetland Garden, the new Tranquility Garden and much, much more. Staying true to its commitment to the environment, Mounts Botanical Garden only grows and displays plants and materials that are green-friendly.

Mounts Botanical Garden is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members get in for free, and tickets are $20 per adult, $18 seniors, college students, and military with ID; $13 for ages 6 to 17 and free for children under age 6.  Last tickets sold at 3:00 p.m.

Free daytime admission for Palm Beach County residents on the first Wednesday of every month.

Mounts Botanical Garden is located at 531 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415. For more information, or to learn more, click here or call the office at (561) 233-1757.

Bonnet House Museum & Gardens

By the time early settler Hugh Taylor Birch purchased the Bonnet House site in 1895, the grounds had already witnessed 4,000 years of Florida history. Bonnet House’s modern history began when Birch gave the Bonnet House property as a wedding gift to his daughter Helen and her husband, Chicago artist Frederic Clay Bartlett in 1919.

Frederic Clay Bartlett created Bonnet House in 1920 on South Florida oceanfront land given to him and his second wife, Helen Louise Birch, by her father, Hugh Taylor Birch, a prominent Chicago attorney, real estate investor, and naturalist. Tragedy struck in 1925 when Helen died from breast cancer and in 1931 Frederic married Evelyn Fortune Lilly. She spent winters at Bonnet House until 1995. Together they embellished Bonnet House with many decorative elements. Today, the estate is a preeminent house museum dedicated not only to historic and environmental preservation, but also to learning and creative expression.

Bonnet House is open for Self-Guided Tours Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. and requires  the use of your mobile device.

25 minute guided nature trail tram tours are offered throughout the day.

Guided Tours (Downstairs) Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 10:00 am  & 1:00 pm.  Admission:
Adults: $35.00; Ages 8-16: $10.

Adults: $30.00  ($5 discount if purchased online)
Ages 6 – 17: $8.00; Children 5 and under: FREE
Broward County Residents with ID: $25.00

Gardens Only: $15.00

Guided Tours (Upstairs/Downstairs)  Wednesdays: 10:00 am and 1:00 pm and Saturdays: 10:00 am

Admission: $40 per person

Bonnet House is located at 900 North Birch Road Fort Lauderdale, (954) 563-5393 http://www.bonnethouse.org

South Florida House and Garden Tours 2026

Fraga’s Nursery

Forty years ago, the Fraga Family arrived from Spain where they had been for 10 years after leaving Cuba. What they created has become a garden experience with white glove service and an ambience that evokes the founder’s love of working with his hands to create a beautiful landscape. Walk through its topiary-lined entrance, and be awestruck by the shapes you find: topiaries as teddy bears, giraffes, porpoises and even alligators. Inside, a greenhouse is filled with orchids, bromeliads, ferns, palms, hostas and more. No matter where you are on property, it’s abundantly clear that, at Fraga’s, every plant is very well cared for; the property itself is a testament to nature as much as it is a business that sell plants. The nursery is named for the family that owns it, and today, it is run by Otto and Norma Fraga, who founded the business. Today, son Robert shapes the topiaries and his sister Vivian runs the business.

 Fraga’s Nursery is located at 12300 SW 46th Street, Miami, FL 33175. It is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to noon. There are no formal tours, but the Fraga family is always available to take you through the property. For more information about Fraga’s Nursery, visit the nursery’s Home | Fraga’s Nursery or call (305) 559-9555.

Bullis Bromeliads

Family owned and operated since 1977, Bullis Bromeliads resides and continues to grow on over 25 acres of land with over 18 acres of shade houses and 2.5 acres of greenhouses. They grow over 350 species, cultivars and hybrids from 20 different bromeliad genus throughout the year. At any one time they have over 300 bromeliad varieties available from bareroot air plants to potted varieties.

Their bromeliads are used in landscapes, interiorscapes, garden centers and botanical gardens across the U.S.

Traditionally known for producing large bromeliads, Bullis specializes in the largest selection of Aechmea and Neoregelia species and hybrids in the market. Over the years, Bullis has introduced thousands of new hybrids with hundreds in production. They currently hold dozens of U.S. Patents and have many to come for the future. The most popular bromeliads they are known for are Aechmea Blue Tango (P.) and Del Mar (P.), as well as dozens of Neoregelia’s such as Donger (P.), and Maria (P.), and Valentines (P.).

There is no formal tour, but there is always someone onsite who can show you around. You can also wander the front garden and waterfall area or take a rest under their wraparound patio.

Bullis Bromeliads is a wholesale nursery located at 24350 SW 147th Avenue, Princeton, FL 33032 and open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Retail purchases can be made by appointment on Fridays only by calling (305) 258-8932.

For more information about the nursery, or to find out what plant species they currently have available, visit the Bullis Bromeliads website.

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Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens was established in 1977 by Ann Weaver Norton to preserve the Historically Registered house and surrounding gardens in West Palm Beach where the artist lived from 1948 until 1982.  The rare palm and sculpture gardens, exhibition galleries and artist’s studio provide a unique opportunity to experience the sculptor’s vision in its intended setting.

The gardens boast more than 250 tropical plants, including rare palm species, cycads and unusual tropicals, as well as 100 different sculptures and works of art.

Displayed throughout the house, studio and gardens you will discover works by the artist, including nine monumental sculptures, eight in brick and one in granite.  Ann Norton’s monumental sculptures built over a period of 15 years were intended to be discovered as surprises amidst the dense, jungle-like vegetation.

The Gardens were designed by world-renowned botanist Sir Peter Smithers as a rare palm garden, to represent Ann Norton’s commitment to conservation and the preservation of a quiet retreat in the midst of a burgeoning city.

Also on property is Ann Norton’s studio, created over four decades and featuring her works in bronze, stone, and wood as well as larger than life models, armatures, and studies done for her larger works.

Located at 253 Barcelona Road in the historic El Cid neighborhood of West Palm Beach, the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens are open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., October through June. Members are free, $15 for non-member adults, $10 for seniors (age 65 and older), $7 for students, and children under five are free. Special event pricing varies. Gallery and garden exhibition talks are available on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Gardens are closed on major holidays. For more information, please visit www.ansg.org or call 561-832-5328.

South Florida House and Garden Tours 2026

Fort Lauderdale Garden Club

The Fort Lauderdale Garden Club hosts their annual Secret Garden Tour on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 from 9 am to 3 pm.

Join them for a self-driving tour as they explore beautiful private gardens nestled in some of the city’s most charming neighborhoods.  At one of the waterfront stops, vendors will be onsite with a variety of plants, garden art, wind chimes, etc.

These gardens and homes are privately owned, not open for public viewing except for this exclusive fundraising event to benefit the aims, goals and special projects sponsored by Fort Lauderdale Garden Club, Inc. Fort Laudable Garden Club, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Tickets available at:  www.flgc.org. Advance purchase are $40; $50 day of the tour, if available.