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Flamingo feeding at Sunken Gardens

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

St. Petersburg      ( 27.790007,-82.63789 )      

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A delight to visit when we were kids, Sunken Gardens is now a county park preserving more than a century’s worth of botanical beauty in the city of St. Petersburg.

An oasis that began by reclaiming the bottom of a sinkhole, it weaves winding trails through lush tropical plantings and waterfalls.


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

50 Hikes in Central Florida Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: St. Petersburg
Trailhead: 27.790007,-82.63789
Address: 1825 4th St North, St. Petersburg
Fees: $12 adults, $10 seniors, $6 ages 2-11
Land Manager: City of St. Petersburg
Phone: 727-551-3102

Open Mon-Sat 10-4:30, Sun noon-4:30. Free parking. Gardens may close during bad weather.


Directions

 
Following Interstate 375 into downtown St. Petersburg, merge onto 4th Avenue North. Turn left onto 3rd Street North and make a left from that onto 5th Avenue North. Turn right onto 4th Street North and follow it north for 0.8 mile to the entrance on the right.

About the Park

Established in 1903 by George Turner Sr. in the bottom of a sinkhole, Sunken Gardens incorporates both tropical and native plantings.

The mixture creates a lush palette of colors, textures, and aromas. Mazy pathways across the six acres keep you entertained with niche gardens and walls of blooms.

Significant among the flora here are the bougainvillea and Cuban royal palms, some of the oldest in Florida.

On the winding paths of Sunken Gardens
On the winding paths of Sunken Gardens

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Slideshow

See our photos of Sunken Gardens


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Palm Arboretum

Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum

A lush oasis on St. Petersburg’s Tampa Bay waterfront, the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum features a bounty of palm species in a small space

Florida Botanical Gardens

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.

Path at Boyd Hill Park

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.

Footpath leading through ferns

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

Official Website

Category: Central Florida, City Parks, Gardens, Natural AttractionsTag: Best Family Hikes, Big Trees, Birding, Botanical, Family-Friendly, Favorites, Sinkholes, St. Petersburg, Wildlife Viewing

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Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Lengthy boardwalk heading towards mangrove flats

John R. Bonner Nature Park

John R. Bonner Nature Park
Boardwalk framed by live oaks and saw palmetto

George McGough Nature Park

George McGough Nature Park
Leaning sand pines in scrub

Balm Boyette Nature Preserve

Balm Boyette Nature Preserve
Dock edged by mangroves

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Maximo Park

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