EAT EXOTIC FRUIT STRAIGHT FROM THE GROUND AT THIS FLORIDA TROPICAL PARK

By Staff Reports
Photo: Fruit & Spice Park pond and gardens (Wikimedia Commons)
HOMESTEAD — In most parks, eating off the ground will get you some looks. At Fruit & Spice Park, it’s the whole point.
This 37-acre tropical garden in Homestead, about an hour south of Miami, grows more than 500 varieties of fruits, herbs, spices, and nuts from around the world — mangoes, bananas, jackfruit, papaya, and fruits most visitors have never even heard of, let alone tasted.
Here’s the rule that makes it unlike anywhere else: you may sample any fruit that has naturally fallen from the trees. You can’t pick from the branches, and you can’t take fruit home — but what’s on the ground is fair game, and park staff encourage you to try it. Guided tram tours roll through the groves, and the grounds feel like a jungle expedition that happens to be minutes from the highway.
For food lovers, plant nerds, and anybody who thinks they’ve seen everything Florida grows, this is a bucket-list stop.
Pair it with: Robert Is Here fruit stand, minutes away — make a full Homestead day of it.
Join the conversation: What’s the strangest fruit you’ve ever tasted? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: Fruit & Spice Park, Miami-Dade County Parks