Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Name

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Legal name

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Website

https://fairchildgarden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a nonprofit operating an 83-acre tropical garden in Coral Gables, Florida. It serves families, tourists, K-12 schools, and researchers through plant conservation, environmental education, signature festivals, venue rentals, and the NASA-partnered Growing Beyond Earth citizen science program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Garden & Environmental Education

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Nursery Production (Woody Ornamentals: Trees, Shrubs, Roses) (AFAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Botanical garden operations
• Plant conservation research
• Horticultural plant sales
• Environmental science education
• Botanical event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Coral Gables

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Day tickets for general admission visitors; tickets are open-ended and not date or time specific
2. Membership Program: Annual membership subscriptions with benefits including free admission, early entry, Bike-N-Five loyalty program
3. Event Venue Rentals: Wedding venues, corporate rentals, celebrations, children's birthdays, memorial services
4. Retail Sales: Plant nursery sales (orders.fairchildgarden.org), Garden Shop merchandise, rare plant auction on eBay, orchids for sale
5. Education Programs: Summer camps, classes for adults/kids/families, field trips
6. Glasshouse Café: On-site restaurant serving organic and locally grown food including soups, paninis, quiches, hand-crafted sodas, smoothies and desserts
7. Donations and Support: Financial donations, volunteer programs, scholarships, and corporate partnerships
8. Filming and Photography Permits: Fees for professional photography and commercial filming at the Garden

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden operates an 83-acre tropical botanic garden in Coral Gables/Miami, offering general admission, signature festivals, education programs, and conservation initiatives. It runs citizen science partnerships (notably with NASA via Growing Beyond Earth), native species reintroduction (Million Orchid Project), STEM competitions, summer camps, classes, and field trips. The organization also generates revenue from plant and merchandise sales, venue rentals for weddings and corporate events, and on-site food service.

Product overview

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a botanical garden institution offering a diverse portfolio of educational, conservation, and visitor experience programs. The core offerings include the interactive Fairchild App (mobile application for visitor exploration), conservation programs (Million Orchid Project, Native Plant Network), NASA-partnered citizen science (Growing Beyond Earth), and educational programs (The Fairchild Challenge, STEMLab, summer camps, field trips, classes). The Garden hosts signature seasonal festivals (Orchids Festival, Mango Festival, Chocolate Festival), maintains exhibit spaces (Wings of the Tropics butterfly exhibit, The Clinton Family Conservatory), provides venue services (weddings, corporate events, concerts), and operates retail operations (Fairchild Nursery, plant sales, Glasshouse Café restaurant). Membership programs provide ongoing engagement with free admission and exclusive access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Million Orchid Project: Native orchid reintroduction program for South Florida focused on restoring native orchid populations.
• Growing Beyond Earth
• The Fairchild Challenge
• Fairchild Challenge

Products and services

• The Fairchild App Mobile application providing a fully interactive Garden experience for visitors, with exploration tools and on-site guidance, distributed on iOS and Android.
• Camp Fairchild Seasonal summer camp program featuring six themed weeks of science, nature, and creativity activities designed to engage and educate children.
• Field Trips Live and virtual educational adventures through the Garden that immerse school groups in unique ecosystems with hands-on learning experiences.
• Classes and Workshops Expert-led educational classes and workshops covering art, horticulture, culinary arts, wellness, and gardening techniques, available in-person and online.
• Growing Beyond Earth Classroom-based citizen science program operated in partnership with NASA, in which students conduct plant experiments using equipment similar to the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) aboard the International Space Station.
• Million Orchid Project Native orchid reintroduction program for South Florida focused on conservation and restoration of native orchid species through community participation and Restoration Kits.
• Membership Program Annual membership program starting at $75, providing free admission, early Tuesday 7am entry, Bike-N-Five loyalty card, and exclusive discounts.
• General Admission Day tickets for general admission to the 83-acre tropical garden; tickets are open-ended and not date- or time-specific, with free admission for children under 3, free parking, and free tram tours.
• Garden Weddings and Event Venue Rentals Event venue services for weddings, celebrations, corporate events, children's birthday parties, and memorial services at the Garden's botanical settings.
• Mango Festival Annual signature weekend festival celebrating mangoes with tastings, educational programs, and tropical fruit exhibits.
• Chocolate Festival Signature festival celebrating chocolate and cacao featuring chocolate-making demonstrations, tastings, and agricultural heritage education.
• Orchids Festival (Orchids in Bloom) Annual signature festival celebrating orchids featuring exhibitions, orchid care education, and vendor offerings.
• Fairchild Nursery and Plant Sales Sale of plants including tropical fruit, orchids, native orchid starter kits, and rare plants through seasonal plant shows and an eBay rare plant auction.
• Garden Tours Guided tours of the Garden, including 90-minute free trolley tours on 12-seater vehicles led by knowledgeable guides (first-come, first-serve).
• Glasshouse Café
• Moonlight Series Evening Events Evening event series including Moonlight at Fairchild, providing nighttime Garden experiences with live music and entertainment.
• STEMLab Hands-on STEM education laboratory programs for students focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
• Internships and Graduate Fellowship Program Professional development opportunities for students and graduates in horticulture, conservation, and botanical research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students from 71 classrooms around the world engaged with NASA scientists in live sessions for space crop production
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2025Growing Beyond Earth is a classroom-based citizen science project operated in partnership with NASA. Students conduct plant experiments using equipment similar to the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) on the International Space Station. Students from 71 classrooms around the world engaged with NASA scientists in live sessions to learn about space crop production for long-distance space travel. Crops resulting from these experiments have been grown on the International Space Station.
• American Orchid SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlant society partnership offering expertise and collaboration on orchid collections and conservation efforts.
• American Horticultural SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFairchild participates in the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admissions Program (RAP), allowing members from participating gardens 90+ miles away to receive reciprocal admission.
• Blue Star MuseumsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFairchild participates in the Blue Star Museums program, offering free admission to families of active military personnel from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
• Culture Shock MiamiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering discounted tickets to Fairchild for participating students between the ages of 13-22.
• Miami-Dade CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGolden Ticket Program partnership with Miami-Dade County allowing seniors ages 62+ with a Golden Ticket to receive free admission on the first Wednesday of each month.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Longwood Gardens: One of the premier horticultural display gardens in the U.S., operating a large public garden with seasonal festivals, educational programming, ticketed admission, and a similar nonprofit operating model directly comparable to Fairchild.
• New York Botanical Garden: Major nonprofit botanical garden in the Bronx with extensive plant collections, research programs, education, and signature seasonal events; offers a direct analog in scale, mission, and program mix to Fairchild.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Large nonprofit botanical institution known for plant research, conservation, education programming, and ticketed visitor experiences, structurally similar to Fairchild's blend of public garden and scientific mission.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: Nonprofit public garden with extensive plant collections, conservation science, education programs, and seasonal events, providing a comparable operating and revenue model to Fairchild.
• Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens: Multi-disciplinary nonprofit institution with a major botanical garden component, ticketed admission, memberships, research, and education programs, comparable to Fairchild's broad mission.
• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Mid-sized nonprofit botanical garden with ticketed admission, signature seasonal events, plant conservation programs, and educational offerings, directly comparable in scale and program mix to Fairchild.
• San Diego Botanic Garden: Nonprofit public garden in a warm-weather market with tropical and subtropical collections, educational programming, and ticketed events, providing a regional peer with comparable collections focus.
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: Florida-based nonprofit botanical garden specializing in epiphytes (orchids, bromeliads) and tropical plant research, closely comparable to Fairchild's orchid focus and Florida setting.
• Denver Botanic Gardens: Nonprofit public garden with diverse plant collections, conservation programs, festivals, and education initiatives; provides another peer benchmark in the botanical garden sector.

Broad incumbents

• United States Botanic Garden: Federal public garden in Washington, D.C. with extensive plant collections and education programs; operates on a different funding model (federal appropriation) but addresses a comparable mission in public horticultural display and education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FairchildGarden
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairchildgarden
• Facebookfacebook.com/FairchildGarden

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden