Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden

Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden The entire site covers approximately 15 acres which varies from dense forest to open ponds and gardens.

Celebrating 90 years in 2026, the historic Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is the only frost-free tropical forest and botanical garden in the continental United States showcasing over 560 species of native, endangered, and threatened plants. The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is the only 'frost-free' botanical garden in the continental United States and offers a chance to learn about native flora and fauna of the Florida Keys. There are 12 trails in the Key West Tropical Forest each one averaging less than 1/10 mile.

What’s that smell? 🍄👃The flies say five stars. We have questions.Next up in Frights of the Forest: Death & Decay, meet t...
10/08/2026

What’s that smell? 🍄👃
The flies say five stars. We have questions.

Next up in Frights of the Forest: Death & Decay, meet the stinkhorn, Clathrus crispus.

A surprise “egg,” a red cage, and a scent that gets the flies lining up for lunch. This mushroom has quite a routine and the stink has a purpose. Its visitors help deliver spores to new places. 🪰

Meanwhile, this decomposer helps turn dead plant material into nutrients the ecosystem can use.

Terrible perfume. Useful neighbor.

Swipe to meet the cleanup crew’s most suspicious-looking member. Would you stop for a closer look or keep walking? 👀

📷 Photos via iNaturalist:
© robcurtis305 · CC BY-NC
https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/232194128
© Ryan · CC BY-NC
https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/568902420
© Mermadie · CC BY-NC
https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/707270350
© Kyle Van Houtan · CC BY
https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/403188816
© Troy Lamb · CC BY
https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/633673472

Licenses:
CC BY-NC: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
CC BY: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Photos cropped; text and dark shading added.

🏴‍☠️ This is your sign to gather your crew…Last year we got a little shipwrecked at the Garden and we’re ready to do it ...
10/08/2026

🏴‍☠️ This is your sign to gather your crew…

Last year we got a little shipwrecked at the Garden and we’re ready to do it all over again. 🧜‍♀️🥃🌴

Join us for Pirates & Mermaids: Rum Chase on Saturday, November 21 from 5–9 PM for an adults-only evening of adventure after dark!

🗺️ Adult Scavenger Hunt
🥃 Rum Tasting
🍹 Themed Cocktails, B**r & W**e
🏴‍☠️ Costume Contest + Prizes
🍴 Lite Bites
🌴 And plenty of pirate mischief throughout the Garden

Come in full costume, add a little pirate flair, or just gather your crew and come ready for a good time.

🎟️ Early Bird tickets are $49 through October 31!
Tickets increase to $65 beginning November 1 and will be $75 at the door.

Proceeds support our New Education Building. 💚

📸 Were you part of last year’s crew? We’d love to see your photos! Send them our way or tag us so we can share the fun.

Ready to get shipwrecked? 🏴‍☠️
🔗 RSVP and grab your tickets at the link in bio!

Our first ghost story has roots. 👻🌿Introducing Frights of the Forest! This Halloween season, we’re getting to know the p...
10/04/2026

Our first ghost story has roots. 👻🌿

Introducing Frights of the Forest! This Halloween season, we’re getting to know the plants and animals with strange appearances, surprising abilities, and stories worth sharing.

First up in Ghosts & Spirits: the ghost orchid.

With a bloom like this, it hardly needs an introduction. But behind that ghostly appearance is a plant with a few surprises of its own.

Swipe for a little swamp mystery, some clever roots, and a visitor with a taste for nectar. 🌙

Does it look more like a ghost or a tiny dancer to you? Tell us what you see!
📷 Orchid photos: Adrian de la Paz/stock.adobe.com.
Moth photo: Mac Stone, Figure 3 in Houlihan et al. (2019), Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49387-4
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Moth photo cropped; text and dark shading added.

🎃🏆 Last year’s winners understood the assignment! 👻✨From creepy and creative to completely original, our Screamin’ Green...
10/02/2026

🎃🏆 Last year’s winners understood the assignment! 👻✨

From creepy and creative to completely original, our Screamin’ Green Halloween Costume Contest is always one of our favorite parts of the day, and we can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with this year! 💚🌿

🎃 The 18th Annual Screamin’ Green Halloween is BACK!�
📅 Saturday, October 24�⏰ 10 AM–2 PM�📍 Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden

Get ready for a fang-tastic day filled with:
🍭 Safe Trick-or-Treating�🎨 Hands-on Crafts & Recycled Art�💚 Community Partner Village�🎁 Raffles, Giveaways & Family Fun�🎭 Costume Contests with prizes�
🍔 Food tickets included with admission for our Burgers & Hot Dog Tent, generously sponsored by Centennial Bank!

👻 Entering the Costume Contest?�Be sure to stop by the Costume Contest Table when you arrive to register your child, choose their category, and pick up their official contest badge!

🏆 This year’s Costume Categories:�🕷️ Most Creepy Costume�👻 Best Group Costume�♻️ Best Recycled Costume — get creative with those recycled materials!

🎟️ EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!�💚 $5 child | $10 family�🌿 Garden Members (& Adults) are FREE!
⏰ Don’t wait! Beginning October 20, tickets increase to $10 child or $20 family.

👉 Get your Early Bird tickets:�https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-screamin-green-halloween
�📲 Link in bio!

Grab those costumes, gather your little ghouls, and join us for candy, costumes, community, and Halloween magic in the Forest! 🌿🎃👻

🌿 Wellness grows here. 🌿A little schedule update for our Yoga in the Garden community: there will be no Prime of Life Yo...
09/15/2026

🌿 Wellness grows here. 🌿

A little schedule update for our Yoga in the Garden community: there will be no Prime of Life Yoga® class today, September 15.

We’ll be back among the trees later this week! 🧘‍♀️🌱 Check out the September schedule above and save your spot for a morning of movement, mindfulness, and fresh air.

📞 Reserve your spot: 305-304-5635

Something new is coming to the Forest this year… 💀🌿For seven years, our scarecrows have taken over the Garden each fall....
09/10/2026

Something new is coming to the Forest this year… 💀🌿

For seven years, our scarecrows have taken over the Garden each fall. This year, for our 8th Annual, we’re making a little room for some new friends. 🦴

Introducing SKELETONS to the Forest! 💀

Scarecrows & Skeletons in the Forest is our newly expanded Art Exhibit & Contest, giving you even more ways to get creative. Build a scarecrow, create a skeleton, or dream up an entire scene using recycled, repurposed and natural materials.

And yes… cash prizes are back! 🏆

Teachers & youth group leaders, we’ve added something new for you too! 📚🌿

Turn your group’s entry into a hands-on STREAM learning experience with our FREE STREAM Design Challenge Educational Packet, plus participating school and youth groups receive a FREE field trip to visit the exhibit at the Garden!

A huge thank you to all of the artists, students, families, teachers, businesses and community groups who have brought our Forest to life over the years. 🌿🎨 We can’t wait to see what you create this year!

🌿 On Display: September 25 – November 30
🎨 Registration open through September 24
LINK IN BIO!

Swipe through some of our scarecrow creations from years past… and start imagining what might be hiding in the Forest this year. 👀💀🌿

Let Your Imagination Run Wild!

🌺 Looking for the perfect plant? We've got you covered!Stop by our Native Plant Sale this Saturday and every third Satur...
07/15/2026

🌺 Looking for the perfect plant? We've got you covered!

Stop by our Native Plant Sale this Saturday and every third Saturday from 10 AM–1 PM and discover beautiful Florida native plants, plus composting tips and a fun nature activity for kids.

📍 Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
5210 College Road

See you in the Garden! 🌿

06/23/2026

🦋 Signs you’re a good host:

✔️ Beautiful scenery
✔️ Plenty of food
✔️ Guests keep coming back
✔️ A Zebra Longwing chooses your plant to lay her eggs

This Corky Stem Passionvine (Passiflora suberosa) just got a five-star review from a butterfly mom.

As a host plant for Zebra Longwings, it’s where eggs are laid and caterpillars begin their journey to becoming butterflies.

🌿 Corky Stem Passionvine
• 1 gallon $10
• 3 gallon $20

Available now at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden.

Yoga in the Garden is canceled today (6/23).We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Thursday, 6/25, from 10:00–11:...
06/23/2026

Yoga in the Garden is canceled today (6/23).

We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Thursday, 6/25, from 10:00–11:15 AM for Prime of Life Yoga with Yoga Key West.

Thank you for your understanding, and we’ll see you in the Garden soon! 🌿🧘‍♀️

📍 Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
📞 Reserve your spot: 305-304-5635 Monica Haskell

🌿🎨♻️ Tomorrow at the Garden! Join Us for a Morning of Creativity, Sustainability & Native Plants! ♻️🎨🌿Spend your Saturda...
06/19/2026

🌿🎨♻️ Tomorrow at the Garden! Join Us for a Morning of Creativity, Sustainability & Native Plants! ♻️🎨🌿

Spend your Saturday surrounded by nature while exploring everything the Garden has to offer!

🌱 Native Plant Sale
Grow your own habitat with native plants that support pollinators, wildlife, and a healthier Florida Keys ecosystem.

♻️ Soil Social: Compost Village
Bring your compostables and learn how food scraps and yard waste can become nutrient-rich soil. Watch live demonstrations and discover simple ways to reduce waste at home.

🎨 Nature is Art Children’s Workshop
Young artists can create nature-inspired masterpieces while exploring the Garden through creativity, imagination, and hands-on discovery.

📅 Tomorrow – Third Saturday of the Month
⏰ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Compost & Plant Sale)
⏰ 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Children’s Art Workshop)
📍 Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
5210 College Road, Key West

💚 Members receive free admission to the Children’s Art Workshop. Nonmembers $10 per family
🌿 Native plants available while supplies last.

Come connect with nature, learn something new, and help us celebrate the Garden’s 90th year as The Keeper of the Trees.


Address

5210 College Road
Key West, FL
33040

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(305) 296-1504

Website

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