In 1938, amateur botanist and world traveler Albert Greenburg established a botanical garden with tropical plants around springs that fed a lush floodplain forest along Six Mile Creek. Years later, he started the first tropical fish farm in Florida in the springs, and in 1967 donated the 31-acre site to the county. Construction of the Tampa Bypass Canal ruined the hydrology of the springs, so they rarely ever flow, but the gardens remain. They include the largest publicly owned collection of ferns in Florida, a rose garden, and an orchid room, as well as boardwalks winding through a lush floodplain forest of maples, cypresses, and tupelo.
Resources
Overview
Location: Tampa
Length: 0.3 mile
Lat-Long: 28.006965, -82.343871
Type: Loop
Fees / Permits: entry fee
Difficulty: easy
Bug factor: moderate
Restroom: yes
Open 8-6 daily except major holidays, free. 6400 Eureka Springs Road, Tampa, FL 33610; (813) 744-5536.
Directions
From I-4, exit onto US 301 north and drive to the first traffic light, Sligh Avenue; turn right, and right again, then follow the signs.
Estero Scrub Preserve State Park
