Key West, Florida Keys - The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is hosting an Adult “Rum Infused” Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, May, 18, 2024 from 6pm – 10pm. to support all Monroe County Students K-12.  The event will raise much needed funding to provide transportation services for every student to attend educational field trips to the Key West Botanical Garden for the school year 2024/2025.  100% of all donations and proceeds will go toward this endeavor..
 
These field trips are invaluable to the education of our students. They foster community engagement, an awareness of the local ecosystem, wildlife, and outdoor enjoyment to those who need it most. The field trip provides hands-on experiments and lessons to develop skills and interests that will lead to careers that will keep them in the Keys. Many of our past students have gone on to careers in the Botanical, Biological and Environmental sciences here in the Keys.
 
This Adult Scavenger Hunt, titled “Rum Infused” is a great way for attendees to engage in a fun outdoor experience and enjoy the beauty and natural wildlife of The Garden.  Clues will be given, and teams formed to achieve the goals outlined in the Hunt rules. Points will be given for the most items identified within one hour. The first 30 people to register and complete the hunt will be given a bottle of local rum. Pirate and Mermaid costumes are encouraged and prizes awarded for best costumes.  A silent auction and raffle will also be held to support our students.
 
The evening is sponsored by wonderful local businesses that have very generously donated to the event. John Bartus, Keys local favorite musician, will be performing a tribute concert to Jimmy Buffett and the Keys Life.   Outback Steakhouse is providing an incredible dinner buffet and Key West First Legal Rum will supply Rum libations and prizes. We are so grateful for their generosity and support of both The Garden and the Education of our Monroe County students.
 
Tickets are $100 per person and include open bar and dinner.  They can be purchased on our website at www.keywest.garden.    Reservations are limited for this fun, important and very worthwhile evening. Please register early and spread the word to support our students and their education. 
 
The Garden is located at 5210 College Road on Stock Island.  For more information call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden.

KEY WEST, Florida Keys – Fourteen personnel from Coast Guard Sector Key West Cutter Thetis, volunteered their time for several hours in April at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden. Julia Williams organized the group. Under the guidance of Garden Guardian volunteers Audrey Thompson, Cathy Matier, Mary Chandler and Carol Moriarity a Bridge was re-built on the Hammock Trail, Several rare & endangered plants & cacti were installed and in the Native Nursery-- Frogfruit was potted up, areas were weeded and the Cactus rows were re-organized. The Garden expresses a huge thank you to all the volunteers not only for their efforts at the Garden but for their service to our country as well.
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Volunteers are welcome to help the Garden Guardians on Wednesday and Saturdays. Donations of landscape tools and power equipment are also appreciated and are tax deductible.

Key West/Florida Keys – The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is a 2024 Blue Star Museum! It will join museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently-serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer. The 2024 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 18, 2024, and end on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2024.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America. Blue Star Families is the nation’s largest grass-roots military family support organization, with a mission to support military families to improve military readiness.

“Museums educate and inspire, cause us to wonder and imagine, dream and remember,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. Blue Star Museums include children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses.
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The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military—Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.

KEY WEST, Florida Keys – You could have hundreds of gallons of free water simply by collecting it!
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On Saturday, April 27th, at 1pm to 2 pm, the City of Key West, Monroe County Extension Service and Key West Botanical Gardens are conducting a Rain Barrel Workshop at the Botanical Garden on College Road on Stock Island as part of their shared Earth Day/Arbor Day Celebration.
 
Attendees will learn where to get barrels, how to build one, tips for where to put it, how to decorate it, and how to hook them up together. Participants that pre-register via the City’s Preserve Island Life Facebook Page can buy, build and bring home their own rain barrel that day.  https://www.facebook.com/preserveislandlife/events/
 
During even a short, ½ inch rain, a 1000 sq. ft. of roof yields approximately 300 gallons of water. By collecting
and storing this rainwater, you benefit by having a source of free irrigation, car washing, or boat washing water
during times of drought.  Also, this stored rainwater doesn’t contain chlorine, lime, or calcium. A rain barrel helps direct moisture away from building foundations. Storing rainwater also helps to reduce the amount of pollution running into our estuaries and ponds in the form of storm water runoff. Using non potable water for non-potable uses saves money on both your water and sewer bills too!
 
Water Conservation Month is part of the City of Key West’s sustainability campaign, Preserve Island Life.
To receive monthly eNewsletters covering this and future events, sign up for our eNewsletter via our Preserve
Island Life facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/preserveislandlife

​KEY WEST, Florida Keys –The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden partners with the City of Key West and the University of Florida Extension Service on Saturday April 27th from 10am to 2pm to celebrate Earth & Arbor Day with Conservation & Sustainability Workshops, Docent Tours of the Garden and Native Nursery and plant sales.  Admission to the event is FREE and features a raffle at 1pm for a girl’s & a boy’s bicycle donated by We Cycle, valued at $500 each.  Workshops include:  Children’s Art, Seedling Scientists; Bike Safety & Repair; Composting and Rain Barrel Construction. 
 
Earth Day is celebrated worldwide and the day is set aside to promote environmental protection and the concept of peace.  Arbor Day is observed nationally to celebrate the role of trees in our lives and promote tree planting and care.
 
The Key West Tropical Forest, established in 1936, is honored to be the steward of protecting the environment in its 15-acre endangered ecosystem.  The Garden is located at 5210 College Road on Stock Island.  Additional information can be found at www.keywest.garden.

KEY WEST, Florida Keys – The 14th annual 2024 ART in the GARDEN will open on April 28th and run through July 31st at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden. Meander over Garden Boardwalks and down pathways through dappled shade, colorful blossoms and winged creatures of nature and spot…sculpture!

Emphasizing harmony with nature, the return of ‘Art in the Garden' showcases local art & sculptures with artistic expressions. These works are earth-friendly in the selection of materials and themes and include recycled, repurposed, and natural material.

The Garden is located 5210 College Road on Stock Island, just over Cow Key Bridge and is open every day 10am – 4pm. Call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden for directions and details. The Garden is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation and is publicly owned and operated as a passive, natural resource-based public outdoor recreational site.

​This event is sponsored by The Monroe County Tourist Development Council and The Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. 

KEY WEST, Florida Keys – The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden continues its monthly Speaker Series at 1:00 pm on Saturday, April 20, 2024 in the Toppino Nature Chapel. The April speaker is Leigh Coolidge, Vice President of the Key West Orchid Society. His topic is: “To Save an Orchid”, a collaboration between the Orchid Society and the Key West Botanical Garden to conserve, preserve and protect Florida Keys’ native orchids.

Admission is free for members, $5 for non-members. All proceeds directly benefit the Garden’s conservation program. Be sure to come early for the Native Plant Sale from 9 a.m.-noon, offering 150 species of butterfly and bird-attracting native, rare and endangered plants propagated in the Garden’s Native Nursery. Sponsored by: Florida Arts & Culture and The Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

​The Garden is located at 5210 College Road on Stock Island. For more information call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden.

​KEY WEST, Florida Keys – The 14th annual 2024 ART in the GARDEN will open on April 28th and run through July 31st at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden. Meander over Garden Boardwalks and down pathways through dappled shade, colorful blossoms and winged creatures of nature and spot…sculpture!  
 
Emphasizing harmony with nature, the return of ‘Art in the Garden' showcases local art & sculptures with artistic expressions.  These works are earth-friendly in the selection of materials and themes and include recycled, repurposed, and natural material.
 
The Garden is located 5210 College Road on Stock Island, just over Cow Key Bridge and is open every day 10am – 4pm.  Call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden for directions and details.  The Garden is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation and is publicly owned and operated as a passive, natural resource-based public outdoor recreational site.
 
This event is sponsored by The Monroe County Tourist Development Council and The Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.                                                          

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — The Keys community & visitors are invited to GardenFest Key West: The Green Market Place 2024”,  on Saturday, March 2nd from 10a.m. to 4 p.m at The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden.  Explore the unique garden, wildlife sanctuary and arboretum at this annual festival.    Activities include: all day music, food & beverages, local arts & crafts, exotic and native plants for sale, a Children’s Science Corner, silent auction, 50/50 raffles, Docent guided tours at 11am & 2pm and eco-friendly products and exhibits by conservation-oriented, non-proft organizations.  Admission is FREE and dogs are welcome.
 
The Garden is located at 5210 College Road on Stock Island.  For more information please contact the Garden at www.keywest.garden or call 305-296-1504. ​

​KEY WEST, Florida Keys – The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden continues its monthly Speaker Series at 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 20, 2023 in the Toppino Nature Chapel. Featured Speaker is Kristie Killam whose topic will be “Discovering Photography to connect with Art in Nature”.

Kristie will share inspiring photographs and stories of wildlife and habitats in the Florida Keys. She'll highlight tips and techniques that will reawaken your enthusiasm for art in nature photography and elevate your ability to capture your own amazing images.

Kristie Killam is a retired park ranger, biologist, and teacher who has been an outdoor enthusiast and conservationist her entire life. For the past decade she has been using photography to tell the stories of nature in the Florida Keys. She captures the beautiful art in nature of the Keys wildlife, habitats, and landscapes. Her passion is, through photography and education, to engage and inspire others to become stewards of and voices for nature.

​Admission for the speaker series is free for Garden members, $5 for non-members. All proceeds directly benefit the Garden’s conservation program. The Garden is located at 5210 College Road on Stock Island. For more information call 305-296-1504 or visit www.keywest.garden.