Secret Gardens Miami: What It Is & Why 1,900 People Search It Monthly

It's not a public park. It's not a pop-up event. It's a 6-acre private tropical venue hidden in Homestead's Redlands — and if you live in Miami Gardens, it's about 35 miles from your front door.

Secret Gardens Miami sits on 6 acres of tropical foliage, natural coral rock, flowing waterfalls, and lagoons in Homestead's Redlands agricultural area. Photo: Unsplash

Every month, roughly 1,900 people in the Miami area search "secret gardens miami" and most of them leave Google confused. The search results mix up a wedding venue in Homestead, a boutique hotel on Collins Avenue, and a handful of vague suggestions about neighborhood parks. None of those results just come out and answer the question.

So here it is plainly: Secret Gardens Miami is a private outdoor event venue located at 14450 SW 248th Street in Homestead, Florida. It's been operating since 2009. It's not a public garden you can stroll through on a Sunday afternoon — it's a booking-required events space that hosts weddings, quinceañeras, photoshoots, corporate events, and milestone celebrations on 6 acres of tropical landscape unlike anything most South Florida residents have ever seen.

From Miami Gardens, it's about a 35-mile drive south. Easily doable for an event. Worth knowing about.

The basics at a glance

What the property actually looks like

The Redlands is Miami-Dade County's agricultural belt — a stretch of land in the far south of the county where avocado and mango farms sit alongside nurseries and off-the-beaten-path attractions. Secret Gardens Miami sits inside that landscape, which is why it looks nothing like anything you'd find in the northern part of the county.

The property has waterfalls and koi-filled ponds, natural coral rock formations, and dense tropical foliage that creates a canopy feel. Guests enter through a stone archway and walk down a palm-lined path. The venue features a natural stone arch tucked among mature palms, a tiki hut overlooking a sparkling lagoon, and an outdoor ballroom with chandeliers and draped fabric for receptions.

Reviewers who've never been to the Redlands consistently say the same thing: they didn't know this existed in South Florida. That reaction tracks. The Redlands' agricultural ecosystem produces a kind of overgrown tropical lushness that's genuinely different from what you find in Miami Gardens, Miami Beach, or even Coral Gables. It photographs unusually well, which is part of why the venue has become popular for photoshoots beyond just weddings.

What events are held here

The venue is primarily a wedding and events space. It doesn't operate as a public attraction — you can't pay a day-use fee and walk around. You book an event, or you know someone who did. Here's what they host:

The photoshoot side of the business is bigger than most people realize. Photographers across South Florida bring clients here specifically for the backdrop — the waterfalls, the lagoons, the hanging foliage. You'll see a lot of engagement and maternity session images from Secret Gardens circulating on Instagram without the venue necessarily being named. If you've ever scrolled past a lush tropical couple's shoot and wondered "where is that in Miami?" — there's a solid chance it's here.

The event spaces

The Redlands agricultural area of Miami-Dade is unlike anything in northern Miami — and Secret Gardens sits at its most photogenic corner. Photo: Unsplash

Getting there from Miami Gardens

The drive is about 35 miles and takes 40–55 minutes depending on when you leave. Avoid the Turnpike south on weekday afternoons — construction and commuter traffic around Cutler Bay can add 20 minutes. The Saturday morning drive is much cleaner.

What people who've been there say

The venue has accumulated a large number of reviews across The Knot, WeddingWire, Yelp, and Zola. The pattern in the feedback is pretty consistent. People are most surprised by how different the setting feels from the rest of Miami-Dade — the combination of natural coral rock, tropical density, and working water features (not decorative fountains — actual waterfalls and koi ponds) hits differently than most South Florida event spaces, which tend toward either the hotel ballroom or the beach look.

The team — Joe and Blanca Doyle run the operation — gets consistent credit for responsiveness and flexibility. Multiple reviews mention couples who had unconventional requests (food trucks, bounce houses, non-standard ceremony formats) and found the venue accommodating in ways that more rigid hotel venues weren't.

The main limitation people note: it's 35 miles from most of Miami, which means guests need to commit to the drive. For destination-wedding couples or families already scattered across South Florida, that's not an issue. For couples whose entire guest list lives in North Miami or Broward, it requires some transportation planning.

Frequently asked questions