South Floridians don't need to board a plane to see lush gardens, grand vistas, Asian-inspired architecture and historic structures, when this hidden tropical oasis exists right in their backyard.
As soon as you step onto the grounds of the Patch of Heaven Sanctuary located on a 20-acre protected forest in Redland, you are transformed into a world of green and serene.
The hidden oasis features 11 acres of protected forest and historical structures built by the Matheson family in 1964. The family also built several structures on the land that Patch continues to maintain, preserving a piece of Miami-Dade’s history.
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Patch has also worked on a 6.5-acre canopy restoration project for the past 15 years on a newly acquired adjacent piece of land that was once completely covered in shade structures and used as a nursery.
"Patch has restored the old growth forest and regenerated in 15 years an entirely new re-wilded forest," said Chief Experience Officer Suzanne Jewell. "That's what happens when nature gets a little bit of help."
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Jewell is also a mindfulness teacher and uses these skills to help visitors become one with the forest by helping them let go of their everyday anxieties.
"If you have less screen and more green, your nervous system starts to come back down to earth," she says. "You can actually hack your way to better wellness by taking the nature pill."
Jewell recommends walking in nature for at least 20 minutes and practicing breathing to feel better and "get a part of your life back."
In addition to helping visitors to restore their connection to nature, Patch also educates people on how they can become better advocates for the environment.
Patch offers corporate, academic and nonprofit retreats where groups can connect with nature. In these retreats, Patch teaches groups how ro replenish and expand creativity and productivity.
Jewell, who went through the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center Power of Awareness/Sounds True program, creates customized, impactful experiences for teams to focus, follow through and build resilient resources towards success.
She says incorporating modern neuroscience and the benefits of attention training within the regenerative old-growth Florida forest can be the perfect antidote for groups to reconnect.
"We believe that if we can get people to reestablish that relationship with nature that you just might stop using single-use plastic, that you might make a sustainable decision to take care of mother nature and earth which is the one zip code we all share in common," Jewell said.
Patch of Heaven Sanctuary gives back to animals as well by working closely with the South Florida Wildlife Center in Broward County by rehabilitating specific animals. The non-profit has released two barn owls, 12 screech owls, two juvenile foxes, and five juvenile raccoons so far.
When the property was originally purchased in 2008, there was no existing water source for wildlife on the 11-acre parcel.
To remedy this crucial wildlife necessity missing from the entire tropical hammock and surrounding forest, the sanctuary created a koi pond with a multi-level grotto with water flowing down into shallow pools and gathering in a large sunken basin.
Patch of Heaven Sanctuary is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and offers guided or self-guided tours.
The entry fee is $20, or $35 for a guided experience. However, the sanctuary also has a membership program for guests who plan to visit more frequently.
"We want you to come and immerse yourself. We are really trying to deepen the experience because nature should just be a part of your life," says Jewell. "You take your vitamins — did you take the nature pill today?"
