The Children's Garden is closed today Wednesday the 7th due to the rain today and we have flooding from yesterday's rainfall. We hope to open tomorrow so check back here for updates please.  Thank-you!

Welcome to The Children's Garden . . . Where Magic Begins!

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 *Starting September 22nd*
Wednesday through Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Admission
Adults and Teens 13 years & up: $10 +tax
Seniors 60+years and Military: $9+tax
Children 3 years & up: $7+tax
Infants and toddlers 2 & under visit for free!

Halloween Dragon Egg Tickets Now On Sale!

 Mark your calendars for our signature "not-so-spooky" family tradition! Put on your costumes and get ready for a magical morning at our 23rd annual Halloween Celebration. The dragon egg hunt begins at 10:00 AM sharp, where each child can hunt for 12 hidden Halloween-themed eggs filled with trinkets, candy, and prizes. If you get a prize note in your egg bring it to our cauldron and choose your Halloween prize. Each child will be given a trick-or-treat bag to collect their items.

After the hunt, join us for Halloween crafts, followed by Storytime at the stage at 11 AM
Enjoy a free scoop of ice cream thanks to Ben & Jerry’s on St. Armand's Circle, and feel free to stay and play afterward!

Tickets: $6 + tax per child (Does not include garden admission; garden members just pay the $6 + tax per child.)
Tickets are now on sale online through Zeffy!
​THIS EVENT IS BY RESERVATION & PREPAYMENT SO RESERVE TODAY!
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A Big Thank You to Publix and Rick Almarode at Ben & Jerry's, as well as our staff and volunteers for their time and support!

Additional Information:
Refunds available until two weeks before the event.
Extra Parking: WBTT lot, available 10 AM–noon.

Sprout Squad at the Farmer's Market!
October 10th : Plant some native Seminole pumpkin seeds to grow at home & color your pumpkin magnet!
October 24th: Calling All Cat Lovers! Decorate a kitty plant stake & plant a pot of organic cat grass for your pet.  Make sure you grab a Halloween lollipop!
Happy Halloween from The Children's Garden

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. 
Weekly Morning Programs (Wednesday through Friday)
Starting September 23rd, join us every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for our dedicated morning themes! All activities are included with regular admission and free for members.
Step-Into-A-Story!
​(Wednesdays, 11am)
Gather around for an engaging nature tale followed by a themed craft.
October 14th: Stellaluna:  Follow the sweet story of a bat who thought she was a bird, then make your little bat craft to take home!  Make sure you get your bat ring.
  • October 21st: Four Witches:  Enjoy a whimsical tale for cat and mouse lovers alike, then plant your organic cat grass seeds to take home and watch grow.  Color your kitty for your plant stake.
  • October 28th:  Alice & Greta:  Hear the tale of 2 witches with very different spells and color your magic potion page and write your own witchy spell!
Junior Ranger Station
(Thursdays, 10am – 11am)
​Visit our new interactive station in Safari Land to check weather conditions and learn about fire safety! Pick up your forest-themed craft or color sheet.
  • October 8th (if it is not raining):  Nest Building:  Grab your paper bag and build a bird nest using natural materials found in the Garden.  Be a Nature Ranger and identify our Florida birds!
  • October 15th: Garden Scavenger Hunt: Check in at the Ranger Station to get your Nature Scavenger Hunt clues and then claim your lollipop in the gift shop when you finish.  How many things can you find?
  • October 22nd:  Wildlife Detective:  Pick up an animal tracks coloring and matching sheet to discover who made each print.  Found identifying morning!
  • October 29th:  Spooky Campfire Tales:  Sit around our "Campfire" to write and color your own spooky story just in time for Halloween with a little sweet treat to enjoy.​
Nature Craft Fridays
(Fridays, 10am – 10:30am)
Stop by the gift shop to pick up your supplies and head out to the picnic tables for an open-ended, hands-on nature project.
  • October 9th: Pumpkin Photo Frame Magnet:  Color the cutest pumpkin magnet for your favorite Halloween snapshot!
  • October 16th: " Thumbkin " Patch:  Use orange finger paint to turn your thumbprints into a sweet keepsake pumpkin patch.
  • October 23rd:  Halloween Creature Stickers:  Design your own silly or spooky creature and make sure to pick up your sweet Halloween treat!  Add some Spanish moss or fall leaves to your picture!
  • October 30th: Silly Eyeball Hunt:  It is almost Halloween and we are searching the Garden for hidden goofy eyeballs (nothing scary).  Count how many you find and get your sweet candy treat bag.
We have our October newsletter available!
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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.
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!  

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.
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 The Children's Garden was created in 2003 by Joan Marie Condon, together with her husband David, their artisan sons Ray and Roy, and daughter Robin Fulk. They envisioned a small piece of wonder—a place for children to leave the electronic world behind, explore creative play, and discover magic in Mother Nature. Today, Robin carries that vision forward as the head of the Garden, keeping its spirit of imagination and connection to nature alive.
 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!