It’s 4th of July and Buddy’s Turning 6! Buddy is the Florida Panther in residence at Flamingo Gardens, Botanical Gardens and Everglades Wildlife Sanctuary. Come and sign Buddy’s birthday card, watch him open his gifts and eat his “cake.” The Florida Panthers’ will be on hand with a special appearance by mascot Stanley C. Panther at noon. There will be holiday food specials for humans too at the Flamingo Pond Snack Bar & Grill. Stay and enjoy the Gardens and other informative Animal Specialist Talks about Flamingos at 2pm and Otter Talk & feeding at 2:30pm.
While at the Gardens, guests may encounter Dinosaurs Around the World: The Great Outdoors, a captivating outdoor exhibit featuring 13 animatronic dinosaurs that come to life with incredibly realistic sound and lifelike movements. Travel back to the time before the continents as we know them existed, when lush landscapes covered Africa and Antarctica was green! Grab your prehistoric passport and discover how land bridges, volcanic activity, and plate tectonics allowed dinosaurs such as T. rex, Spinosaurus, Hadrosaur, and more to disperse all over the globe, giving each of today’s continents its own unique selection of these giant reptiles. Admission will include the opportunity to “excavate” fossils and see a movie short in the Gallery, about the evolution of “Dino-Soars,” or birds, and how they are truly modern-day dinosaurs.
Buddy’s Birthday Celebration, Dinosaurs round the World exhibits in the Gardens and Gallery, specialty weekend programing, Animal Specialist Talks, Wildlife Encounter presentations, Wray Home Museum, Butterfly Conservatory, and Narrated Tram Tour are included in admission price. Admission tickets may be purchased online or on-site in the Welcome Center/Gift Shop.