ORLANDO, Fla.—There’s something magical afoot this summer in Leu Gardens with the presence of certain mythical creatures—or at least evidence of their dwellings.
Back for a sixth year, the Fairy Doors have made a magical return to Orlando’s 50-acre botanical oasis with 20 doors decorating and adding mystique to the already serene space.
The exhibit was first dreamed up in 2018 by Tracy Micciche, the gardens’ events and marketing director, because her daughter, then 14 years old, had an interest in fairies.
“My daughter, when she was much younger, loved reading all about fairy books and Tinker Bell and anything fairy-related,” she said. “I thought, ‘Wow, it would be great if we could create this magical place in the beautiful gardens that we have.'”
Each of the fairies has a backstory, a job, a favorite flower and a name that draws on folklore and cultures from around the world. Halo is a night fairy who loves the lavender flower, Dakari is the happy builder fairy who loves marigolds and Nahele is a tree fairy with a Native American name whose favorite flower is a strawflower.
Micciche’s daughter, now in college, is still involved with crafting the stories and themes behind each fairy door.
“We have something we’ve grown together with,” Micciche said. “So far, we love watching people come through and enjoying the gardens and finding fairy doors.”
Leu Gardens membership and volunteer coordinator Colin Worley and a friend crafted the doors, which were then sent to a local artist for painting and decoration. Ultimately, the event proves to be a team effort.
“You have Emma and I writing the stories, Colin and Jeff building the doors, and then that all goes to our artist, who then takes the stories and molds the doors into what she sees from what we’ve written,” Micciche said. “For us, it’s rewarding to see this coming alive. We’re building a beautiful story.”
What started as a small spark of wonder at Leu Gardens has turned into a yearly tradition that visitors have come to love—and the interest goes beyond young guests.
“What I love about it is I find a lot of adults coming to find the Fairy Doors,” Micciche said. “I never realized it would be for people of all ages. It created an element of magic, like the magic of Disney, in our gardens.”
This year, Leu Gardens guests can enjoy extended hours in the gardens on Thursday evenings from 5-8 p.m. and special Fairy Nights on July 19 and August 16, during which guests can meet “real fairies,” create art and find pop-up food vendors.
