APRIL 6 – 7, 2024
Tickets
One of South Florida’s most picturesque and iconic attractions, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens located in Fort Lauderdale, will be hosting its 15th Annual International Orchid & Garden Festival on Saturday, April 6th, and Sunday, April 7th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival welcomes orchid enthusiasts and plant lovers alike to vividly experience and purchase diverse, colorful, and fragrant varieties of orchids, tropical plants, herbs, and fruit trees sold by local and international vendors.
During the festival, guests can enjoy orchid and tropical plant displays, food vendors, libations, garden art, orchid care & general gardening lectures, live music, and a newly added Tropical Luau Lunch. Local growers will also present Orchid & Garden Care Lectures in the lovely Island Theater and vendors will offer all the supplies that customers need to plant and grow orchids. A vast array of food and beverage vendors will offer delectable bites, Bloody Marys, Mimosas, wine, beer, and other refreshments. All will take place on the 35-acre historic Bonnet House Estate on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
New this year guests can enjoy a Tropical Luau Lunch (for an additional cost), on the beautifully decorated waterfront veranda on both days from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. The fully catered affairs by Hugh’s Catering will include a delicious tropical buffet, unlimited Mai tais, wine and beer, live music, and access to the house for a stroll through the rooms and Orchid Display House.
Built in 1920 as the winter retreat of the Birch/Bartlett family, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is a fanciful blend of art, architecture, history, and ecology, providing a charming destination for vacationers or day trips for visitors of all ages. The grounds contain the Main House, which features a whimsical collection of decorative and fine art, as well as a nature trail that is ideal for families. Exuding the true essence of Southern charm, Bonnet House was once the winter residence of Evelyn Fortune Bartlett and her husband, Frederic Clay Bartlett. Orchids play an important part in Bonnet House’s history as growing them was a favorite hobby of Evelyn’s. Many of Mrs. Bartlett’s plants are still at Bonnet House and form the heart of the museum’s collection. This shows that with the right care, these plants can live for many years.
General admission tickets for the 15th Annual Orchid & Garden Festival are $15 per person and include entrance to the festival and a Self-Guided Grounds Tour where guests can stroll the grounds at their leisure. Children ages 12 and under are FREE. Tickets to the Tropical Luau Lunch are $100 per person for all ages and include access to the festival and orchid & garden care demonstrations. No discounts or group rates apply. All tickets are non-refundable, and the two-day event will take place rain or shine.
Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is located at 900 North Birch Road in Fort Lauderdale. Parking for the 15th Annual Orchid & Garden Festival is free. Limited parking will be available onsite at 900 N. Birch Rd. Additional parking will be available on the east side of the Galleria Mall, south of Sunrise Blvd. on NE 26th Ave. Shuttle service will be available to take attendees to and from the Galleria Mall and Bonnet House from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Bonnet House’s pedestrian-only south entrance is located at 750 Breakers Avenue off Vista Mar Street and will also be open for attendees.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the Orchid & Garden Festival and the Tropical Luau Lunches, please visit https://www.bonnethouse.org/event/international-orchid-garden-festival/ or call (954) 563-5393.
If you want to visit Bonnet House Museum & Gardens outside of the festival events, the grounds, house and museum are open for self-guided tours on Tuesday – Friday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; and guided tours on Tuesday through Saturday. Bonnet House is closed on Mondays, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. For more information, please visit www.bonnethouse.org.
