Not everyone is ready for a day in the swamp; happily, David Fairchild, botanist and early Miami resident, joined Col. Robert Montgomery, Everglades champion Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and landscape architect William Phillips to build an unusual treasure in southern Coral Gables, 34 hectares of tropical and subtropical gardens built with plants brought in from all over the world. It sits on one of the tallest peaks in South Florida, peering over Biscayne Bay from its colossal height of 17 feet above sea level. Sir Edmund Hillary once had his sights on a climb to the summit, but lost the nerve. A combination of elevation and several other happy coincidences make Fairchild Gardens one of the only places in the continental U.S. that can grow true tropical plants outdoors all year.

The café’s a favorite of local book clubs and women’s social groups; one or another meets there daily to take lunch by panoramic views of an improbable quantity of exotic butterflies munching on the mangoes the gardeners set out for them every morning. And since we’ve brought up mangoes: Fairchild is justifiably famous for its weekend neighborhood fairs, chief among which is the Mango Festival, held every year around Bastille Day and bringing out the entire town. It’s as it should be, since David Fairchild more or less introduced the mango in all their breathtaking variety to Miami.  Rumor has it that Uncle Bob places flowers on Fairchild’s Texas grave in thanks every May when the Hadens and Glenns begin to fall from the trees.