Due to a friend's delayed flight, I found myself alone in Miami Beach with several hours to kill. I'd never been to a botanical garden before, so I decided to check out Miami Beach's. I was not disappointed.
The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is small, but it is packed with interesting plants, trees and flowers. There's a Japanese Garden, a fountain or two, and a big pond filled with huge koi. I had my camera with me and found lots to photograph.
As luck would have it, I happened to be by the gift shop when they announced they were about to start a tour. I joined two other patrons for a free tour of the gardens. (The gardens are also free to enter.) The tour guide was charming, quirky, and incredibly knowledgeable about the plants in the garden and the gardens history.
Overall, the botanical gardens are a beautiful spot and definitely worth the visit. This was a good place to spend a few hours.