Discover and Explore- Miami
Florida is home to some of the most coveted destinations in the nation with some of the greatest attractions and activities housed in central and south Florida, specifically Orlando, Key West, and Miami. Of course, of all the cities in Florida, Miami is one of the most visited vacation destinations in the world. Miami is a tapestry woven together of culture, history, and people.
Miami Beach Botanical Gardens- Flora and Fauna
The botanical gardens immerse visitors into a tropical and dreamy sanctuary amongst the palm trees and the oasis.
While the gardens are not massive, they are free, and they are a great place to stop in for a visit. They offer guided garden tours or self-guided. We did the self-guided tour, and one of the personable staff members who run the tours gave us some fascinating facts about flora and fauna at the gardens and information about the surrounding areas while we were visiting the city.
We were able to see several iguanas roaming about which completely startled me when I saw just how fast they run and how big they are. We also saw turtles, lizards, and butterflies.
The Asian gardens were my favorite part of the botanical gardens. In the Asian gardens, there is Koi fish, a lily pond, bamboo trees and butterflies. I loved the unusual winding trees and the red arched bridge.
I enjoyed all of the flowers and trees that covered the grounds. The Ylang-Ylang tree, Plumeria, and Honeysuckles are so aromatic as they blow in the wind.
Miami Beach Botanical Garden is located next to the Holocaust Memorial so you’ll definitely want to check out the memorial after.
Miami Holocaust Memorial- Deeply Moving and Haunting
Visiting the Holocaust Memorial is a deeply moving and deeply haunting experience. Stepping onto the grounds, I felt like I was whisked away in time to a place of great mourning and complete despair.
The four-story monument that erupts out of the ground encompasses hundreds of human bodies emerging, writhing in agony. There are statues of grieving mothers holding their children close to their heart, crying children and emaciated bodies. Everything placed is so detailed and important to educate us on the history that was the Holocaust, and it’s an emotional experience. The memorial elicits the raw human emotion in us all as you walk back through time.
Walking through the archway, you can hear music playing that really heightens the intensity of everything. You can see names and pictures and stories inscribed on the walls. In the circular memorial, they have heart-wrenching monuments and displays of families, men and women, and innocent children whose faces are twisted in agony and you can almost hear the screams. The memorial pays homage to the more than six million Jews who were held in concentration camps and massacred in Auschwitz.
I’ve always believed with all my heart that anguish is a universal language.
With All My Love,
The Vintage Gypsy
“We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.”
When I think of botanical gardens, Miami does not come to mind. Interesting. Yes. Museums depicting past suffering of people are very moving and enable us think about society and humanity.
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Seems like a lovely botanical garden and loved the eerie sculptures there too. Nice shoot too!
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This is such a great post. I would like to visit Miami. And the pics are amazing, specially the sculptures. Thanks for sharing..!!
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The gardens looks beautiful and the memorial looks very haunting. I am not sure I could handle the memorial without crying.
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I like that dress, it is great on you. I haven’t been to Miami but the botanical gardens look like a magical place.
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This is a lovely place to visit. I love walking through botanical gardens. A Japanese/Asian garden with a koi pond is so relaxing. Those sculptures are heart wrenching to see. I can not imagine the anguish the Jews endured during that horrible time in history.
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the hand statue for the holocaust means a lot!
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While I’ve never been in an Asian/Japanese garden, I’ve heard they are very relaxing! I never thought that they would exist in a place like Miami. As for the Holocaust Memorial, I think I would struggle emotionally. I’ve read so many books on WWII era stuff (I am of Polish descent), and the horrors that everyone went through cannot even be put into words. Even just reading through your blog and seeing the pictures made me tear up. I literally cannot imagine what people went through during that time.
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Visiting hidden garden makes you peaceful at times. Being one with nature, seeing the flora and fauna, makes you think more about everything and anything on life and on living. The hand statue for the holocaust means a lot! Makes you wonder if were behaving ourselves when we visit these type of areas.
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Wow, the holocaust memorial would be such a powerful thing to see but also very sad. The botanical gardens on the other hand would be beautiful!
Jackie
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These looks painful but may be worth an experience!
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