MCKEE BOTANICAL GARDEN HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE… COME EXPLORE & DISCOVER THE MANY WONDERS OF MCKEE McKee Botanical Garden, which is located on an 18-acre tropical hammock in beautiful Vero Beach features something for all ages. In 2021, the Garden will celebrate its 20th Anniversary since reopening in 2001. McKee Botanical Garden is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture and enhance a historic garden in a unique tropical setting for the education, enjoyment and enrichment of all. McKee Botanical Garden is located at 350 US Highway 1 in Vero Beach. McKee Botanical Garden is known for its horticulture beauty where native plants and exotic botanicals combine with Old Florida charm. The Garden features 10,000 native and tropical plants, as well as one of the largest waterlily collections in the state of Florida comprised of over 80 varieties and over 300 potted and 100 free-range plants, including night and day-blooming varieties. Thousands of visitors come to the Garden each year to learn about McKee’s rich history and enjoy the natural landscape of majestic palms, exotic plants, trees, waterfalls, tranquil streams, and historic structures like the Hall of Giants and Spanish Kitchen. McKee Botanical Garden is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and endorsed by The Garden Conservancy as a project of national significance. The new Children’s Garden at McKee, which opened in January 2020, is a natural complement to McKee’s existing offerings and is designed to spark imagination and curiosity in children through interactive exploration where children can Explore, Discover, and Just Be a Kid. The Children’s Garden features include the Scorpion Shipwreck in the Grand Discovery Tree, a Fairy Circle & Fairy Forest Trail, Nautilus Shell Amphitheatre, Karst Splash Garden, Waterlily Fountain, Music Maze, Bamboo Village, Blue Crab Reading Circle & Stumpery, and Sandridge and Pollinator Garden. The Garden Café features a delightful assortment of salads, sandwiches, children’s menu items, desserts and beverages available for purchase. The Garden Gift & Book Shop features a wide array of garden-themed home décor and gifts, books for adults and children, t-shirts, soaps and lotions and many other treasurers. McKee was featured on the cover of Southern Living magazine in February 2020, which showcased Vero Beach, Amelia Island, and Apalachicola. The Garden has also garnered national attention in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, Coastal Living, House and Garden, Travel & Leisure, and The New York Times. McKee was named one of “22 Secret Gardens – Soothing Places of Surprise and Sanctuary in the U.S. and Canada” by National Geographic Traveler. The Garden was awarded the Hall of Fame Excellence Award by TripAdvisor.com in 2019. McKee is one of more than 320 horticultural institutions in 48 states and DC, plus Canada and the Caribbean participating in the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admissions Program.

The mission of McKee Botanical Garden is to nurture and enhance an historic garden in a unique setting for the education, enjoyment and enrichment of all.

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. 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.