During our trip to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, we decided to take a trip to the small town of Davie, FL – home of Flamingo Gardens. We really didn’t know what to expect but were pleasantly surprised to find a great little wildlife park, home to a variety of species. If you are not familiar with the southern half of Florida, Davie is located about 20 minutes west of Fort Lauderdale.
From alligators to peacocks, Flamingo Gardens is a great spot to take the family for an afternoon getaway. Tickets are a little expensive at $18 for adults and $10 for children, but if you visit on a Monday admission is half price. Tuesday’s offer a ‘Buy one ticket, get one free’ and if neither of these options work there is always a coupon available that gives $2 off general admission that you can either print or show on your phone at the ticket counter.
We really enjoyed wandering around all of the exhibits, in particular seeing the variety of peacocks just meandering through the park. The Wray Home Museum has been restored to give visitors an opportunity to see how South Florida life was in the 1930s. However, during our visit it appeared the peacocks were finding this museum was their new found habitat, probably because it was the coolest spot in the park!
If you would like to see more fun-filled pictures of our time at Flamingo Gardens, check out our photo gallery here: Fort Lauderdale 2014
The animals looks happy…a sign of good zoo-keeping. I recently visited a zoo in China (I’m not naming it) where some of the endangered animals were kept in the most unhealthy manner. You have captured some excellent wildlife shots.
Thats awful! Recently, I have been seeing more and more on cruelty to animals and it makes me sick. I am very sorry for your experience but hopefully you can possibility make it out to Flamingo Gardens one day and see all this amazing wildlife!
I’m glad to see you enjoyed it. It’s a great place to see nature at it’s best. One of the things I really like at Flamingo Gardens is that the animals roam around freely. You’ll have to get me know next time you’re in the Fort Lauderdale so we can met up.
Thanks Carmen! Definitely will let you know the next time we head down to Ft. Lauderdale. We really enjoyed our time there, we actually stayed in Boca Raton which was gorgeous as well and spent some time on Delray Beach. The main purpose of our trip was to watch England vs Honduras in a pre-World Cup match in Miami but we found time to check out Flamingo Gardens which I am really glad we did because it was great to see all those FL natives wandering around freely as you indicated.
Wow, I love all the different variety of birds and other wild life present and the tropical foliage and landscape, looks like a fun place to visit.
Thanks for your support we had a great time! So much to take in when we go those type of places.
Wow that looks great and I love the montage of photos – superb. This is very much my kind of thing – animals in good circumstances (it appears) and lots of nature. Nature certainly doesn’t get it wrong when it comes to colours. The price I think is relative …I wouldn’t have a clue of the normal prices for this kind of thing in the States, but if you were planning to spend a relaxed afternoon or day there, well then it’s not too bad. Don’t forget they have to feed and maintain in good health and circumstances a large number of species.
Very true and they looked well took after!
I love some of the old gardens and habitats in Florida that have been barely updated and still have a feel of the Old South. This looks like one of those places. We have been visiting the Vero Beach area for many years and they have a spot called McKee Jungle Gardens that I enjoy going back to. Probably some of that is the nostalgia piece I feel when I visit, but part of it is also the desire to slow things down a bit. It doesn’t always have to be bright lights and the big top. Those pink legs on the white bird are great!
I totally agree with you! We will have to look into McKee Jungle Gardens, I have never been to Vero Beach but it looks lovely!
Looks great guys. I love wildlife parks, especially those where the animals are treated humanely… this one sounds great. Looks like they have plenty of space to move about. I love your shots of birds (peacocks especially!) but what is that cat? I can’t quite see it!
This photo is a bit difficult to see, it is a Bobcat. The Peacocks are gorgeous and they were everywhere!!! I had never seen one in person before but amazing animals!
Colourful post! I love flamingos. What is the bird that’s all white with pink legs? Another kind of flamingo? Glad to see the animals have lots of room to roam freely and are kept well 🙂
That bird is a White Ibis actually. The animals were everywhere, I just hope we didn’t miss anything 🙂
Ooh I love flamingos! They are so vibrant! I saw them living in the wild in Bonaire a few years ago and it was quite amazing 🙂
Thats amazing!! I love seeing animals in there natural environment but rarely happens out of the blue 🙂 Flamingo Gardens is a well worth trip to see.
What a fun way to spend a day! Love wildlife so I would definitely visit the flamingo gardens. Great photos!
We had an awesome experience there, Thanks for your support
Looks like a charming place to explore and I particularly love the picture of the peacock sitting on a branch with his beautiful feathers flowing down – magical!
Those flamingos are lovely! (and love the turtles too!)
It’s always nice to see that animals are kept in good conditions! If only it could be everywhere!
I confess I am a bit perplexed by the presence of the bobcat…
Yeah, that was a bit random for sure but you never know what sort of wildlife you will come across when you visit one of these types of parks!