FROM MY ARCHIVES - McKEE'S BOTANICAL GARDEN IN VERO BEACH, FLORIDA

It is hard to believe our visit took place 2014. In many ways it seems only yesterday. I shared all the statues before and if you missed them, or would like to see them again, you can click on the label below this post that says McKee's Botanical Garden_Vero Beach_Florida, it will take you to them. Apart from a distant look at the fisherman in the third photo from the bottom, this is just the garden. I also add a little history below that I found online. Three of the photos I have already shared. Please note that my narrative is from 2014 so the exhibit changed long ago, and probably other things too. I would highly recommend checking out their website and also online to see what others say if you ever find yourself in that area. That being said, I wouldn't have any hesitation going back for another visit if we were in Florida.

I can't say enough how much we both enjoyed this garden and loved walking around viewing all the amazing fauna.  

You can take a look at their website at this link. 

"In 1922 the McKee-Sexton Land Company was established in Vero Beach, Florida. This partnership purchased an 80-acre tropical hammock along the Indian River in 1929, and McKee Jungle Gardens was born."

(Not real but I remember having to look twice to make sure.)

"With the help of landscape architect William Lyman Phillips, now known as the pioneer of tropical landscape architecture, the basic infrastructure of streams, ponds and trails was designed.

"Native vegetation was augmented with ornamental plants and seeds from around the world as Arthur G. McKee and Waldo E. Sexton set about assembling one of the most outstanding collections of water lilies..."

"and orchids."

"By the 1940's more than 100,000 tourists were visiting McKee Jungle Gardens each year, making it one of Florida's most popular attractions."  

"In the early 1970's attendance dwindled due to competition from new, large-scale attractions and the garden was forced to close its doors in 1976."

"The land was sold and all but 18 acres were developed.  The remaining acreage, zoned for additional development, sat vacant for 20 years."

  

"In 1994 the Indian River Land Trust launched a fund-raising campaign and successfully purchased the property on December 1st, 1995 for $1.7 million."

"Close to $9.1 million was raised to purchase, stabilize and restore the Garden. The Garden held its formal Dedication in November, 2001."

There is a beautiful building called the Hall of Giants and is the one remaining building from the old McKee Jungle Garden, a favorite tourist attraction from the 1920's to the 1970's.  

It is made out of cypress and heart pine logs and was originally built in 1940 to house the enormous table we found inside.

(I noticed the Fifer statue is also here.)

This is the largest one-piece mahogany table in the world. The single slab of Philippine wood measures 35 feet 10 inches long and is 5 inches thick. Waldo Sexton first saw it in 1903 at the St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition. He purchased it nearly 20 years later when he found it in a basement of a New York City warehouse and had it shipped by boat to Vero Beach.

After the gardens closed in the 1970's, the table disappeared from the scene...

but when the McKee Botanical Gardens opened in 2001, the table came out of storage and was again installed in the Hall of Giants.

It was here that was a popular gathering spot for community events, including football banquets, corporate annual meetings and Chamber of Commerce dinners.   

An interesting bit of trivia I learned was that on each St. Patrick's Day in the 1950s, Dodgers President Walter O'Malley hosted Vero Beach's biggest spring party at the McKee Jungle Gardens. The entertainment often came via the playing field: Hall of Fame Umpire Jocko Conlan sang high Irish tenor. Maury Wills whom I read should have been in the Hall of Fame, played banjo. One year first baseman and soon-to-be TV's Rifleman Chuck Connors, recited "Casey at the Bat." My Dad and I loved to watch 'The Rifleman' when I was a kid, and we had no idea that he was previously a professional baseball player, also a basketball player. Link here if you don't know who Chuck Connors is.  If you are a lot younger than me, you might not.

It was with great pleasure that we explored this beautiful garden. The 'fisherman' bottom right you might remember from my other post.

If you find yourself in Vero Beach and you want to explore the next best thing to a tropical paradise, I hope you will make that right-hand turn like we did. It was an amazing place. 

This is a brown anole I believe? However, I couldn't identify an exact match of pattern online. Perhaps there is someone out there who can help me with an ID? Thank you in advance.

I've enjoyed looking back at my old posts. I hope you have too.

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope your week has started out well.