Comments (0) Best Place to Spend an Hour Midweek - 2010

The Kampong

Many attractions in Miami are so crowded, as Yogi Berra once said, no one goes there anymore. That's why a trip to the Kampong in Coconut Grove is so darn special. Once the home and gardens of Dr. David Fairchild (the botanist behind nearby Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden), the Kampong is a serene swath of lush tropical greenery and old Miami history. It's the only location outside Hawaii included in the National Tropical Botanical Garden. What's more, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Alexander Graham Bell all stayed at the Kampong house, one of the oldest domiciles in Miami. But most Miamians have never heard of the house and gardens. They're tucked away behind a thick hammock of banyan trees and a limestone wall. Also, the place is open only Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. That means regular working drones will have to wait until their next self-imposed mental health day to visit. Self-guided tours cost $5 to $15.