Follow the yellow brick room into a land of enchantment & make-believe where little pirates can sail the high seas on The Pirate Queen, fairies can have tea in fairyland & kids can climb towards the clouds in our tree fort!  The Woodland Cafe waits in Hobbitville for kids to create mud pies or mud cakes, the rain forest beckons kids to run through the cool mist & our costume room welcomes kids to dress up for creative fun! We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and public charitable organization and rely on admission and donations to support our mission, which is to keep kids connected to nature.  We do so through fostering imaginative play as well as offering weekly nature and art programs for children.  We hope to see you soon!
Hours of operation
Tuesday through Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Closed Mondays
Admission
Adults and Teens 13 years & up: $10 +tax
Seniors 60+years and Military: $9+tax
Children 3 years & up: $6 +tax
Infants and toddlers 2 & under visit for free!
Can you be our 'Garden Angel' this holiday season? We’ve created a wish list of materials and supplies to support our daily operations and help replace some of our well-loved but worn-out toys. Your generosity keeps our garden growing!

You can find our Amazon wish list HERE

All purchases from the list are tax-deductible donations. Thank you for your support!
Check out our upcoming nature, gardening, and art programs below, or click on the Calendar button to view all of our events coming up in the next month and keep your kids connected to nature. Each class is designed for kids of all ages! Please note, all classes are parent supervised. 

  • Join us on Saturday, December 7th at 10am for our Annual Candy Cane Hunt!
  • Tuesday, December 10th, 11am Story at the Stage Join us at 11am sharp for a nostalgic reading of “The Christmas Tree That Grew” with a clever painting craft that uses a fork for the perfect pine tree.
  • Friday, December 13th, 11am For the Birds Today, we are learning about our garden birds and what makes them special, then making bird feeders to bring home with Cheerios and pipe cleaners.
  • Tuesday, December 17th, 11am The Little Red Elf Come to the stage to hear a sweet retelling of this classic tale, along with a coloring sheet activity.
  • Friday, December 20th, 11am Solstice Lanterns Tomorrow night will be the longest night of the year! Thankfully, you can bring some cheer and light the way  with today’s solstice lantern craft.
  • Tuesday, December 24th, 10am Come Find Rudolph’s Nose Oh No - Rudolph has lost his nose in the Garden! Come anytime between 10 and 11 to find his sparkly red nose for your color sheet, then make your own reindeer food with carrots, kale, lemongrass, and magic flying powder.

    The Garden will close at 3pm on Tuesday, Dec 24th, and be closed on Wednesday, Dec 25th. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! 

Get ready for our annual Candy Cane Hunt at 10am on Saturday, December 7th!​
Magic elves have sprinkled different candy canes all over the Garden! Find one of each kind to add your goodie bag, then enjoy holiday music with a candy cane ornament craft. Don’t forget to drop off your letter to Santa before you leave!

Tickets available for sale on day of event, no RSVP needed. $5 per child participating in hunt (while candy canes last) , not including admission to the garden. Members only pay for the event.

Help us prepare by letting us know you're coming! Simply click 'I'm going' on our Facebook event – it really makes a difference. Thank you!
Our December Newsletter is now available!
december_2024_the_dirt_newsletter.pdf
File Size: 439 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Birthday Parties at The Garden 

Want to make your next celebration magical?  The Garden is completely outdoors with lots of room for your party of up to 30 guests.  To make your party even more special, check out our Crafts-to-Go, unique and whimsical crafts & activities where we handle 100% of the prep! 

For more information on parties, visit our page here.
We have been included in the most recent article on the best field trip locations to visit in Florida by the international educational publisher Twinkl! 
​(You can learn more about field trips at The Children's Garden here)
Program ​Events: 
  • ​Nature Art Programs
Perfect for all age children!  From our "Sticks & Stones" program to our "Art Rocks" program and our "Wild crafting" program, kids will have fun creating their works of nature art!
  • ​Learn the Magic of Gardening in our Planting Programs! 
    We love getting our hands dirty and learning about our fruits & veggies.  Join us for one of our many gardening program like "Mama Mia We Are Making Our Own Pizza Garden", "Can You Dig It" & our "Munch Crunch Grow Your Own Lunch" gardening programs!  
Have you heard about our little plant nursery called Frog Fruit Farms? Now for Sale - your favorite plants from the garden and more! Pink Ball Dombeya that's ready to bloom, rooted fig trees in pots, succulents, bromeliads and more! Get a gift certificate today to buy plants, or use in our giftshop and admission! All sales support our nonprofit mission, "Keeping kids connected to nature!" Thank you!

The Children's Garden & Art Center is where the magic and fun begins!
Explore! Imagine! Make-Believe!

Just like "Alice", kids and adults alike will feel as if they have fallen down a rabbit's hole to "Wonderland"! Magic begins at the yellow brick road where entering the jasmine covered tunnel "The Black Pearl" awaits for little pirates to set sail, the Amazing Maze turns and twists down paths of intrigue and the Fairy Garden welcomes all fairies and elves for tea under the mushrooms.
Down the winding path you will find the Monster Garden where our giant green dragon "Snuffy" resides with her other fun & unusual monster friends.
 The 3 little pigs dare any big bad wolf to blow their houses down in our Butterfly Garden. Next door is our Caterpillar Cottage which hosts lots of birthday parties and celebrations with it's "Snow White" theme and twinkling lights.
Nature, gardening and art classes are taught weekly at the garden to nurture and teach children the beauty in Mother Nature. Whether it is our "Art Rocks" class, our "Munch Crunch Grow Your Lunch" class or our "Nature Explorers" class to name a few, our mission is to keep kids connected to nature at The Children's Garden & Art Center.
Picture
The Children's Garden was created in 2003 by Joan Marie Condon who wanted a special place for children to come and leave the electronic world behind and discover new adventures in the natural world.  Together with her husband David, artisan sons Ray and Roy and daughter Robin Fulk, The Children's Garden is a small piece of wonder, a place for creative play and to find magic in Mother Nature.
 The Children's Garden & Art Center became a non-profit 501 C (3) and public charitable organization in the fall of 2009. We do yearly fundraisers for "All Faith's Food Bank", the "Humane Society of Sarasota" and "Make-A-Wish Foundation". Our wish is to continue our education classes in hopes of teaching  our children to become good stewards of the earth. Help support this safe haven for children of all ages!