The Botanic Park and the Garden Club of Grand Cayman hosted their biggest Family Fun Day at the Botanic Park, on Sunday, January 21! Almost 1,000 visitors came to the national attraction for a day filled with crafts, nature, food, music, and outdoor fun!

The annual family event continues to grow each year and is a wonderful way to get out and be one with nature for the day.

From the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park:
“With over 1000 visitors, participants and volunteers, our annual Family Fun Day hosted in conjunction with the Garden Club of Grand Cayman, created our biggest one day attendance in the history of the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. We are grateful for our ongoing partnership of the Garden Club of Grand Cayman and their dedication and support for our Botanic Park and more specifically the Children’s Garden which is currently in the fundraising stage of its development.
In addition, I would like to thank all who participated or volunteered their time and services to help make the 2018 Family Fun Day a tremendous success.

The QEIIBP continues to improve each year and it is a result of the hard work from members in our community, volunteers and staff. We look forward to our next event held in partnership with the Cayman Islands Orchid Society, our annual Orchid Show and Sale on February 24th and 25th.” — John Lawrus, General Manager, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.

From the Garden Club of Grand Cayman:
“This year it was on 21st January and I must say it was a fabulous day. Weather held up beautifully and cars were parked way out the park area. Well over 1000 people attended. The Garden Club is all about nature and keeping Cayman beautiful these were the objectives of our founding fathers in 1957 when Cayman was sparse and not yet so beautiful. However, we knew at that time that a world class tourism industry was coming and that we would soon be a major financial center. It was with this mind set that we forged ahead doing gardening and planting trees in public places. The club now has over 70 active members.

Some of the Garden club’s community projects are:
Gardening and landscaping at the Pines Retirement Home, Scouts Building , EE Sunrise cottage and Frances Bodden Children’s home . A major project for 2018/19 is helping with the landscaping of the new Hospice gardens on WB road.

This year’s Family Fun Day included lawn games, magic show, children’s craft table, a tombola, plant and cake sale and a children feel- touch -and -learn nature table. There was face painting by Monica Powery an exciting Butterfly Trail to follow through the woodland park area. Fresh tropical drinks by Willy’s Tropical fruits were on sale. Everyone enjoyed the lovely day and I am sure will be ready for another FFD next January.” – Ora Hollebon, President, The Garden Club of Grand Cayman.

From TAB:
“Events such as these are a tremendous way of reminding us of the natural beauty that abounds here in Grand Cayman. With lots of new developments happening on the island, it is a real treat to spend the day at the Botanic Park, to relax and unwind. There is something in the air there — it just makes you feel happy. We call it our ‘oasis of the Caribbean’. It was wonderful to see so many children at the Family Fun Day interacting with nature and having fun. We encourage children to interact more at our national attractions, and learn about the unique local flora, fauna and wildlife. Mr. John Lawrus, the Botanic Park staff and the Garden Club of Grand Cayman do a splendid job of making this happen. We thank them and look forward to another wonderful event next year, as well as the upcoming Orchid Show at the Park, and Coco Fest at Pedro Castle, in February.” — Shayma Hamdi-Romanica, Marketing Coordinator, Tourism Attraction Board.

The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, an attraction managed by the Tourism Attraction Board, is open Monday to Sunday from 9:00AM to 4:30PM. Boasting over 62 acres of lush landscape, the Park is home to an abundance of wildlife including many of the islands’ 56 species of butterfly, native birds, the Cayman Parrot and the endangered Cayman Blue Iguana. With multiple floral gardens, woodland trails, wetlands, a lake and over 60 species of palm trees, there is so much to do and see at the Botanic Park.

The Park which was originally designed to show and preserve the Cayman Islands’ native flora and fauna – as well as to promote education, conservation and recreation — now has over 30,000 visitors each year, many of whom come to enjoy the tranquility, culture and natural beauty that abounds in this hidden treasure. The Heritage Garden is a beautiful celebration of the islands and the traditional Caymanian way of life.

The Botanic Park offers resident rates of CI$5 for adults, and free admission for children under 12, and seniors over 60.