McKee Botanical Garden keeps Vero's jungle-garden memory

McKee Botanical Garden is a good reminder that Florida tourism was not always giant parks and long lines.

Arthur McKee and Waldo Sexton bought an 80-acre tropical hammock in 1922. They first had citrus in mind, then decided the land itself was too special to clear. They brought in landscape architect William Lyman Phillips, who had worked with the Olmsted Brothers firm, to help shape streams, ponds, and paths. McKee Jungle Gardens became one of Florida’s early natural attractions, with water lilies, orchids, tropical plants, and a shaded jungle feel.

The garden closed in 1976, and most of the land was developed. The remaining 18 acres sat quiet for years before local supporters raised money and brought the heart of the garden back. That rescue gives the place a second story: not just old Florida charm, but a community choosing to save a piece of it.

If you go, check current hours and exhibits first. Then leave time to wander. McKee works best when you are not rushing from one named feature to the next. The paths, water, big leaves, and restored garden pieces do the explaining.