Mango Mania At Fruit & Spice Park

As summer reaches its peak, so do the fruits of summer. On June 23, Fruit & Spice Park will be hosting a Mango Mania cooking class designed to inform enthusiasts about everything mango. But the experience is about so much more than just the class. Sample locally grown fruits, learn about practical uses for exotic plants and spend the whole afternoon sampling everything mango and more.

Fruit & Spice Park - Mango Mania
24801 SW 187th Ave
Homestead, FL 33031
(305) 247-5727
www.fruitandspicepark.org

Price: $40. Advance purchase is recommended
Hours: Sat - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you're heading down the turnpike for Mango Mania, the first thing that you have do is the class itself. Here, you can learn how to grow, propagate and treat mangos with insecticide so that you can produce the best mangos possible. Locally grown mangos will also be on display from outside vendors. Last year, Mango Mania displayed 187 varieties of mangos, which is quite a feat considering that Fruit & Spice Park is home to 157 varieties itself. The best part is that at the end of class, participants are invited to sample from the bounty of mangos on display.

Related: South Florida's Best Gourmet Markets

Fruit & Spice Park - Tours

Price: Free with admission. Admission - $8 for adults, $2 for children 6 to 11, Free for children under 6.
Hours: Mon to Sun - 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

One of the best treats at Fruit & Spice Park is the daily guided tours. Hop aboard a tram that will guide you throughout the grounds to view, sample or smell the fruits, nuts and spices grown inside the park. Find out the medicinal and practical purposes of nature's most exotic trees and view the tree of life, a smaller version of the tree made famous in "The Lion King." This tour alone is worth the trip.

Fruit & Spice Park - Mango Cafe

Price: Varies
Hours: Mon to Sun - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Click here for menu.

If you are still hungry after sampling countless mangos and exotic fruits, then head over to the Mango Cafe. This on-site restaurant offers tasty creations such as the Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas and delicious delicacies like the Mango Passion Cheesecake and Key Lime Pie. However, the items that cannot be passed by are the shakes and smoothies. Choose from mango, passion fruit or strawberry, when available.

Fruit & Spice Park - Vendors

Price: Varies
Hours: Sat - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Toward the end of the day, it will soon be time to return home, leaving the smell of mangos wafting through your nostrils in the dust. Not to worry. You can bring the Mango Mania experience home with you. Vendors will be on hand throughout the event selling a variety of mangos such as the Haden or East Indian mango. Better yet, buy a sapling tree so that you can have the Mango Mania experience year round in your own back yard.

Fruit & Spice Park - Park Store

Price: Free with admission. Admission - $8 for adults. $2 for children 6 to 11. Free for children under 6.
Hours: Mon to Sun - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you are looking for souvenirs, pay a visit to the Park Store. Here, you can buy gifts, trinkets and even sample fruits from the park at the tasting counter. Be sure to visit the counter after a tram ride because that's when they bring in the freshest fruits. For you sour patch kids, taste the belimbing fruit. It's guaranteed to have you puckering all the way home.

Related: Best South Florida Farmers Markets

Niema Hulin was born in Newark, NJ but raised in Lexington, South Carolina for the bulk of her formative years. In 2002, she moved to Miami after graduating from the University of Florida. Since then, Niema has worked in film, television and commercials as a Production Assistant and Production Coordinator. Some of her films have included Bad Boys II and I Am Number IV. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.