Enchanted Fairy Doors return to Leu Gardens
For third year, visitors will feel magic
Visitors to Orlando’s Leu Gardens may feel a certain magical presence as they wander the 50-acre grounds, as the Enchanted Fairy Doors have returned to the urban botanical oasis.
For the third year, fairies have taken up residence in the gardens, building 20 different doors representing their unique personalities and traits.
There’s Cassian, the creative book fairy, who apparently has curly crimson hair, bright blue eyes and colorful wings. Another resident is Shaylee, the fairy princess who keeps order and peace in the gardens. Or there’s Kaito, the pollinator fairy who assists bees and butterflies in pollinating plants.
Visitors might not catch a glimpse of a real fairy, but the doors are colorful indicators of their presence. Just be sure not to touch any of their doors — they don’t open, at least for humans, anyway.
Robert Bowden, director of Leu Gardens, said news of Orlando’s lush grounds has spread among the fairy community.
“Apparently word got out in the fairy business and they’re looking for a nice place to come where there’s lots of shade and beautiful flowers, and what better place than Leu Gardens,” he said. “The fairies have placed their doors in locations that are sometimes a little bit out of the way, but well worth the walk.”
Bowden is known to speak in whispered terms about the fairies, especially if young ears are around. But Tracy Micciche, marketing and special events coordinator at Leu Gardens, was able to speak more candidly about the fairies’ reemergence.
“It wasn’t slated to happen this year, we wanted to give it kind of a rest. We have a lot of calls and when COVID came out, we figured maybe we should bring it back,” she said. “We know our visitors enjoy it, especially the community in Orlando.”
She first brought the idea for the doors to Leu Gardens three years ago with the help and handiwork of membership coordinator Colin Worley. Micciche writes backstories for the fairies, then Worley crafts the wooden doors before they’re sent to an artist to be painted and decorated.
That’s the magical element for Leu’s staff — sending the doors away and seeing exactly what comes back.
“We see the pieces of wood that go out — the outline of the door — but we have no idea how the artist is going to paint it, how she’s going to bring that 3D image and really make it a true door,” Micciche said.
Each year, in creating the Fairy Doors, Micciche’s daughter Emma has served as a creative force and a big help in crafting the fairies’ tales.
“My daughter Emma is my total inspiration. Her love of fairy doors when she was younger was phenomenal,” Micciche said. “Every year, she still continues to help me with the stories … We do a lot of research on names and really try to put a lot of different cultures in there.”
In honoring her efforts, Emma always has a door named after her, and she becomes the gardens’ animal fairy.
Ultimately, this imaginative exhibit helps to drive visitation during the hot summer months.
“We want to give kids something to do and something to look for. They’re getting exposed to why there’s a botanical garden in Orlando and the need for such a thing,” Micciche said. “It drives membership, it will drive admissions during the summer months. With COVID, this is a great opportunity for people to feel safe and come out and walk the gardens, even in the hot summer months.”
In the future, there might be even more fairies making appearances in Orlando’s urban botanical gem.
“We do have plans one day to do winter fairies. We have a whole idea for that,” Micciche said. “We’ve even talked about good versus evil fairies in the gardens, there are all kinds of things you can do.”
The Enchanted Fairy Doors exhibit will be visible through Oct. 31 at 1920 North Forest Ave. in Orlando. The exhibit is included with Leu Gardens admission, which costs $10 for adults and $5 for ages 4-17 (free ages 3 and younger). The gardens offer free admission on the first Monday of each month. Call 407-246-2620 or visit leugardens.org to learn more.