Welcome to the Real Florida
A few weeks ago I participated in a 5k walk with my walking group at Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka, Florida. We hiked into the ravines and enjoyed the natural beauty of our state.
This stunning park was created in a natural ravine area in order to attract visitors to Florida during the Great Depression - long before DisneyWorld was established as an attraction! The gardens were formally opened in 1933 and featured over 270,000 plants which were planted in the formal gardens and in the two ravines. The park is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the ravine area has been allowed to revert to a natural state, but many azaleas still bloom there from the original plantings in the 1930’s. There are still formal gardens around the ravine.
There are two ravines within the park with depths of up to 120 feet. The banks are very steep in some areas - with up to 45 degree angles. Whitewater Branch is a spring-fed creek which has formed the ravines and it never runs dry because it is spring-fed.
The park with its four trails is a great place for hiking and picnicking. Also, a 1.8 mile road around the ravines is ideal for cycling and viewing the ravines by car.
So if you are thinking of visiting Florida, do remember that there is a lot more to see than the theme parks of Orlando!
Swim at your own risk!
Azalea buds.
Native spiderwort.
Wild dewberry flowers.
Native blanket flower.
Pink azaleas.
Pink Azaleas.
Welcome to the real Florida!
Whitewater Branch - a spring-fed creek.
Ravine Gardens Mural.
Whitewater Branch.
This says it all!
A suspension bridge on one of the hiking trails.
Steps to a hiking trail.
More azaleas.
I thought there would be alligator shots :D
Alligators or not, these are excellent photos of this beautiful place.
Thanks for the kind words! No alligators around that day!
Hiya stranger!
Hiya!It’s good to see some familiar names! I took a little time off, and then life got in the way. I'm determined now to try to post a few posts a week - maybe one a day. I certainly have a lot to write about!
Great, nice to see people returning back to hive!
Beautiful images, Diane. That suspension bridge made me dizzy, and I'm sitting down.
Great to see you again!
Same. I’ve missed your fantastic photos.
Thanks! Are you not posting photos anymore? I enjoyed seeing your work too. I became too driven before and had to take a break because other things were being ignored. I'm trying to balance everything I do. I don't have the time anymore to be posting several times a day. Retirement (or semi-retirement in my case) takes up a lot of time. Lol!
I have not really been posting photos for quite awhile, or posting much of anything for that matter. I'm retired, and have to agree with you...I have little to no time for anything. I can't believe I used to work full time and take pictures. I did take a lot of those photos on walks at work during lunchtime, so I don't have that opportunity any longer. My camera is out currently and the bluebonnets are blooming, so I might take a few photos soon. Take care!
I look forward to seeing the bluebonnets. I’ve got a bit lazy about photography, I have to admit. I have loads downloaded to the computer from my DSLR, but have not found the time to edit them yet as I use camera RAW for everything. It is so much easier to use my IPhone, although I don’t have quite the same amount of control.
Hi @dmcamera,
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Thanks for that update! I will check you out on the website!!
So many pretty flowers. Thanks for sharing this beautiful part of Florida.
Thanks for stopping by!