Beautiful botanical garden providing a unique stage for family entertainment, celebration, education, visual and performing arts. Florida's Cultural Arts Park!
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Articles by Alana Perez
Reseña del libro: Laguna González, Mercedes. Las familias y sus redes sociales. Casas, comercio, industria. Granada, Torres Editores, 2026.
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What’s Up at the Gardens…Farewell, But Not Goodbye
This slideshow requires JavaScript. This is a very difficult column for me to write because this is my last column as Pinecrest Gardens Director. It is with a heavy heart that I leave this phenomenal job, that was, in reality, anything but a job for me. For the past 12 years, Pinecrest Gardens has been my life, my heart, my passion, my happy place as I watched it blossom into South Florida’s Cultural Arts Park and my place of escape when I needed solitude.
Last Chance for the Best Seats in the house
This slideshow requires JavaScript. South Motors Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens Hosting Their Final Select-A-Seat Event for the 2022-2023 Season Entering its 12th season of outstanding jazz concerts, South Motors Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens continues to wow audiences with this seven concert subscription series from October through April. The level of subscriber support for this series has always been absolutely UNPRECEDENTED.
Something tells me it’s all happening at the zoo
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Have you met our newest Pinecrest residents living the good life at the Pinecrest Gardens new, state-of-the art mini-zoo? Our zoo is small in stature with a very big heart. Most of our creatures will be the mini-version of the species. You must come by and see them romp around in their natural habitat. Have a tasty meal of hay or lettuce. You might even get to see one of the girls lay an egg. Please stand by for the best news of all.
Now registering for classes starting in September
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Register Your Children for Fun and Fabulous Educational Opportunities at the Gardens. August already? Oh my, how time flies. With school supplies and new sneakers top of mind, let’s take a look at the wonderful educational offerings at Pinecrest Gardens that are now open for registration.
Summer Chill at Pinecrest Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Making a Splash at our Beautiful Splash ‘N Play A splashing dragon, a flower that waters you and an umbrella that welcomes in the rain are just some of the features to be found at our fabulous Splash “N Play. The colorful soft pour ground cover showcasing a giant blue and yellow turtle offers fun for users ages 2 through 12. The splash pad is also a refreshing relief after some serious playtime at our playground and mini-zoo.
A playground unlike any other…
This slideshow requires JavaScript. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, all facilities and programs are designed to ensure that patrons of all abilities are able to fully participate in activities at Pinecrest Gardens. An extensive, independent accessibility study was conducted in August 2010 which identified several areas that did not comply with ADA standards.
Pinecrest Gardens to Receive a $40,000 Grant
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Pinecrest Gardens has been approved for a $40,000 Grant for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts to support two different music mentoring initiatives, The She Jazz Project and Gen Next Jam. These two projects will provide extraordinary opportunities for young jazz musicians working with top international jazz artists.
South Motors Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens now selling subscriptions for the 2022-2023 season
Entering its 12th season of outstanding jazz concerts, South Motors Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens continues to wow audiences with this seven concert subscription series from October through April. What is most remarkable about the series is that in an amphitheater that seats 530 people, South Motors Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens averages a 70 percent full season subscription audience. This level of subscriber support is absolutely UNPRECENTED.
Arts Education…My Two Favorite Words
This slideshow requires JavaScript. I was one of the lucky ones. I was born to a mother who was a concert pianist, a father who was an artist…my sister had the gift of a golden voice, trained to be an opera singer and ultimately turned to the Broadway Stage.
Thank you for your support
This slideshow requires JavaScript. A special tribute to Pinecrest Gardens’ Sponsors for the 2021-2022 Season With our performing arts season coming to an end, it is important to thank everyone who has made this season possible. These past two years have been nothing short of challenging. But with a handful of guardian angels, we came into a full season of performing arts with the support of a handful of very caring sponsors who made this our best season ever.
May the force be with you at Pinecrest Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Awaken the force within! Join your fellow Star Wars fans as they take over Pinecrest Gardens for two sensational nights filled with surprises. Enjoy special encounters throughout the weekend hosted by different Star Wars fan groups, all decked out in full costume detail, roaming around during the event.
Announcing the 2022-2023 South Motors Jazz Series
This slideshow requires JavaScript. With every show a sell-out, treat yourself to a season subscription for South Florida’s most beloved jazz series and assure your place in our audience with a savings of more than 25 percent. Full season subscriptions will be on sale through October 22. Call our office at 305-669-6990. Subscriptions are not available for purchase online.
South Motor’s Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. South Motor’s Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens ends the 2021/2022 season with one of the greatest trumpeters of all times. Arturo Sandoval Saturday, April 9, 8:00 p.m. Recipient of the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom, ten-time Grammy Award Winner, Emmy Award Winner and six-time Billboard Award Winner. A musician of epic proportions, Arturo Sandoval is the protege of Jazz trumpeter and one of Latin Jazz’s musical founders, Dizzy Gillespie.
South Motor’s Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens
Arturo Sandoval (Photo by Jeremy Lock.) South Motor’s Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens ends the 2021/2022 season with one of the greatest trumpeters of all times.Arturo SandovalSaturday, April 9, 8:00 p.m.Recipient of the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom, ten-time Grammy Award Winner, Emmy Award Winner and six-time Billboard Award Winner.A musician of epic proportions, Arturo Sandoval is the protege of Jazz trumpeter and one of Latin Jazz’s musical founders, Dizzy Gillespie.
Big Bunny Invasion happening at Pinecrest Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Big Bunnies and Blooms presented by Nicklaus Children’s Hospital are once again taking over the meadow at Pinecrest Gardens for three weekends…and this time they are bigger and better than ever. Giant inflatable bunnies will be at Pinecrest Gardens. Come see them! The exhibit is for kids and adults of all ages.
March Madness…Something for everyone at the Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. So much happening in the month of March you will want to fasten your seatbelt for this roller coaster ride of excitement. And when we talk about excitement, it’s easy to start with our fabulous jazz series.
February continues to wow the crowds
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Save the date for every remaining Saturday night upcoming for the rest of the month. You won’t want to miss the outstanding performances that span the world of Jazz, Dance and with a sprinkling of magic thrown in featured on the Banyan Bowl stage at Pinecrest Gardens.
Fine art is everywhere, day and night, at Pinecrest Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Panter, Panter & Sampedro Fine Arts Festival Returns with a weekend Saturday and Sunday, January 22-23 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Free Entrance Presented by Panter, Panter & Sampedro P.A. Insurco Insurance & Financial Services and City National Bank Visit one of South Florida’s premiere juried art shows, our 18th Annual Fine Arts Festival, and enjoy a day surrounded by spectacular visual arts in the most lush and luxurious setting.
Pinecrest Gardens is Open Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Come join us for the holidays! We are here for you, your friends and your family, and we are open for visitors every single day of the year (365 days a year) including weekends and holidays from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.. However, from December 10-January 2, our daytime hours are from 12:00 noon until 5p.m, and we reopen each evening from 6:00-9:00 p.m. for our holiday festival, Nights of Lights.
Let the holiday merriment begin!
This slideshow requires JavaScript. With all of the concerts, art exhibits, a festival of lights and family activities we have to choose from, making a decision regarding which events to attend over the next two weeks will surely be more challenging than putting together your holiday gift list. Nights of Lights December 10-January 2 from 6-9 p.m. (closed on December 18) Tickets: $20 for adults 18 and over and $15 for children 2-17. Children under 2 enter free.
Jazz Legend Bob James to Perform at Pinecrest Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. South Motor’s Jazz at Pinecrest Gardens presents Multi-Grammy Award Winning keyboard artist and jazz legend Bob James on Saturday, November 13 at 8:00 p.m. The career of Bob James is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. From his first days in Marshall, Missouri, the music of Bob James has captivated audiences throughout the world.
Fall activities are in full swing at Pinecrest Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Keep your calendars up to date with an autumn cornucopia of diverse activities for every age. Howl-O-Ween Saturday, October 30, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Who let the dogs out… This is our favorite furry friend event all year. Pinecrest Gardens will become haunted by four-legged ghouls and their scary human companions as Paws-4-You celebrates Howl-O-Ween.
Thank you, Pinecrest Gardens sponsors : Part 2
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Part 2 of our special tribute to Pinecrest Gardens’ Sponsors for the 2021-2022 Season Cultural arts can be costly, and few cultural venues exist on ticket sales alone. Sponsors step up and help because culture matters! When our sponsors support The Gardens, they make an investment in our community.
Thank you, Pinecrest Gardens sponsors Part 1
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. Thank you for your support : A special tribute to Pinecrest Gardens’ Sponsors for the 2021-2022 Season. It is no secret that cultural arts can be costly, and there are very few cultural venues and ventures that exist on ticket sales alone. So why do sponsors step up and help cultural institutions thrive?
Pinecrest Gardens progress report: Upper Garden Project is coming to life
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. For months we have been speaking about our exciting new Upper Garden Project that will allow for the creation of a new, all-inclusive playground featuring larger than life whimsical animals and built on industry leading poured in place, environmentally friendly ground cover.
Last chance for best seats at South Motors Jazz Series
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. It’s your last chance for the best seats in the house: South Motors Jazz Series final select-a-seat event. Enjoy great jazz in a safe, protected outdoor setting. Join us on Sunday, September 5 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Cypress Hall’s Chandelier Room at Pinecrest Gardens for complimentary wine and cheese and an opportunity to select the BEST remaining seats available for the South Motors Jazz Series.
Pinecrest Dance Project comes to Pinecrest Gardens
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. Shall We Dance…Welcoming the Pinecrest Dance Project to Pinecrest Gardens. Back to school days are happier days with music and movement for you and your little ones. Celebrate with your “mini-me” by registering for your choice of Mommy and Me classes featuring art, dance music and more. Pinecrest Dance Project is making a big splash at Pinecrest Gardens offering Ballroom, Tap and a selection of Mommy and Me classes.
Festival Season at Pinecrest Gardens is just around the corner
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. We are so very excited about the announcement of our Festival Season that we couldn’t wait any longer to share the news. This is going to be our best year ever and we cannot wait to see you all again in person and in a mood to celebrate all things “Gardens” commencing in October of this year through April of 2022.
Xavier Cortada…Visionary, Artist in Residence at Pinecrest Gardens and Renaissance Man
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. Xavier Cortada’s participatory art practice is based at Pinecrest Gardens. Through exhibitions at the Hibiscus Gallery, installations along the colonnade in the gardens, and programming at the weekly Farmer’s Market, Cortada Projects uses the power of art to engage the public in learning about and addressing environmental concerns.
Select-A-Seat event for the 2021-2022 season
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. South Motors Jazz Series Join us on Sunday, July 11 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Cypress Hall’s Chandelier Room at Pinecrest Gardens for complimentary croissants, mimosas and an opportunity to select the BEST remaining seats available for the South Motors Jazz Series. With more than 300 subscriptions sold already in our 500 seat amphitheater, you won’t want to miss this event.
Hidden heroes…recognizing Pinecrest Gardens’ support groups
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. Charitable non-profits embody the very best of America. They provide a way for people to work together for the common good, transforming shared beliefs and hopes into action. They give shape to our boldest dreams, highest ideals, and noblest causes. The Village of Pinecrest would like to recognize its support groups and their respective missions.
Announcing the 2021-2022 South Motors Jazz Series
Advertisement This slideshow requires JavaScript. Subscriptions will go on sale for the South Motors Jazz Series live from the Banyan Bowl for first time subscribers in June. Call our office at 305-669-6990, or be on the lookout for our announcement of the annual Select-A-Seat Event where you can try (your seats) before you buy. Single show tickets will go on sale after Labor Day.
Pinecrest Gardens Camps; Summer Camps with a Mission
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Where Discovery Meets Fun; Where Art Meets Nature Kids look forward to something fun to do in the summertime. We can’t always arrange to take a full-on family vacation, but we want something planned for our child to help reduce boredom and cabin fever. What more could a kid ask for than a fun-filled summer camp experience? Camp will give your child something to look forward to and something to talk about after it’s all done.
A Star Wars festival under the stars
This slideshow requires JavaScript. “Force in the Garden” – Awaken the force within! Darth Vader will not be the only one wearing a mask in the safe and socially distanced event at Pinecrest Gardens! Join your fellow Star Wars fans as they take over the Gardens for three sensational nights filled with Jedi surprises. Enjoy special encounters throughout the weekend by different Star Wars fan groups, all decked out in full costume detail roaming around during the event.
JazzAid Live change in schedule
This slideshow requires JavaScript. We recently learned that one of the vocalists in Manhattan Transfer, would not be getting vaccinated in time to travel for our concert on April 10th. Being of the mindset that from every lemon comes lemonade we set out on a mission to find the right replacement to bring our JazzAid Live to a close on a high note.
Family Movie Nights presents ‘Trolls World Tour’
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Join us for a double dose of Trolls on Friday, March 19. Entering Pinecrest Gardens every child will get one of our original Troll coloring books that tells the story of “Berta, Terje and the Banyan Tree…a Troll Tale” by Thomas Dambo. Families can stroll the gardens and wonder into the meadow where they can see our larger than life trolls (a perfect setting for a selfie), also created and built by Thomas Dambo.
Jazz genius and prodigy Joey Alexander to perform at JazzAid Live from the Banyan Bowl
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Joey Alexander Trio Saturday, March 13 8:00 p.m. ET Award-Winning Pianist/Composer A funny thing happened to Joey Alexander over the past five years. A whirlwind period during which he became the most brilliantly precocious talent in jazz history, the youngest musician ever nominated for a Grammy Award in a jazz category; and a media favorite who’s earned a profile on 60 Minutes, a front-page profile in the New York Times and other premier coverage.
Amazing Grace…comes to Pinecrest Gardens’ JazzAid Live from the Banyan Bowl
This slideshow requires JavaScript. JazzAid Live is a jazz concert series streamed live from the Pinecrest Gardens’ Banyan Bowl Amphitheater. In an effort to both save the famed series this year and help feed families across the nation, the Village of Pinecrest has made this iconic jazz series available to anyone with internet access.
Pinecrest Gardens: let us entertain you…safely!
This slideshow requires JavaScript. For more than 10 years Pinecrest Gardens has brought to you the very best in family entertainment, and in these challenging days we continue to strive to bring you entertainment with your health and well-being top of mind.
Pinecrest Gardens…virtually speaking…we’re all about art
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Fueled by our community of artists, we strongly believe that in this new year we should all brighten up our walls, and support independent artists whenever possible. Through the virtual world of online technology, you can find great offers in all shapes and sizes for any budget. Paintings, photographs, abstracts, prints, hand-crafted jewelry, wearable art and more, there are so many great offers to be had on site.
Glenn Miller Orchestra returns for New Year’s event
Ring in the New Year with the swing sounds of The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. ET as the legend lives on. JazzAid Live at the Banyan Bowl is a jazz series streamed live from the Pinecrest Gardens’ Banyan Bowl Amphitheater. In an effort to both save the famed series this year and help feed families across the nation, the Village of Pinecrest will make this iconic jazz series available to anyone with internet access.
2021 brings new programs to Pinecrest Gardens
This slideshow requires JavaScript. From Ballroom Dancing to Musical Theater; 2021 Brings New, Fresh and Exciting Education Initiatives to Pinecrest Gardens. We are welcoming the New Year with a cornucopia of fabulous new and exciting educational opportunities for children of all ages. We have greatly broadened our scope of offerings and we are thrilled to add some amazing selections that include art, music and dance.
Nights of Lights continues at Pinecrest Gardens…
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Where Safety and Social Distancing Meet Holiday Magic In the tradition of Pinecrest Gardens’ Nights of Lights Festival, our holiday happening continues to welcome and wow visitors of all ages. Our festival has a very different feel this year. Gone this year are the mechanical rides and pony rides, but your children will still be able to see Santa and our Story Teller from a safe distance in our Banyan Bowl. We have extended our hours and our dates.
Spreading the Love
This slideshow requires JavaScript. There is no denying, 2020 has been a year of chaos, stress, frustration and more. But even with all of the turmoil that 2020 has presented us with, there is still so much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving. We’d even argue, one of the greatest gifts this challenging year has given us is a new perspective on the things we’ve been taking for granted. A new perspective on just how grateful we are for the simplest of things.
“I’ve seen the lights go out on Broadway…”
Up until this moment in time I could not have been convinced that I would ever quote Billy Joel in a column. But reading an article about cultural closures I was reminded how lucky we are to be living in a community that is blessed to have leadership (even in the wake of this terrible pandemic) that recognizes the fact that culture builds community and keeps us strong. In even the darkest days, culture is a beacon of light that soothes our souls.
Pinecrest Gardens and Pinecrest Parks & Recreation present a safe and scary Halloween
This slideshow requires JavaScript. The Village is making Halloween a little scary and very safe this year with three events for everyone in the family, including pets! Rocky Horror Picture Show on October 29th, Zombie Park Truck or Treat Drive-thru on October 30 and a Howl-O-Ween virtual event with Paws for you Rescue on October 31.
JazzAid Live: A tribute to those who will make it happen
This slideshow requires JavaScript. In more than a decade of growing our garden, never could we have imagined a year so challenging. The pandemic put everyone, globally speaking, in a tail spin. Every industry suffered economic strain or set back or in some cases, complete financial disaster. Pinecrest Gardens was not immune to this financial downturn.
Upper garden improvement project; a garden reimagined
This slideshow requires JavaScript. The Village of Pinecrest embarked on a journey, a dream project in December 2002, with the citizen-led decision to purchase the historic Parrot Jungle site. Today, 18 years later, the dream to create a magnificent botanical park has blossomed into reality—annually drawing more than 180,000 visitors. The village is full steam ahead on continuing to restore and improve the site for all citizens, regardless of ability.
It takes a village to grow a garden
Pinecrest Gardens is the crown jewel of the Village of Pinecrest. Its history, the sheer joy it brings to families, the educational and cultural initiatives that contributes to its status as South Florida’s Cultural Arts Park, the absolute beauty of the place…all these attributes go into making the Gardens what it is and the enrichment it brings to the lives of all who visit. The upkeep, the programming, the running of the park is very serious business.
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