Mounts Offers Family Fun for All Ages

Friends of the Mounts Botanical Garden is urging all local parents and grandparents to enjoy family fun for all ages at Palm Beach County's oldest and largest botanical garden, 20 acres of tropical paradise just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of downtown West Palm Beach.

"Every month Mounts offers dozens of special horticultural classes and workshops for gardening enthusiasts and flower fans, but the Garden is also an enticing draw for nature curious youngsters and families," says Curator Director Rochelle Wolberg. "Just consider some of the family fun 'green' experiences that we have to offer for both the young and the young at heart."

Palm Beach County's Largest Outdoor Fort, 30,000 pounds of twisted branches with multiple doors and peak-through windows, perfect for playing and exploring-also known as Patrick Dougherty's massive Stickwork structure in the Garden's Great Lawn. This is the environmental-artist's last major outdoor project so now is the time to visit and enjoy this unique but temporary living-art experience.

The Giant Green Maze, an awesome living puzzle in the middle of the Garden, pruned to resemble a European castle from the outside. With its very tall greenery with secret paths and horticultural alcoves, this vernal space is tailormade for a lively imagination-and in the very middle is a Bo Tree, the sacred tree of knowledge for Buddhists.

Treasure Trek Map, a colorful rhyming guide to all of the unique pleasures and secret treasures that can be found on a fun and informative trek through Mounts Botanical Garden.

Towering Moai, three imposing sculptures, impressive life-size replicas of the iconic monolithic, human figures located on Easter Island, Chile. Visitors of all ages will discover the inspiring story of the Easter Island Moai and the Rapa Nui Culture, and the importance of preserving and protecting both historical treasures and environmental resources.

Mounts Butterfly Garden, home to a vast collection of plants that provide crucial resources for all stages of a butterfly's life cycle. The year-round flowers provide nectar for adult butterflies, and the plants provide flowers and leaves for the caterpillars to eat. Monarch, Atala, Zebra Longwing, and Cloudless Sulphur are among the species of beautiful butterflies that can be spotted gliding from plant to plant.

Feeding Fishin Lake Orth, which contains many species of fish, turtles, and birds, but the collection of koi steal the show and visitors of all ages relish in the opportunity to feed these beautifully colored fish. The first three koi fish introduced to Lake Orth (Speedy, Buttercup, and Sunshine) are still swimming around along with more than 70 additional koi enjoying fish food from visitors.

Sensory Backpacks are now available for children challenged by their sensory experiences. Designed to help families feel more prepared and confident to engage during their visit to the Garden, and adjust to new faces, new activities, bright lights, a range of noise levels, and so many other sensory experiences, these backpacks include tools to help children and adults either calm down or stimulate their senses, including noise-cancelling headphones, polarized sunglasses, and a variety of fidget devices.

On Exhibit at Mounts Through 2023
Patrick Dougherty's Stickwork

Tuesdays through Sundays, 9 am to 4 pm (last entry at 3 pm)
FREE for MBG members and children under 6; $15 for nonmember adults; $12 for seniors 65+, college students, and military with ID; $7 for children 6-17. Ticket includes full Garden admission.

Internationally acclaimed environmental artist Patrick Dougherty recently constructed the final large-scale Stickwork installation of his illustrious art career using 30,000 pounds of live willow branches.

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