Palatka
City Dock
“In every walk with
Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”―John Muir
We decided to stay in Palatka another day and explore the
Ravine Garden State Park. It's located in a ravine that was created over
thousands of years by water flowing from the sandy ridges on the shore of the
St. John’s. The CCC transformed this ravine into a garden in 1933. Described in
the 1934 Florida Municipal Record as the "Nations Outstanding Civil Works
Administration project," the 59 acre ravine was planted with over 95,000
azaleas including 64 varieties, 11,000 palm trees and more than 250,000
ornamental plants. The gardens were maintained by the City of Palatka until the
park was deeded to the State of Florida in 1970.
One of nine Florida state parks with New Deal Era
structures, Ravine Gardens is the only park with a formal designed landscape.
The extensive fieldstone terraces, rock gardens and massive cypress building
construction are typical of the era. Near the park entrance is The Court of
States and a 64-foot obelisk dedicated to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Much of the
original landscaping still exists as formal gardens and an extensive trail
system. The garden's peak flowering period is azalea season, late January to
April. We were a little too late to see the real beauty of the azaleas, but we
enjoyed hiking the trails of this beautiful park on such a wonderful morning.
Our morning view...the First Presbyterian Church has a wonderful site on the river.
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