The city of Miami is home to a number of gardens and beautiful parks, some of which are historic and formerly belonged to large estates. For instance, tourists staying in a hotel in South Beach Miami can visit the Barnacle Historic State Park which was formerly home to Ralph Middleton Monroe. Another is the Deering Estate at Cutler which was created by Charles Deering and is, at present a nature preserve. Other gardens and parks were created for public consumption such as Pinecrest Gardens which includes a butterfly exhibit and a petting zoo, the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden which is often used for private and public events thanks to its immense natural beauty, the Bill Baggs State Park complete with a beach and a lighthouse built in 1825 and The Kampong which can be accessed by those staying at Metropolitan by COMO, Miami Beach.
The Kampong boasts of an intriguing history. Purchased by a horticulturist as a home, it was used for the purpose of introducing plant life to the United States of America and over 30, 000 species are believed to have introduced in this manner. Subsequently, the land was purchased by a botanist who maintained the garden and entered into the National Register of Historic Places. Subsequently, the garden was donated to the National Tropical Botanical Garden which maintains The Kampong to this day.
Located on Coconut Grove in Miami, The Kampong is considered to be a tropical garden and is only one of the five gardens maintained by the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Tourists can opt for Guided Tours from September to June. These tours are to be made on foot and reservations need to be made in advance, either online or via telephone. The Tours take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays and one should set aside around two hours for its completion.
Nigel Walters is a travel writer, who writes under the pen name, Fritzjames Stephen. His content is based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life.
