The Fruit & Spice Park was the realization of one woman’s vision to create a showcase for the rich agricultural bounty and heritage of the area known as Redland. Mary Calkins Heinlein came from a family of pioneer homesteaders in Redland which got its name from the reddish color of its soil. Redland became the first lasting settlement of South Dade County as its sub-tropical climate created a unique agricultural environment able to produce a wide variety of exotic fruit.