From '[Washington Oaks] Gardens [State Park]' to 'River to Sea [Preserve]'

From [Washington Oaks] 

Gardens [State Park] 

to 

River 

to 

Sea [Preserve]

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park [18/174]

River to Sea Preserve 

Palm Coast, FL

October 15, 2017

Introduction:

Hurricane Irma hit Florida on September 10, 2017 causing widespread damage on the wonderful state parks of Florida, especially on the east coast. It took weeks to get most of the parks re-opened, due to the damage, not to lack of response. I am subscribed to the listserv which sent out constant updates on closures/re-openings. Having already seen the aftermath at The Barnacle [Link Coming Soon] in Miami, I got to see more further up on the coast in Palm Coast, FL just south of St. Augustine.

I kept wavering on my travel itinerary. I knew I needed to hit up Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park and Seabranch Preserve State Park [Link Coming Soon] due to getting the parks pre-stamped earlier on the trip at Jonathan Dickinson State Park [Link Coming Soon]. Following those I could jump on the FL Turnpike and take the quickest route back to Tallahassee, but I've been getting excited about visiting the parks and filling up my passport. I decided to crawl North a tad bit more and hit up Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.

I was intrigued by the beach photo on the passport page. It looked neat with the rocks, and the gardens would be an added bonus. When I arrived, obviously the gardens were the main feature. They were positioned on the West side of Florida A1A and go along the Matanzas River. The ocean part of the park is on the East side of A1A. Due to Irma's damage, the ocean side was closed. It was also late enough in the day that the gardens were still open but no staff was on duty to get my passport stamped. At least below I have the pictures to prove I was there!

Since the ocean side being closed was a bummer, I kept traveling North on A1A to find a good place to stop on the ocean. The sun was setting, and it was a beautiful evening. I came across the River to Sea Preserve after a quick drive where there was a good amount of people out and about.

The Story:

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

The beauty of the gardens was jaw-dropping. It was way more stunning than I imagined. Of course the entrance could use a little work with all the mud, but I'm just being nitpicky. I almost forgot I was right at the ocean.

I parked in one of the first lots right at this walkway into the gardens. I didn't have a map on me, so I just meandered around.

I'm already impressed by the landscaping.

I come across this sign. It is #4 of what I find out to be 8 sections of the Washington Oaks Historic District. Here we go with #4: The Citrus Groves.

The next plant is Hamelia patens, more commonly known as firebush. The reason I know this is because I have it at my house! I got myself some firebush at Native Nurseries of Tallahassee a few months back. I was drawn, not only because it's cool looking, but also due to all of the butterflies it attracts. "Firebush is a showy, fast-growing, semi-woody evergreen shrub that can get up to 15 ft (4.6 m) tall under ideal conditions, but usually stays much smaller. It has whorled leaves, usually with three but occasionally as many as seven at each node." Source: Floridata Plant Encyclopedia

Gorgeous pond surrounded by firebush.

The next sign I come across is #3: The Studio. Heading backwards. Going in ascending number order would just be so boring.

Dazzling fountains, adorable bridges, gorgeous gazebos. Just enough man-made additions to enhance the beautiful plants.

Some flower close-ups:

I then come across this greenhouse where they have a plant sale once a month! This is apparently #6: The Greenhouse, where I missed the sign.

This is the park stage.

The gift shop was closed, but the outside is beautiful. It also brings us to #7: Mr. Young's Office.

Conveniently #8: Caretaker's Residence is immediately next to it. It looks like a tiny castle.

Hey I found a map of the full gardens!

This is the stop for #1: Coquina Columns. I can see how this would be the recommended starting point. I apparently missed the sign, but there are coquina columns around the park including in pictures you've already seen in this post. If you would like to read the sign, I found a picture of it on the internet. Basically it says that this is the "Gateway to the Washington Oaks Historic District" and that coquina is a sedimentary rock made out of sand, shells, and water.

Onto #2: Young Home. A brief history can be found on the signs below. Also from the FL State Parks website: 

"In 1936, the land known today as Washington Oaks Gardens State Park was bought and given to Louise Powis Clark by her husband Mr. Owen D. Young. Clark was a designer from New York and Young was an attorney and industrialist who had been chairman of the board of General Electric Corporation and RCA. He also advised the federal government on international monetary issues and was named 1929 Time Magazine "Man of the Year." The house, built in 1938, became a winter retirement home for Clark and Young. 

American Indians once used the water's edge as a rich food source. Hundreds of years later, the Youngs built their house facing the Matanzas River. Young would spend time relaxing by the water¿s edge with a pole in hand while watching the boats cruise up and down the river, also known as the Intracoastal Waterway."

Check out this coquina column!

From here, it was quick to get to the river. Since the river is on the West, I got to see some of the sunset.

There were benches where you can enjoy the view.

As I returned to the gardens area away from the river, I found this deck where you can also hang out and get a view. This time with awesome trees.

Here is the entrance to the Historic Rose Garden. I skipped it earlier as there were lots of people. Now I get it to myself. From the FL State Parks website:

"The Youngs were responsible for the name Washington Oaks, as well as the design of the gardens and the house. They combined native and exotic plantings, even adding touches from Asia, where both had spent time. The Youngs gradually acquired the beachfront property from neighbors. Throughout the 1940s and 50s, children and grandchildren enjoyed extended vacations here. In 1962, Mr. Young died and shortly before her death in 1965, Mrs. Young gave most of the land to the state of Florida. She specified that the gardens be maintained in their present form and expanded as funds became available."

This is stop #5: Historic Gardens. And for more flower close-ups!

I wrapped up my walking around time and got on my way to attempt the ocean section of the park.

This is the road that allows access to the Atlantic Ocean. It was closed due to storm damage. Next time!

________________________________________________________________________

• Park: Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
• Region: Central East
• Physical Address: 6400 N. Oceanshore Blvd. Palm Coast, FL 32137
• Hours: Daily: 08:00 - Sundown
• Admissions: $5/Vehicle, $4/Single Occupant Vehicle, $2/Non-Vehicle Entry, or FREE with an Annual Pass
• Website 
• Brochure 

________________________________________________________________________

River to Sea Preserve

After being denied beach access at the state park, I continued North looking for public beach access. It took no time at all, where I observed a large parking lot with a boardwalk. I park my car and see the sign for the River to Sea Preserve. The sky was getting beautiful and colorful.

"The River to Sea Preserve is located on both sides of highway A1A at Marineland and is owned jointly by Flagler County and the Town of Marineland. The 90-acre preserve offers walking trails, nature vistas, and ecological education opportunities as well as public access to the beach. Visit our beachside boardwalk for a majestic view of the beach and ocean. Our canoe and kayak launch provides access to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Matanzas River. Beaches, Bicycling, Birding, Camping - Group, Camping - Primitive, Canoe / Kayak Launch, Fishing, Hiking / Nature Trail, Pets, Picnic Pavilion, Picnicking, Restroom Facilities, Showers, Day Visitors, and Wildlife Viewing."

Here's a neat rock.

Hello rocky beach!

They had dolphins carved out on the boardwalk railing. It was a neat touch.

There were several informational signs along the boardwalk. They also appeared to have Irma damage as well since many of the staircases down to the water were blocked off.

They had a Cell Phone Tour. There were signs with the phone number, QR code, and a sign ID.

Some things I learned from the regular signs [A Fun Fact list!]:

• Manatees average 10 feet and 800-1,200 pounds! They live to be 50-60 years old. They concentrate in Florida in the winter and can be found more spread out in the summer. There have been sightings in Texas and Massachusetts!
• MarineLand, center for entertainment and science, was the world's first oceanarium. They trained dolphins to perform in the early 1950s. They originally opened in 1938 as Marine Studios to make films. It was the world's first underwater motion picture studio.
• An oceanarium is a place where marine life live together, just as they would in the sea.
• One of the most important discoveries at Marine Studios was dolphin echolocation.
• When the Town of Marineland was incorporated in 1940, there were more dolphins as permanent residents than people.
• Today UF's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Biology and Medicine is making more advances in marine research.
• Ghost Crabs, translucent in color, can travel at 10mph. They have 360 degree stalked, compound eyes. From dusk to dawn, they scuttled to the ocean where water washes over their gills in order to get oxygen.
• Osprey! They are raptors with 2 meter wingspans who eat fish and little rodents. They grab their prey with REVERSIBLE toes. They have their own genus, Pandionidae, due to how they've evolved physically and behaviorally to hunt and catch prey.
• Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are the largest sea turtle in the world. Think the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. They eat jellyfish. I like them already. They can also regulate their own body temperature allowing them to dive deeper and migrate far.
• Sand dunes! They are very dynamic and protect the land from erosion, storm surges, and flooding. The natural vegetation on the dunes (sea oats, railroad vine, sand spurs, etc.) protect the dunes with their extensive root systems that bind the sand.
• Coquina! We learned about this at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park above. It forms naturally over thounsands of years and was used to construct shelter and forts. It greatly influenced Florida's past. The Florida East Coast deposit, called the Anastasia Formation, extends from North of St. Augustine to southern Palm Beach County. The sign also said to visit the aforementioned state park in order to view the large clusters.

• The clusters are home to anemone, sea stars, and small crabs.
• We only know about the Native Americans that lived here for thousands of years due to the middens and mounds they left behind. Middens are prehistoric garbage piles. The Marineland Midden was 15 feet of shell, broken pottery, and bones. They built mounds of sand and shells for burials. 

I found a staircase that was not blocked off and debated going down towards the water, but....

I don't want to get all sandy!

Anyway, beautiful evening and a good find.

On the Way Home

I returned to my car and kept driving. At this point it was actually getting dark. I stopped again after I crossed the bridge over the entrance to the Matanzas Inlet. I took a blurry picture of the sign, but I walked down a short trail to also view the inlet. There were several people out fishing. This sign is part of Fort Matanzas National Monument. Another adventure for another time, but with my National Parks passport!

Hurdles:

Never enough time. Didn't get to see the coquina formations on the beach side of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.

Notable Resources:

• Friends of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
• FL State Parks: Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
• Brochure: Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
• Flagler County Beaches: River to Sea Preserve

Other Thoughts:

I'd like to return in different seasons. If this is what October looks like, I'd love to see it in Spring. I will also patiently wait until the ocean side reopens. There's also some hiking trails I'd like to tackle. Faver-Dykes State Park is located nearby and is part of the Washington Oaks Gardens stamp collection. I'll go to both!

On the Same Trip:

• Jonathan Dickinson State Park [Link Coming Soon]

Related:

• FL State Parks Quest: Rollin' and Strollin' at Maclay Gardens State Park [2/174]