This Tropical Escape in Florida Is a Fruit-filled Paradise-and It's Just 1 Hour From Miami

"The Fruit & Spice Park was started in 1944 by Mary Heinlein, a gardener who wanted to show that the clay-rich soil and climate in this part of South Florida -a region known as the Redlands-could grow tropical fruits from around the world. Today, the garden, which is run by the Miami-Dade County parks department, grows more than 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, and nuts."

"I began my fruit loop on a sunny Saturday in the spring, zipping around the 37-acre park in an electric golf cart. Plants are organized by region; Romero and I started in the Americas, pulling up to an eight-foot-tall Brazilian grape tree, known for the gumball-size purple berries that grow directly on its trunk. Romero plucked one for me to try: it tasted like a grape, but with the tartness of an apple and the spiciness of cinnamon."

"As we wove through the park, Romero continued to point out a staggering variety of tropical fruit plants: breadfruit, carambola, dragonfruit, guava, hog plum, loquat, lychee, monstera, mulberry, papaya, passion fruit, star apple, tamarind. When the 45-minute tour came to a close, Romero wanted me to sample one more thing. First, he gave me a wedge of gamboge, a yellow fruit from Southeast Asia that made my lips pucker."

Veinte Cohol is a small, fast-growing Philippine banana variety with creamy texture and citrusy tang, rarely found outside the Philippines. Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead, Florida cultivates about 75 banana varieties and more than 500 fruit, vegetable, spice, herb, and nut varieties across 37 acres. The garden was started in 1944 by Mary Heinlein and is run by the Miami‑Dade County parks department. Plants are organized by region, with tours through collections such as the Americas, where a Brazilian grape tree bears gumball-size purple berries tasting like grape with apple tartness and cinnamon spiciness. The park supports a local community of farmers, grocers, restaurateurs, and winemakers and supplies rare produce.

Read at Travel + Leisure