Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

Originally owned by Louise and Owen Young, they built the area into a tropical and native plant paradise. Their home, property and unique gardens all can together as a state park when they donated the land to the state in 1965. Ever since then, improvements have been made to this amazing northeast coast Florida state park.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is a great place to visit as you travel down one of Florida's most scenic roads, A1A. Beachfront Avenue, as it's known by locals, travels from Florida's northern most tip on the east coast, all the way to the bottom of the state, hovering as near to the beach as possible for some spectacular driving.

Nearby the park is Marineland, home to the original dolphin encounters and shows. The park has many great marine life displays and aquatic adventure for the whole family. Visit this small aquarium for a cheap adventure that gets you the most bang for your buck.

But the park could draw crowds without all the great amenities around Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. The park itself is home to some of Florida's most unique coastlines. Coquina shell is a rock formation caused by the shells, pressure, time and sand. These formations replace the typical beach sand you find on most Florida beaches. Hollowed out tubes and tunnels snakes their way along these twisted and strange formations by the sea. Many photographers come from miles around to take pictures of these exotic and beautiful rock formations.

Once you've had your fill of the sea, move inland to the gardens and trails that wind their way around the interior of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. The formal gardens were the centerpiece of the Young's home. Exotic and native species of plants live side by side in this amazing display of beauty.

Dip on further back into the wilds as you explore one of the hiking trails. Bikes and hikers share these 1.7 and .5 miles trails that explore some of Florida's most diverse and wild places left on the east coast. Mature coastal hammocks, dense canopied coastal shrubs and estuarine tidal marshes are just a few of the distinct communities of habitat that thrives in the park.

All of the outdoor adventure will probably leave you with an appetite. Stop by one of the parks picnic pavilions for a nice afternoon lunch. A playground next to the picnic tables allows the kids to enjoy themselves while dad cooks hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill.

For information on directions to the park, hours of operations or fees, visit the official Washington Oaks Gardens State Park website here.