The Florida Botanical Gardens

Nisheet and I had some guests in town for the weekend, and we wanted to show them that Florida has more to offer than just beaches and amusement parks. After looking at a couple options, we ended up taking them to the Pinellas County Florida Botanical Gardens. We had previously been to Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg, but the Florida Botanical Gardens is closer, larger, and free, so we had to check it out! [Admission and Parking = FREE]

There are a couple parking options at the Florida Botanical Gardens, and we randomly chose a lot and parked on the east side. Although it worked out perfectly for us, if you also want to check out Heritage Village (which I really really want to explore one day), I’d suggest parking on the west side as it is in a more central location. But I digress. We parked on the east side and made a gigantic loop never going on the same path twice.

We started with a stroll along the tropical walk which was beautiful with bright, bold flowers and shaded trickling creeks. It reminded me a lot of Sunken Gardens, and I would have been perfectly happy if the entire Florida Botanical Gardens was comprised of the tropical walk.

At the end of the tropical walk, we came across the Cactus & Succulent Garden. Although some of the flowers we had seen up to this point seemed to be struggling a bit in the sweltering heat, this garden was thriving. The desert rose was my favorite with its bright pink blooms an pale stalks.

A little further down the path was McKay Creek. Although it didn’t have any flowers blooming and we never spotted an alligator, this was my favorite part of the Florida Botanical Gardens. We stood a the pavilion for ages taking everything in. At first glance, all you see is lush green vegetation surrounding and covering the water. But then you start to see the wildlife. There are fish, turtles, snakes, birds, butterflies…

After crossing over the creek, we entered into the West Gardens. It very well could have been due to the heat and lack of shade, but I didn’t enjoy the West Gardens as much. Don’t get me wrong though. They were very lovely and aren’t to be missed. Just not my favorite part.

First up was the Butterfly Garden. I guess the plants in this area attract butterflies, but honestly, I saw butterflies throughout the entire Florida Botanical Gardens. The flowers were beautiful though. The welcome center and gift shop was also located here, but they are evidently closed on weekends. Bummer!

 

We then wandered through a small section of native plants (which wasn’t that impressive since I see them all the time) and over to a vegetable garden. The veggie garden is in raised beds, and they had signs posted that demonstrations take place at certain times. It would have been interesting to watch a demonstration, but I think those only take place during the week. The Herb Garden and Tropical Fruit Garden followed, but we went through them pretty quickly because of the heat and lack of shade.

Luckily after we crossed back over into the East Gardens we were rewarded with some shade and breeze in the wetlands. It wasn’t particularly interesting as it was just trees surrounding a raised wooden walkway, but I did enjoy looking at the fun faces on the trees.

Our last section of the Florida Botanical Gardens was the Wedding Garden. It was lovely and beautiful just as you would expect with a large grass (fake) lawn in the center surrounded by gorgeous flowers.

Overall, I really enjoyed the couple hours we spent exploring the gardens, and I will certainly be back. But, perhaps on a cooler day and maybe earlier in the year before the flowers become stressed from the heat. (You would think we would have learned our lesson last year when we visited the Sunken Gardens on a hot day). I will also bring a picnic next time because there are several spots with lawn chairs or picnic tables that would have been perfect to pause at for a light lunch. One last thing, next time I’ll leave more time so I can also explore Heritage Village!

Florida Botanical Gardens Packing List

• Water
• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Camera
• Picnic