GARDENS: Ravine Gardens State Park
Explore the deep ravine and gardens at Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka Florida. Page 1.
Ravine Gardens State Park is located in Palatka Florida, a town we've driven through a million times on our way to the east coast beaches.
Normally we're in a hurry to get to the beach so we've always driven right on through Palatka on the main highway without stopping to investigate. The fact that Palatka is home to a stinky old paper mill did little to encourage our interest in the town.
One of the benefits of publishing this site for us is that researching these articles has helped us break stuffy old habits and open our minds to new adventures.
Ravine Gardens State Park is famous for it's azaleas, so when the spring azalea blooming season arrived this year we overcame our routine and made a special trip to Palatka to visit the park.
This 150 acre park was developed during the Great Depression of the 1930's as a cooperative effort between the federal government and the city of Palatka.
The park's creation was part of a nationwide effort to stimulate the economy with public works projects, and a number of Florida's state parks were created or significantly improved during this era.
Even in the midst of those very difficult times, when money and hope were both in short supply, that generation found a way to leave a beautiful natural legacy to us. Let's hope we can live up to their example.
A park brochure explains that workers planted over 95,000 azalea bushes in Ravine Gardens and the park was declared the nation's outstanding CWA (Federal Civil Works Administration) project.
As soon as you enter the park you pass by, or through, the Court of States, a long palm lined walkway displaying the flags of many nations.
The Court of States leads you by a gift shop, and towards the Campbell Civic Center, a picnic area and a series of formal gardens. The formal gardens area of the park is close to parking and can be accessed on level ground without much walking.
The formal gardens start off on level ground and then begin to descend, level by level, down into the ravine.