The Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

Mid-August is probably not the best time to visit a state park and garden in Florida, but I found my recent visit to the Washington Oaks Gardens State Park very enjoyable.  There were not a lot of flowers blooming, but a lot of the park was in the shade of large old trees and was a pleasurable walk.
 
   Entry path to the Gardens © 2010 Dave Collins
The Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is located in Palm Cove on the eastern shore of Florida and is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Mantanzas River, with State Route A1A running through it.  The actual gardens themselves make up a very small portion of the total park but are plenty big for a stroll on a hot day.
Below are some of the images from the gardens.

                                                  Gazebo in the Garden  © 2010 Dave Collins

Rose Garden © 2010 Dave Collins

                                    Chair on the porch of the welcome center  © 2010 Dave Collins
             © 2010 Dave Collins
There are many large trees and many palm trees throughout the gardens.  These two photographs are of a beautiful Live Oak tree in the garden.  It was the largest individual tree that I saw while I was there.
© 2010 Dave Collins
                                                    © 2010 Dave Collins
There were many interesting and beautiful things to see in the gardens, even in mid-August.  I didn’t get to the rest of the park, but I’m planning a trip for next spring when all of the azaleas and many other flowers will be in bloom.  Hopefully, it will not be a very humid 100 degrees like it was on this visit.