Cultural Trinity: Make a Day (or Three) of It!

With the season winding down, Vero’s "Cultural Trinity": McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach Museum of Art, and Riverside Theatre is entering that sweet spot:

Fewer crowds, a full slate of events, and a run of weekends that practically plan themselves.

Pick a day, pick a place, and go.

McKee Botanical Garden: Florigami + Pirate & Fairy Festival

Florigami in the Garden, McKee’s centennial exhibition, is in its final stretch and closes May 24. This is the time of year when the garden feels almost theatrical: the canopy is fully leafed out, the light is softer, and the sculptures seem to sit in their own pool of glow, so every turn in the path feels like a new discovery. If you’ve been meaning to go, treat this as a hard deadline. Pick a morning, wander slowly, and leave room to double back to the pieces you loved the most.

Then there's Saturday, May 9: McKee's 15th Annual Pirate & Fairy Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., built for kids who love a costume and parents who want an easy win. Dress in your fairy finest or swashbuckling best for a day of games, make-and-take crafts, entertainment, and fairy hair stations. Costumes are encouraged but not required. If somebody throws on wings or a bandana in the car, you're all set.

Take action: Choose a day for Florigami before May 24, and circle May 9 for the Pirate & Fairy Festival. Put it on the calendar, tell the kids, and commit. More information at mckeegarden.org.

Vero Beach Museum of Art: Film, Conversation, and Summer on the Horizon

That same Saturday, May 9, VBMA is offering one of those afternoons that feels like a bonus: a free screening of The Painted Life of Gregory Gillespie from 2 to 4 p.m. as part of its Second Saturday program. It’s the first full-length documentary on this late-20th-century painter and iconoclast, with director Evan Goodchild in the room and a post-film conversation with VBMA Board Chair Rick Segal, who knew Gillespie and was a producer on the film. It’s the sort of program you leave feeling like you’ve been quietly let in on something.

While you’re there, sketch out your summer. James Prosek: At Work opens July 11 and runs through October 25, tracing three decades of work by the Connecticut-based artist, naturalist, and writer whose life-size fish paintings — watercolor and gouache on tea-stained paper — have appeared at the Smithsonian, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Take action: Reserve your spot for the May 9 Second Saturday screening here, and while you’re there, mark James Prosek: At Work in your July calendar so it doesn’t get lost in the summer shuffle.

Riverside Theatre: Last Chance for 9 to 5, First Look at

Next Season

If 9 to 5: The Musical has been sitting on your “we really should get tickets” list, consider this your notice. The final show of the 2025/26 season runs through May 10.

Season tickets for 2026–27 are on sale now, and buying early is both smart and a better deal: buy early, lock in your preferred seats, and keep those nights from getting crowded out. Fill out this form and a member of the box office will personally assist you in putting together your perfect season.

Take action: Pick a performance of 9 to 5 and book it, then fill out this form to secure your 2026–27 season seats while the best options are still open.