Shangri-La Springs, a historic property in downtown Bonita Springs, is again offering organic garden tours twice a week.
The one-hour tours are led by Cecelia Morales, organic garden manager, and include a sensory-based walking tour around the garden’s subtropical, tropical, annual and perennial crops and orchard with information on “what makes a garden” including organic garden methods and permaculture principles.
Tours, which must be scheduled in advance, are 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and are limited to 20 people. Pricing is $15 per person. Closed-toe shoes, masks, sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen), and refillable water bottles are recommended.
A Southwest Florida native, Morales brings a wealth of organic and sustainable gardening knowledge to the tours. Prior to joining Shangri-La Springs, Morales was a nursery caretaker and plant retailer at Fruit Scapes Nursery in Bokeelia, where she cultivated and maintained a variety of local and imported fruits and plants. While attending Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Morales dedicated more than three years to the university’s Food Forest, a student-run sustainable permaculture garden, where she assisted in food cultivation and served as the service-learning coordinator. She received her degree in elementary education from Florida Gulf Coast University and certification in permaculture design in 2017.
“I love getting people passionate about growing their own food and getting to share my experiences in the garden,” Morales said.
In addition, an organic market is held at Shangri-La Springs on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon, featuring limited quantities of garden harvests that can include herbs, perennial vegetables, fruits, and leafy green annuals. All sales are cash-only.
For information on organic garden tours and the organic market, call 239-949-0749.
About Shangri-La Springs
Built in 1921, Shangri-La Springs offers a variety of unique services including a stately property with an organic garden, fitness studio, organic restaurant, full-service organic spa, gift shop and a meeting, event and wedding venue. The award-winning property was noted in Gulfshore Life magazine’s 2020 Best of the Gulfshore Lee County as a finalist for Best Event Venue, Best Historical Site and Best Day Spa and the organic restaurant Harvest & Wisdom was named Best Healthy/Organic Restaurant and finalist for Best Key Lime Pie, Best New Restaurant and Best Farm to Table Restaurant. Naples Daily News 2019 and 2020 Best of Bonita/Estero awarded GOLD for Best Event Venue and SILVER for Best Day Spa. Harvest& Wisdom was awarded GOLD for Best Farm to Table restaurant. The Blue Zones Project® recognized organization specializes in offering guests a nexus of beneficial practices, activities and engagement opportunities that include wellness classes, art shows and special programs. A range of natural and organic treatments and products including facials, massages and private garden lounge are offered at the Spa at Shangri-La Springs. The organic farm-to-table restaurant Harvest & Wisdom, with an ever-changing menu crafted with produce fresh from the on-site garden, is currently unavailable. The historic property is undergoing interior renovations to open as a full-service boutique hotel that will feature 21 guest rooms in the Great House. Renovations are also underway for six guest rooms in Villa Ascona, a building positioned near the property’s courtyard, perfect for spa weekends or wedding party accommodations. Shangri-La Springs is located at 27750 Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs. For more information call 239-949-0749 or visit www.ShangriLaSprings.com
