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Expert Review of McKee Botanical Garden

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Parks and Outdoors Review of McKee Botanical Garden

Away Travel Expert: Mike Sigalas

Parks Expert Favorite
ParksExpert Rating Recommended for:
Day Hiking,Gardens,Jungle Exploration

Parks and OutdoorsExpert Tips & Helpful Hints

• The Bamboo Pavilion, opened in 2002, was the first formally-permitted bamboo structure in the U.S. Originally built in the nation of Colombia, the Pavilion was then shipped and reassembled here in the Gardens.
• Opened in 1931, the “McKee Jungle Gardens” soon hosted more than 100,000 tourists a year. When competition grew fierce up in Orlando, the crowds waned and shriveled. The Jungle Gardens' gates closed for good in 1976. Of McKee's 80 original acres, just 18 were left undeveloped by the mid-1990s, when a non-profit trust was formed to purchase and preserve the remaining acres.
• Each St. Patrick's Day in the 1950s, Dodgers President Walter O’Malley hosted Vero Beach’s biggest spring party at McKee Jungle Gardens. The entertainment often came via the playing field: Hall of Fame Umpire Jocko Conlan sang high Irish tenor. Should-be Hall of Famer Maury Wills played banjo, and one year, first baseman and soon-to-be TV Rifleman Chuck Connors recited “Casey at the Bat.