Flamingo Gardens
Flamingo Gardens is a 60 acre Botanical Garden and Everglade Wildlife Sanctuary. The Flamingo Gardens botanical gardens in Fort Lauderdale, (Davie) Florida, features over 3000 species of rare & exotic, tropical, subtropical, and native plants and trees. Flamingo Gardens wildlife sanctuary is home to the largest collection of Florida native wildlife including alligators, bobcats, eagles, otters, panthers, peacock, and of course, flamingos! Established in 1927, Flamingo Gardens is one of the oldest botanical gardens and attractions in South Florida. Originally founded by Floyd L. and Jane Wray as an orange grove, the nonprofit botanical gardens is home to 18 “Champion” trees, the largest trees of their species, including the largest tree in Florida. Specialized botanical gardens, including a Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden, Croton Garden, and Bromeliad Garden dot the main Arboretum. The centerpiece of the gardens is a natural hammock of 200 year-old Live Oaks dripping with species orchids and epiphytes. Here sits the historic Wray Home Museum, built in 1933 by Floyd L. and Jane Wray as a weekend retreat. It is the oldest residence in Broward County west of University Drive. The building was restored in 1991 to depict a typical South Florida country home of the 1930s. Nestled in and around the gardens, the Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary is home to over 90 species of Florida native birds and animals, most of whom are permanently injured or non-releasable.The half-acre Free-flight Aviary boasts over 250 wading birds representing over 45 species, and the Bird of Prey Center houses one of the largest raptor collections in the United States.
