Waldo's Secret Garden - Part 2: Garden Oasis & Hidden Stories

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A hidden garden can change the way a celebration feels. We sit with Charlotte at Waldo’s Secret Garden in Vero Beach and pull back the curtain on what it takes to run a 13-acre historic property that hosts romance by day and goosebumps by night. Two front acres are a polished wedding venue and living space; the back stretches into an old dairy with corridors, stories, and the kind of found history that complicates cleanup and sparks emotion. Charlotte talks openly about sorting inherited collections, when to call a junk crew, and why her rule is to leave old things alone unless they’re truly broken.

The magic here is flexibility without fuss. There are no rigid packages. Couples bring their own caterers, DJs, and alcohol, and Charlotte fills the gaps with a practical planning packet and trusted local referrals. We hear how the garden scaled to events approaching 3,000 people while protecting neighbor relationships and keeping the guest experience warm and personal. There’s a playful twist, too: ghost tours with Larry Lawson add a different kind of story to the grounds, the kind that makes a child whisper about a woman in the kitchen while the adults dance outside under lights. The venue draws inspiration from places like McMenamins—layered experiences, hidden corners, and the sense that multiple worlds can coexist if the operations are tight and the vision stays kind.

What truly sets Waldo’s apart is the feeling after the music fades. Charlotte admits to a soft sadness once the last guest leaves, a sign that connection happened and that the place held it well. First-time visitors say “this is amazing,” and she smiles from the shadows, hoping they don’t see the cracks she notices and lovingly tends. If you’re searching for Vero Beach wedding ideas, a historic Florida venue, outdoor events framed by trees, or a creative space that can host fairy-tale dinners one week and a haunted walk the next, this conversation captures the art and logistics of making memories without losing the soul of the site.

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Episode Transcript

Brian (00:00):
Welcome back to the Vero Beach podcast.
This is part two here atWaldo's Secret Garden.
See, I said Waldo, not Walden.
Waldo's Secret Garden withCharlotte.
So, Charlotte, tell us a littlebit about what the day-to-day
is like here.

Charlotte (00:13):
For someone like that doesn't, I'm gonna call it like
the ADHD thing, like I'll putmy cup down and go to start one
thing over there.
Before I know it, it's five.
That thing did not get done,but I'm like knee deep in trash,
like cleaning out one of thebarns.
Every day, you know, it's kindof as is.
Everything's okay right now.
I do not touch anything unlessit's broken because I'm it is so

(00:35):
old here.
Um, this house is over 60 yearsold, ours is over 120 years
old.
Yeah, it's usually just umgetting back to people like with
inquiries and trying to makeany type of like improvements,
small improvements anywhere.

Brian (00:50):
When you go through and you start cleaning out places,
is it just you?
Like, do you have others thathelp you?

Charlotte (00:56):
So, and I'll just say this for the listeners.
So, this is a 13-acre property.
The front, two acres, is awedding venue in our living
area, and this is all cleaned.
And the back of the property isall in old dairy, and there's
10,000 square foot buildingswith corridors inside that were
just filled to the brim becausemy mother was collecting a lot

(01:17):
of stuff, I think with theintention of selling it, but it
got really out of control andpsycho, honestly, at this point,
I'll say it.
But yeah, I am I'll go throughit.
The cleaning process is veryuh, it can evoke a lot of
emotion.
So I either have to hire a junkremoval company or just do it
by myself or have like a reallyclose friend come or my brother.

(01:40):
Yeah, yeah.

Brian (01:42):
You know, when you said about the cleaning process, I
didn't even think about this,and maybe you can shed some
light on it.
When it comes to having theseevents, like do you have a team
that does cleanup?
Like, how does that work?

Charlotte (01:51):
Yeah, we have people that come in, they're not always
here working since it'sseasonal.
Honestly, that part is supereasy.
Okay, so yeah, we just have ateam that comes in, cleans the
morning up.
We do all the trash maintenancein the evening, we have our own
dumpster, like just in-housefacility in the back.

Brian (02:06):
Wow, yeah, and now you know that you can have up to
3,000 people here for an event.
So you're like, oh, we canaccommodate for 3,000.
I know.

Shawna (02:14):
Was that your max, do you think, or do you think you
could fit even more people in?
I don't know.

Charlotte (02:17):
Yes or no?
I don't know because it waspeople in and out.

Shawna (02:20):
Oh, sure.

Charlotte (02:21):
Gotcha, yeah.
Yeah, so we probably could golike a little more.
Sorry, neighbors.

Brian (02:26):
Sorry neighbors.

Charlotte (02:28):
That's perfect.
Trying to be as good aspossible and and make money.

Brian (02:32):
I'm still just kind of blown away, like where we're
sitting right now because we'resitting right here with all the
gardens behind you, Charlotte.
I can see like all the bigplants and trees.

Charlotte (02:39):
I know, like the world is out there, yeah.

Brian (02:41):
But I you don't really recognize it except for you hear
it in a distance.

Shawna (02:44):
So did you come up with, did you and your family come up
with the Waldo's Secret Garden,or was it already named that?

Charlotte (02:49):
Actually, it was I wanted it to be a different
name.
And I think a florist we workwith, Lara, she started we
didn't have a name, and she juststarted calling it Waldo's
Secret Garden, and we were like,that works.
So yeah, absolutely.
And my mom had a floral companycalled Waldo's Garden.
Oh so, and I think it's reallyimportant to stay on brand.
Sure.

Brian (03:07):
Do you ever get like a kick when people are like call
you and are like, hey, where'sWaldo?

Shawna (03:11):
Yeah.

Charlotte (03:12):
Well, they're always looking for the driftwood, most
like some of the time.
Yeah.

Shawna (03:16):
Like, what do you mean you're on 12?
Yeah.
But I I love the name Waldo'sSecret Garden.
Number one, I love the bookSecret The Secret Garden, but
it's so appropriate because youare right here, but once you're
back here, it feels like you'rein a different world.
It does.

Charlotte (03:31):
It's just like this hammock that's just, you know,
encasing you.
Truly an oasis back here.
It truly is.

Shawna (03:38):
I really like the way you just described that too.

Brian (03:40):
Yeah, I love that too.
What do your guests often saywhen they visit for the first
time?

Charlotte (03:44):
Okay, so I love being like kind of not being probably
like hiding around corners andlistening to people.
And luckily, everyone is alwayslike, This is amazing.
And I'm like, Yes.
Because I'm a people placewhere I'm like, they like us,
like they don't see the cracksover there.
And because I'm just hypersensitive to that stuff, too.

Shawna (04:03):
Yeah, that would be so fun to like hide and just
listen.

Charlotte (04:06):
Yeah, just walking past people's conversations or
like this is so cool.

Brian (04:09):
This is okay.
So I was doing some searchingas we do, like when people reach
out, and I noticed you guyshave several different types of
events, like from weddings toghost tours.
Uh, I've noticed that's sofunny.

Charlotte (04:21):
The ghost tour guy just texts me.
Really?
Yeah, Larry Lawson.

Brian (04:24):
We're having one October 24th.
So I would love to know alittle bit about this and how do
you balance this variety ofevents that you do here?

Charlotte (04:32):
I'm so glad you asked that because we probably need
to drive here.
I don't know without lookinglike a total weirdo.
Um, because it can transforminto a wedding.
And I know that's confusingbecause at night we can turn
into like a really creepy ghosttour.
Both are true, but some peopledon't want to do that.

(04:53):
They don't want their weddingto be a ghost tour, exactly.
Yes.

Brian (04:57):
Is that really?
Is she really here?
Is that the woman in the whitedress?
Right, yeah.

Charlotte (05:02):
But I've got enough confidence right now that I
think it's working.
I think, yeah, I think itworks.

Brian (05:07):
Yeah, well, it's very, it's very it was very
interesting.
Like, wow, like they actuallyhave a mixture, like a variety
of things that they do here.
It's not just a wedding venuesplace.
So I thought that was reallyinteresting.

Charlotte (05:17):
Well, and I think to stay relevant and to keep a
business going, I think you haveto be open to whatever idea
people want to do.
Like, yeah, I toured with thesereally awesome girls.
They want to have like a fairytale book dinner thing with all
the as everybody dresses up asfairy tale uh characters, just
have a magical night under thestars or join it in other big
cities.

Shawna (05:37):
Is that the um is that the book talk girls?
Yes.
I have been following themonline and so I've seen like
their parties and stuff likethat.
Yeah, I'm gonna go to thehouse.
I was like, this soundsfantastic.

Charlotte (05:46):
But to go back to your question about like all the
different types of events, Iwas at this place in Portland
like 10 years ago calledMcMeneman's, and it was
basically the they have old debtfarms there.
I don't know if you've been.
No, these brothers bought themand turned them into like so.
Basically, what's happeninghere?
I tried to just I remembered itforever.
But like there'd be a weddinggoing on at the end of the

(06:08):
property, and Dave Matthews wasplaying like later that week at
another.
There's a you know, one closetyou could open, and there's a
little Hidden Grateful Dead bar.
So it was just a really neat,yeah.
There's a restaurant inside.

Brian (06:20):
Oh, that is so cool.

Charlotte (06:21):
I guess you would call it a pocket park, but wow,
that is so cool.
But a lot of things werehappening together that seemed
to work very well.

Shawna (06:29):
So, what makes a Waldo's wedding different from weddings
at other venues?

Brian (06:34):
Besides a ghost.

Charlotte (06:35):
Yeah, besides one, okay.
I've got to tell you onewedding story that happens, and
we certainly don't try likeprovoke any kind of ghost
storying, or we know we knowbetter, you know.
We can't help what it lookslike sometimes.
But but a man came up to me atthe reception with his daughter,
and he's like, Did you knowthat you have a woman in your
kitchen, like a ghost that mydaughter was just talking to?

(06:56):
And I was like, Oh yeah, yeah.
I was like, was everything okaythough?
Today, yeah.

Brian (07:03):
She's checked in, but she's never checked out.

Charlotte (07:05):
How old was the daughter?
Was she a little kid?
Little kid.
Yeah, little kids tend to see.
I've never seen a ghost herebefore, but this was a wedding
question.
It's always happens.
But yeah, what makes it specialis like the brides can do
anything.
Like, we are just they candream as big as they want here
as well, which is really nicebecause I know some places like

(07:26):
you can't touch that, you can'thave some special like, well,
don't burn the place down,obviously, like it would go up
really quick.
Yeah, otherwise, just whateverthey do, you know, it's their
day, they get to do whateverthey want.
That's so special.
They want so we don't have anytype of packages.
I've just always been a hugelike bring in whoever you want,
or I'll refer you, which I thinkis important.
Oh my god, baby raccoon justran by us.

(07:48):
No, this is why I love it.
But this is like a Disneyepisode.

Brian (07:51):
Um come over and start pulling on our pant leg.
Hey, excuse me, I got somethingto say.
Did you see that lady in thekitchen?

Shawna (07:58):
Yeah.

Brian (08:01):
He's part of your cleanup crew, right?
The raccoon, yeah.

Shawna (08:04):
Oh, yeah.

Brian (08:05):
So if someone wants to plan an event here and they
don't really know how to goabout it, what how do you guide
them?

Charlotte (08:10):
Oh, okay.
Well, this is important toobecause I have a like a packet
that I give people, whether ornot they book here, because I
think even if they don't bookwith us, it's important for the
economy around us.
Um, I just guide them.
Usually they only need caters,DJ, and they just have to bring
in their own alcohol.
So I really try to provideanything else for them that

(08:31):
would make it easier.
Yeah.

Brian (08:33):
Nice.

Charlotte (08:33):
That's so cool.

Brian (08:34):
That's good.
You really just kind of helpthem set them up, simplify it.
Because I can see how it couldbe very overwhelming for
somebody.
It's like, I want to do thisevent, but I have no idea what
to do.
Right.

Charlotte (08:43):
And I'm like, just find the music, the food, and
the alcohol.
And then the rest is even ifyou don't want to decorate,
there's enough lights, and yeah,that's cool.

Brian (08:51):
After the music fades and the guests leave from events,
what's the feeling that lingersaround for you?

Charlotte (08:57):
I kind of get sad.
Oh, really?
Which is interesting because Ispend half the day like a
nervous wreck, and I'm like, ohmy god, I don't want to talk to
anybody, I don't want to seeanybody.
And then everything is sowonderful.
It's just like this hugepositive, like spiritual feeling
when everyone's having such agood time, and then they leave
and it's quiet, and there's alittle bit of sadness, I will
say.

Brian (09:17):
Oh, wow.
Yeah, that's a beautiful thingtoo, though.
It just kind of tells shows thepeople like how much it means
to you as well that they'reenjoying Waterway Secret Garden.

Shawna (09:26):
So yeah, it truly is cool.
And really, I hope you neverlose that because it kind of
shows like how much you care.
Where you could imagine, likein like a corporate venue or
whatever, it's just another day.
People are here, people aregone, doesn't even pull it out.
Yeah, exactly.
So I think that makes it areally special place.

Charlotte (09:43):
Yeah, because at that point, I mean, well, we're not
like friends, we've beenplanning this event together and
you build these connections.

Shawna (09:48):
So and then you're like, now we're not gonna be talking
anymore.

Charlotte (09:51):
Yeah, and then they just go away, and then sometimes
they come back, and then youknow, it's like it's cool.
Yeah, that's cool.

Brian (09:57):
Well, listen, if anybody's tuned in and you've
been to Waldo's Secret Garden orthe Antique Barn and you have
not left a positive review yet,go do that because that helps
your local businesses, yourlocal neighbors here.

Charlotte (10:09):
Yeah, absolutely.

Brian (10:10):
All right.
Well, with that, we're gonna goahead and get ready to go into
part three where we're gonnatalk about Vero.
What you love about Vero, someof the collaborations you might
have.
If you guys are enjoying thepodcast, make sure you click
that review.
That helps your local podcastbe found by more people.

Shawna (10:23):
That's right, later, neighbor.