This Serene Japanese-Inspired Garden Offers A Tranquil Escape In An Unexpected Corner Of Florida

Many American travelers dream of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to stunning Japan, home to beautiful mountain landscapes, Buddhist gardens, and those iconic cherry blossoms that coat the island nation in vivid pink petals each spring. But though there certainly are numerous Japan travel itineraries that won't break the bank, heading out across the Pacific Ocean represents a major commitment that not everyone has the time or resources to indulge in.

Thankfully, there are some options closer to home for those looking to get their fill of Japanese nature, architecture, and culture. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, in Delray Beach, Florida, is a highly rated center which has offered the Sunshine State an authentic slice of Japan since it first opened back in 1977, when it was pioneered by members of the Japanese Yamato Colony of Boca Raton.

Featuring a traditional Japanese villa-style building known as the Yamato-kan, or "great peace," as well as extensive Japanese gardens with koi-filled lakes, gentle waterfalls, and Zen sculptures. Online reviewers describe visiting Morikami as a singularly peaceful experience, with a leisurely stroll in the 16-acre gardens the perfect way to relax and unwind.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is also home to a newer museum building, which opened in 1993 and which houses over 7,000 examples of Japanese art and other historical items that are used to further visitors' understanding of the country's rich culture.

Exhibitions are typically held in the Yamato-kan, and are typically focused around a particular theme relating to Japanese art, culture, and tradition. Recent exhibitions have explored the history of Japanese tattooing, and the artwork of the Japanese science fiction classic "Akira."

The museum holds around 500 items related to traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, and Morikami offers visitors the chance to take part in these sacred rituals, typically performing one session per month between October and May. As well as this, Morikami boasts an enormous calendar of other events and workshops held in both the gardens and the museum building's 226-seat theater, so be sure to time your visit to ensure you catch something to your taste.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is open from 10 AM until 5 PM Tuesday through Sunday, and is closed Mondays and major holidays. The latest you can buy tickets is 4:30 PM. The site has an eatery, the Cornell Café, which is open from 11 AM until 3 PM, excluding the week between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Spring is a good time to visit to see the blooming of the gardens' cassia trees, the beautiful pink flowers of which are a stunning stand-in for cherry blossoms, which have difficulty flowering in Florida's hot and humid climate. 

Delray Beach is a vibrant city in Palm Beach County, with a bustling downtown, beaches, parks, and art. It would be the ideal place to stay in order to visit Morikami, with excellent accommodation options such as Crane's Beach House Boutique Hotel and Luxury Villas, as well as humbler options such as the well-reviewed Atlantic Hideaway.

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