Eden Gardens State Park

Hugging the wild shoreline of Tucker Bayou at Point Washington, Eden Gardens is a delight from many perspectives.

The park centers around the historic Wesley House, an elegant two-story mansion built by timber baron William Henry Wesley in 1897.

Wesley House

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Restored in the 1960s by Lois Maxon, a wealthy lady with a taste for French provincial, the home contains the second-largest collection of Louis XVI furniture in the United States.

The mansion is surrounded by formal gardens, including a Hidden Garden with statuary, a Rose Garden with brick pathways, and a large lily pond.

A formal lily pond

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Overview

Directions

About the Park

“It’s a perfect day for snakes,” says Ranger Rich, and the two ladies with us look uncomfortable.

“In here?” one asks, hesitantly. The ranger grins.

“No, under the house. They like it when it warms up!”

And so our tour starts at the Wesley House, an elegant two-story home from 1897 dressed up in a French Provincial wrapper.

Library at the Wesley House

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New York heiress Lois Maxon bought the neglected home in the 1960s, restoring it and filling it with what’s now the second-largest collection of Louis XVI furnishings in America.

Among the treasures on display are a hand-carved 1840 rosewood loveseat and a late-1800s Chippendale bedside table.

Fireplace in the sitting room

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Outside, lush, cultivated formal gardens establish the grandeur of the estate, which itself is shaded by grandfather oaks.

The Rose Garden has winding brick pathways and statuary. The Azalea Garden flourishes beneath gnarled old live oaks.

The Rose Garden

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A reflection pond draw attentions to plantings in the midst of the grand lawn, while the Hidden Garden offers an interesting bronze statue amid the camellias.

A Camellia Garden lines the entrance road out to the far parking area. Follow the pathway beyond it out to an observation deck on Tucker Bayou.

Camellia bloom

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Off a side road along the entrance road, the day use area is in a shaded nook along the bayou with its own observation deck.

Picnic pavilions are tucked beneath the trees. Paddlers are welcome to put in and explore the needlerush-lined shores of Tucker Bayou, which connects to Choctawhatchee Bay.

Bayou and bay beyond

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This is the starting point for the Tucker Bayou Trail, a mazy loop of not quite a mile around an arm of the bayou and through uplands above it.

Tucker Bayou Trail Starting on the edge of Tucker Bayou, an easy-to-follow nature trail tunnels into dense uplands habitats with striking autumn leaves.

Trail Map

Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Eden Gardens State Park

Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Point Washington State Forest Protecting the upland watersheds of the Coastal Dune Lakes along the South Walton coastline, Point Washington State Forest offers extensive offroad biking and hiking trails

Florida Trail, Nokuse 27.7 miles. Spanning from the Choctawhatchee River west to the boundary of Eglin Air Force Base, Nokuse is a compelling backpacker's destination in the Florida Panhandle.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park With one of Florida's most beautiful sweeps of beach, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is a linear preserve with tall dunes along three miles of shoreline.

Timpoochee Trail Showcasing the beauty of the South Walton coastline, the Timpoochee Trail connects coastal communities while leading cyclists past Florida's renowned Coastal Dune Lakes