Florida is blessed with so much natural beauty. It is also home to numerous magnificent, well-tended gardens. They preserve history and celebrate nature among other things. These spots are great for family outings and road trips. In fact, one Florida site named most stunning Botanical Gardens in the United States, might surprise you. It is Alfred B Maclay Gardens in Tallahassee.
I was in Tallahassee a couple of years ago and a friend suggested a visit to the gardens. I had no idea what I was in for. It was gorgeous, and massive. There are all kinds of manicured shrubs, a secret garden, a reflecting pool and a huge lake. You can kayak in that lake, fish, swim and picnic on its shores. In addition, there are hundreds of colorful and fragrant azaleas, camellias and other flora. Alfred B. and Louise Maclay planted the gardens in 1923. They were snowbirds.
This is the reflecting pool at Alfred B. Maclay Gardens. It was surrounded with ladies doing yoga when we first arrived. Wow. This is perfect for yoga and meditation.
More Florida botanical gardens
Two more Florida sites made it into the top 20 rankings. They are a little closer to home. One is Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota. It ranks 17th. The other is Sunken Gardens in St. Pete. It ranks 18th in the nation. Put them both on your list if you have not been.
The list was put together by Pergola Kits USA using data from Tripadvisor. They combed through reviews looking for key words. The words included descriptions such as “stunning”, “impressive”, “gorgeous”, and breath-taking” to name a few. Next, the gardens were ranked according to the percentage of the keywords found in the reviews.
“We hope this data analysis encourages you to explore a new botanical garden and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors,” said a spokesperson from Pergola Kits USA.
Finally, here is how the rest of the top five list rounds out. Enjoy.
