Take a stroll with your dog through lush gardens, by calming waterfalls and in a tropical rainforest, all without leaving south Florida. You can discover all this and more during the Dog Date events at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables near Miami, Florida. Fairchild Garden does not normally allow dogs on their grounds, but they have special events where they open the garden to dogs for limited hours.
Event Information
Rye Lee and I visited Fairchild Garden during their Dog Date Stroll event on a Sunday morning. Fairchild typically hosts the Dog Date Stroll events from 8:00am-10:00am on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings from 5:00pm-7:30pm. The adult tickets cost $16.95, children from 6-17 cost $7.95 and children 5 and under are free. The ticket prices are discounted from Fairchild Garden’s normal prices because you are limited to two hours. However, two hours are plenty to walk through the entire grounds, play with the other puppies, and to stop by the Glasshouse Cafe for a drink and snacks. Check out Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s website for more information on the event dates and to purchase your tickets. I recommend purchasing the tickets in advance because you are asked to sign a dog waiver.
Planning Your Stroll
On our Dog Date Stroll, Rye Lee and I entered through the Lowlands Entrance and then walked around the Glade, Royal Palm and Center Lakes. If you are looking for peaceful walk away from people, the pathway by the lakes is perfect for you. Note that this was a long walk though around the lakes and took us back through the entrance we started at. If you are concerned about walking distance or the sun, I recommend planning your visit in advance by looking at the Garden Map. After walking around the lakes, we wandered through the tropical rainforest and then walked through the pergola. My favorite sections were the Sibley Victoria amazonica Pool, the Bailey Palm Glade and the orchids growing in the rainforest. We ended our stroll at the Glasshouse Cafe for cappuccinos. Fairchild Garden had set out communal water bowls and kibble for the dogs as well.
Check out the pictures below for a preview of what you’ll see!
Rye Lee and Me 