| Society of the Four Arts |
| 2 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach |
| 655-2766 |
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| www.fourarts.org |
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I think of this garden as two gardens. There’s the “old” garden that’s been around for years. And then there’s the new one that they just built. The original garden is the small walled garden that starts out with a Japanese part. It’s guarded by some dogs that my daughter loves to growl at. There’s also another part of the garden with stepping stones, a beautiful tiled bench and some really unusual plants. The new garden is amazing. There’s a grove of palm trees, fountains, walking paths, arbors, and an incredible pavilion that has an inside fountain. Before the Four Arts made this garden it was just a huge green space with statues scattered all around. I love both gardens. Everyone should visit spaces like this - calm down - that sort of thing. |
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| Bethesda-By-The-Sea |
| 141 S. County Rd., PB |
| 655-4554 |
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| www.bbts.org |
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This is also included under Churches. The garden here is wonderful. The church works very hard at maintaining their grounds. Once you look at enough Christmas cards, you’ll recognize Bethesda as the setting for a good number of them. The main courtyard of Bethesda is wonderful. At different times of the year the bouganvilla are blooming - that can be stunning, but you have to go through the arches to the back to get the garden. It’s like you aren’t even in Florida. I love the contrast of the stone and the foliage that’s prevalent at Bethesda. Also, Bethesda has wonderful fish in their fountains in the back so it’s a great place to bring the kids. |
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| Pan's Garden |
| 386 Hibiscus Ave, PB |
| 832-0731 |
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It’s funny, I love going to gardens, but I don’t go to this one that often. I’m not quite sure why. It’s location is great. It’s really close to Worth Ave, just a block away. And it’s free which is, you know, HUGE for me. Maybe it’s because I went here once with someone and her daughter fell into one of the fountains. Bad association for me. Nevertheless, Pan’s Garden is a really nice spot to visit. I’ve told my husband that this is one of the locations I’m considering for my daughter’s wedding reception (she’s not 10 yet but details like that don’t bother me). During the winter there are usually free concerts so it’s worth going sometime in the fall and asking about a schedule. |
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| Morikami |
| 4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach |
| 495-0233 |
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| www.morikami.org |
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Depending on where you live or where you’re staying this can be a bit of a hike but I think it’s worth going to. I thought the gardens would look a little more lush but I’ve never been to Japan so maybe I had a Hollywood version in my mind. There’s a Japanese house you get to walk around and you wear paper slippers which is fun. There’s a Japanese restaurant where you can grab something to eat. I’ve eaten there with the kids and I wished I had waited and gotten something outside the garden. There’s all sorts of nice shops and places around there now so I’m sure you’d find something good to eat close by. |
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| Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens |
| 253 Barcelona Rd. WPB |
| 832-5328 |
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| www.ansg.org |
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This is an often overlooked little garden. It’s along Flagler down from the big Norton museum. There are some pretty wacky brick sculptures but I love it for it’s natural landscape. |