Pinecrest Gardens

My visit to Pinecrest Gardens was my first since it was the Parrot Jungle. The layout has been kept very similar since then.
I visited during an art fair, so admission was free. There are other similar events, such as farmer’s markets, when there is also free admission.
The art fair was nice: a variety of artists working with many media, food vendors, and some sponsor booths.
The Gardens are mostly shaded, so the walk is enjoyable even when it’s hot and sunny. It’s more of a meandering path than a specific destination, so stroll slowly and enjoy the variety of flora. There are also native birds that can be seen around the lake, and a koi pond.
I probably enjoyed the petting zoo more than the kids, and spent a while petting the pigs. There were pigs, sheep, and goats. The petting zoo is only open for 30 minutes at a time every 2 hours, starting at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, and 4pm. For kids there’s also a playground and a splash pad. There are also tons of tables to bring your own lunch.
When we went in January, the banyans were decorated with twinkly lights. I’m not sure if this was left over from the holiday season or always there, but it made me think the holiday lights are probably beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful! I hadn’t been here since it was called Parrot Jungle, so it was such a wonderful feeling of nostalgia for me. I’d been wanting to come visit Pinecrest Gardens for wedding ceremony ideas, and I am so glad I did! My fiancé and I strolled in yesterday and fell in love. What a beautiful spot! It completely takes you away from feeling like you’re in Miami.
The tall trees provide plenty of shade to keep you covered on a hot summer day. This is the perfect place for picnics, and to simply enjoy an afternoon stroll. You’ll see flowers, moss, baby waterfalls, peacocks, turtles, and koi fish. There’s also a Splash Zone for children to play at. For a $ 5 admission fee, you’ll get a bang for your buck! Highly recommended for all ages!

I came here on a Saturday around 5. Since they were almost closing, we didn’t have to pay the entrance fee, which I believe is $ 5?
I thought that was very nice of them.
Parking is not a problem at all.
I was in the mood to do something «chill» and this was definitely the perfect place to do just that. It wasn’t that sunny out, but even if it was, there is plenty of shade.
It’s a good place to bring your kids. They have a little splash-​n-​play thing, a playground, and a petting zoo.
As you walk around, you’ll see beautiful plants and animals. I love the bridges and the little shelters that they have-​feels like you’re in a little jungle.
On Sunday’s, they have a little farmers market in the parking lot.

This was a very beautiful Garden, I went on a Monday and had it all to myself. A great Date place for pictures and fun. Of course Flora and Fauna will vary by season, but still a very relaxing place!
Oh and it is Miami, bring Mosquito Repellent. Nature’s Beauty doth call these things~

This lovely little botanical garden with a splash pad for kids is a nice patch of nature among really fancy homes. There is a lot of shade. A leisurely stroll along the winding walkways is calming. I only go here on Sundays because they also have the farmer’s market in the parking lot area. We eat at the market, stroll in the gardens, and then go back to the market for fruits and veggies to take home.
The fish and turtles are fun to watch. You can buy feed for the fish near the entrance. They are always hungry.
They need to improve the website for this place. The hours and entrance fees on
were unclear.

Absolutely loved this place! For $ 5 admission fee per person you get beautiful views and walkways, plenty of shade, big playground for the kids, splash area for kids, and petting zoo. We really enjoyed our time there. Also love that you can bring in your own food and enjoy a picnic style lunch in many available seating areas all over the gardens. Excellent spot for a fun simple morning/​afternoon visit. Highly recommend!

I wish I knew the purpose of charging $ 5 per person to walk through a park. I know everything changes however I remember bringing my kids here after preschool (for free) for them to enjoy the playground area. I don’t feel the entrance fee should be required. Yes the park is beautiful. Nothing out of this world though. Not worth the $ 5.

This is the old Parrot Jungle, which was totally devastated by a hurricane. Actually, it is an incredible place to bring your children to — we love coming here whenever we are visiting friends in Miami, and are never disappointed. They have lovely foliage, a totally fun playground and a great water play area for the little ones. Sundays bring a great Farmer’s Market in the parking area; great experience in Pinecrest. Second only to Fairchild in this area, in my opinion. Well worth the price of admission.

my favorite place to bring my visiting family or friends!
only 3? or 5 dollar entrance fee .
and their plants and flowers, lakes… so beautiful!
tropical gardens and huge lakes
even they have small animal farms.
you can touch baby animals.

What a magical little outdoor garden. No longer be would think all the difeent plants & walkways it offers from the outside.
So many tropical plants & tree. I love the ponds filled with koi fish, turtles, & Lilly pads.
Can’t wait to go back to their announced farmers market.

My trip was amazing!!! The artwork was gorgeous, and the painting that I bought was the best! A verity of art styles, nice people, and crazy dogs! I had the best time.

I bring my two babies here to feed the fish in the ponds. Yes you have to pay for entrance and the food, but it has shade. During the summer and most warm days the mosquitos will eat you so wear repellent. The water area is small but cute for the children. I take their water and snack in a separate bag so I don’t have to buy anything there. On Sundays there is a Farmers market from 10 to 3 and there is all kinds of food to eat in addition to the vegetables and other tings to buy. The library is in the same area so you might want to check it out and there is a field where you may run or walk or just kick the ball around. I love this place because it has everything close by.

Other reviews make it clear that Pinecrest Gardens needs to be understood up front — this is a botanical garden full of paths that are completely shaded by the natural canopy. There are acres and acres of dense concentration of beautiful plants and flowers of all sorts. It IS more than worth it, in natural beauty. It’s all about expectations, people. I wander slowly through this place regularly, sometimes alone or with my husband, sometimes with our kids, and we spend hours and point things out to each other the whole time. I love it. It makes me incredibly happy, and our kids as well. I feel like it’s absolutely wonderful. I’ve taken hundreds of pictures here without ever photographing the same thing twice.
However, here’s what Pinecrest Gardens is not:
–a zoo
–a restaurant
–an amusement park
You can see some geese by a lake, from a distance, and some turtles and goldfish up close, in ponds, and there is a small playground area. I think there used to be a small petting zoo? It’s not always open. There’s a splashpad for the younger kids (at an additional small fee), that’s fun. Live entertainment is only available on specific occasions. The food is lackluster (we bring our own or eat first). Those things on their own are definitely NOT worth the admission price or the drive.
But let’s be real… we have plenty of actual zoo, amazing restaurants, and nearby amusement parks in Miami! This is just something different and you have to go in understanding that, or you will be disappointed. If you can walk into a beautiful tropical paradise like this and feel like there «isn’t anything to do,» you are probably after a completely different attraction, like maybe Jungle Island (which I think is way too loud and crowded, and where you have to pay a ton, and pay more to park). Different strokes for different folks!

A wonderful garden to visit with the family or by yourself. Location is great. Parking is easy. The water park is cute but not enough to keep the kids entertained for hours. If you’re bringing the kids I suggest to enjoy the playground and park first and then cool off at the water park.

Beautiful, quiet, and great for walking around. It’s small, but it’s scenic.

before saturday, i had never stepped foot in this place. can you believe it?! me either!
i was so pleasantly surprised by pinecrest gardens. it has so many things to offer little ones (and big ones, too)…
the splash n’ play
the play ground
the petting zoo
then of course, you can walk around and simply enjoy the gardens.
the only reason i give them 4 stars is because they need to step up the food game. they have just one concession stand with microwaved burgers and hot dogs — blah.

The place is nice. Trust me, anyone who denies this is just fooling themselves. That being said, you’ve got a park that significantly taking you out of your way to see something you can walk through (even casually) in 15 minutes. The place is small. It’s quaint, quiet, well shaded, and great for rehabilitation walks and personal conversations. It personifies the «scroll in the park» saying. But it a quick attraction not much better than your own local park or gardens. There are no animal attractions, or petting zoos or even much natural wildlife. The ponds do have a nice collection of Koi and turtles, but that’s about it.
Oh and for the love of God, don’t go to food festivals here. $ 20 entry fees for seeing 40 food booths market their «organic» and «revolutionary» bullshit food and drinks is just sad and a complete waste of money and time. If you live in the area, and I mean within 2 miles, then go here. Otherwise move on, nothing to see here.

This is my favorite park! A few years back it used to be free admission but even with what it charges it’s totally worth it.
As the previous parrot jungle location, the trees have been around for a while, so you get this unkempt, slightly wild look to it, instead of the immaculate, mulched and trimmed garden that were planted recently in other parks. This place, you can stand there, be quiet, and almost feel that you are on an adventure in a wild jungle. You won’t be surprised if there were an elephant starting by the pond, or a jaguar sitting up on a tree. The foliage manages to keep the shade cool and shaded, so even on the hottest summer day the walk is enjoyable.
They have a huge banyan tree that, covering ²⁄₃ acre, is among the largest of its kind. On the other side of the «jungle» and banyan tree, there is a playground area for kids and a petting zoo. If you are lucky, you also get to see the peacock stunting in the garden.
But you most certainly don’t need luck to enjoy yourself here. Whether you are bringing kids for a fun family day, or just wanting a tranquil walk on your own, you are at the right place.
On Sundays there is a farmers market outside the garden. Over the years it have grown quite a lot and there are many interesting food to try, and great local produce and products to buy — even Florida lobster and Everglades grown rice!
Check their website too. Sometimes they have festivals or performances going on.

A very pretty little oasis of mature tropical foliage off the beaten track.
I actually came here to visit the farmer’s market but seeing nothing I wanted to buy (other than some dried star fruit and mamey that my littlest YIT wanted after trying it), we decided to kill an hour inside. The $ 3 for adult and $ 2 for kids entrance fee is very much worth it. We actually spent over two ½ hours rambling around and it’s only now reading other peoples reviews that I can finally explain the empty cages scattered throughout. It almost had a Jurassic Park feel to it… you would wonder what housed those cages and what happened that they have been left for nature to take over and cover them up. If you are a fan of fabulous foliage and like to take pictures of plants, then this is the place for you. Very much less manicured than Fairchild, it’s almost a glimpse of what nature truly intended yet it’s man made.
Very tropical, very beautiful and yay… toilet paper, hand soap and working hand dryers in the restrooms.

Cheap cheap cheap! 3 $ for admission fee and you can spend all day there. Beautiful views and a lot of shade. Great for taking the kids too. They have petting zoo there as well, so keep an eye out for show times.
We saw soo much there too. Koi fish that you can feed. A peacock, a swan, and plenty of fish.
Must go to place. great for photography too