Azaleas Tour
Jason & Lisa McEwenRVers looking for a day trip in NE Florida should add Ravine Gardens State Park to their list. This park becomes a hotspot in February, when the azaleas the park is known for are in full bloom.
RV Lifestyle and Repair Contributors Lisa and Jason McEwen explored the park while they were RVing with their kids nearby and offer you a glimpse of the park’s natural beauty.
Ravine Gardens State Park: Overview
Throughout the 59-acre park, you’ll find a maze of natural beauty. As you begin your journey, you’re welcomed by a fountain and stone arches surrounded by the park’s iconic azaleas.
From January through March, these vibrant blooms are scattered throughout the park. Some in well-manicured gardens and others in a more natural, jungle-like landscape. The azaleas have a rolling bloom and top out at 50 to 70% of the plants blooming simultaneously – with its peak usually arriving in late February. You’ll see 14 different varieties of azaleas, some of which are decades old.
A 2-mile paved trail wraps around the park, but some of the best sights are off the beaten trail on narrow paths like this one. And while you’ll see plenty of blooms tucked in the woods, you’ll find other natural wonders, too. Two ravines trickle through the property, with 120-foot banks on either side and steep staircases that wind you through the park’s ecosystem.
One of the more iconic features inside the park is its two suspension bridges. These narrow, swaying bridges sit over vast vegetation, natural ponds, and picnic areas.
Ravine Gardens State Park: Origin Story
All of these efforts, the bridges, azaleas, and vast trail system began in 1933, funded by Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. It’s one of nine state parks in Florida created with emergency funding doled out by the federal government in an attempt to manage the economic fallout created by the Great Depression.
Today, it’s a popular park, with people coming from miles away to wander through its unique and beautiful vistas that simply can’t be seen anywhere else. One of the advantages of RV travel is the ability to visit off-the-beaten-path locations like this one.
Hello, RVI. Thanks for joining us. Today. We have decided to venture away from the campground and go on a little day trip. Welcome to RV, Lifestyle and Repair.
I'm Lisa mcewen. Today's trip takes us to Ravine Garden State Park. It's in the northeast section of Florida. We've decided to come out here for a very particular reason. This park is known for its azalea blooms every February, a whole bunch of azaleas that are planted throughout the park bloom in that particular month.
So we're going to take you and our family out to explore throughout the 59 acre park. You'll find a maze of natural beauty as you begin your journey, you're welcomed by a fountain and stone arches surrounded by the park's iconic azaleas from January through March. These vibrant blooms are scattered throughout the park, some in well manicured gardens and others in a more natural jungle like landscape. The azaleas have a rolling blue and top out at 50 to 70% of plants blooming simultaneously with its peak. Usually arriving in late February, you'll see 14 different varieties of azaleas, some of which are decades old.
A two mile paved trail wraps around the park. But some of the best sites are off the beaten trail on narrow paths like this one. And while you see plenty of blooms tucked inside the woods, you'll find other natural wonders too. Two ravines trickle through the property with 120 ft banks on either side. One of the more iconic features inside the park is its two suspension bridges.
These narrow swaying bridges sit over vast vegetation, natural ponds and picnic areas. All of these efforts, the bridges, Azaleas and vast trail system began in 1933 funded by Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. It's one of nine state parks in Florida created with emergency funding doled out by the federal government in an attempt to manage the economic fallout created by the Great Depression. Today, it's a popular park with people coming from miles away to wander through its unique and beautiful vistas that simply can't be seen anywhere else. Well, that was our tour of Ravine Garden State Park.
We really enjoyed ourselves. And if you happen to be in this neck of the woods, it's certainly well worth your time to come out. Even if it's not February, it's a great park to explore. It's got so many trails and so much nature to offer until next time.
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