Formerly a miniature golf course, this two-acre waterfront park just north of the Vinoy in St. Petersburg became a lush showcase of palms in 1976.
It’s now a pleasant park with paved paths to enjoy the Tampa Bay waterfront and the bounty of beauty that has filled in over nearly half a century.
Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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Overview
Location: St. Petersburg
Length: 0.3 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.782204,-82.625795
Address: North Shore Drive at 11th Ave NE, St. Petersburg
Fees: Free
Land Manager: City of St. Petersburg
Phone: 727-893-7441
Opens 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset and closes 11 PM. Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
Following Interstate 375 into downtown St. Petersburg, merge onto 4th Avenue North. Turn left on Beach Drive NE and continue 0.5 mile north. Turn right onto 10th Ave NE, which comes to a T with North Shore Drive in front of the park. A parking area sweeps around the gardens to the bay.
About the Park
Named for its primary benefactor, the arboretum was dedicated on May 16, 1977, Miss Gizella Kopsick’s 100th birthday.
It was a major improvement to a former waterfront attraction that has only grown more lovely with time.
Brick pathways wind through the two-acre park, where the breeze is constant off the water and the views are superb. Benches and a pergola are provided for relaxation and shade.
More than 500 palms and cycads represent over 100 species from around the world. As you walk through the gardens, you’ll find interpretive tags pointing out each species.
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos of Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Sunken Gardens
One of Florida’s oldest roadside attractions, Sunken Gardens is now a county park showing off more than a century’s worth of botanical bounty in St. Petersburg
Florida Botanical Gardens
Walk through the garden gates into a wonderland of sensory stimulation. With nearly 180 acres in the heart of Largo, the Florida Botanical Gardens is a place for peaceful immersion.
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
Once a zoo in St. Petersburg, Boyd Hill Park has 3 miles of trails looping through a mosaic of natural habitats and tropical landscapes along Lake Maggiore.
Sawgrass Lake Park
Explore a maple swamp and an oak hammock on a pair of family-friendly loops along boardwalks and footpaths that lead to a tower on Sawgrass Lake