The Wandering Disciple

A colorful butterfly rests its wings on a cactus in the succulent garden at Sunken Gardens in downtown St Petersburg. The four acre botanical gardens in the heart of St Pete is home to many themed gardens including a butterfly garden which attracts the colorful butterflies. (Photo: January 1, 2020)

St Petersburg, Florida: This year's New Year's Day hike took on a little different feel. We traded in the traditional wilderness hike for a more civilized hike/walk.  The day started with an attempt of Busch Gardens and then ZooTampa but both options were full.  So we decided on a more quaint option in Sunken Gardens.  The hidden roadside attraction in the heart of downtown St Pete is a great way to kick off the New Year. The holiday made the gardens a lot fuller than we are used to, it was certainly manageable.  While most of the country is dealing with snow and miserable cold, the pathways were alive with colorful tropical plants in full bloom.  Each corner of the garden is home to bright colorful flowers making for a relaxing oasis. The gardens have been entertaining visitors for over 100 years and it is easy to see why.  A short walk around this place easily helps get you in a peaceful zen.  While it is quite the departure from our usual Ne...

As the old saying goes "April showers brings May flowers". While its not April, rain still brings life to the gardens. Here at Sunken Gardens, the flowers come to life in a dazzling display of color. The gardens feature four acres with over 500 types of tropical plants. (Photo: August 10, 2019)

St Petersburg, Florida: Took a leisurely Saturday stroll through the colorful gardens of Sunken Gardens. This original St Petersburg tourist attraction has been entertaining guest since the 1930's, making it one of the oldest tourist attractions on the west coast of Florida. Today the four acre botanical garden is home to over 500 types of tropical plants. A nice winding path leads you through the gardens with colorful flowers and birds around every corner. Sunken Gardens is located at 1825 4th Street North. It is open daily with the last admission sold at 4 pm. Admission to Sunken Gardens ranges from $10 for an adult to $4 for children. They have annual passes available which I highly recommend. We have one and not only does it allow you to come back to Sunken Gardens, it provides free access to botanical gardens nationwide. I have updated the photo gallery with new photos from today's visit. Click on the photo above to see the entire gallery of photos from Sunk...

Operating over a century, the tropical oasis of Sunken Gardens is one of the nation’s oldest roadside attractions. This colorful garden has been a gem in the heart of St Petersburg since the early 1900’s. (Photo: May 4, 2019)

St Petersburg, Florida: Nestled away in the heart of historic Old Northeast district of St Pete, the tropical oasis of Sunken Gardens has been entertaining visitors for over a century.  The botanical garden stands as a reminder of years gone by, a look back to when roadside attractions dotted the landscape. The gardens began life in 1903 when avid gardener George Turner Sr purchased a 4-acre plot of land in the northeast section of town.  He drained a shallow lake on the property to create his sunken garden.  Mr Turner then opened a nursery and it wasn't long before people were paying a nickel to see his gardens.  This transformed into the vision of a public garden and his tropical gardens became a roadside attraction in 1935 where guests would pay a quarter to stroll the tropical oasis.  The popularity of the attraction grew rapidly over the years, eventually become a top ten attraction in Florida.  Following Turner's death, the gardens were turned ov...