I went to Sunken Gardens on a Sunday and honestly just had a really chill time. It's a good spot to spend an hour or 2 just walking around without feeling rushed. The place has been around forever so there's a bit of history to it and a ton of different plants throughout, which keeps it interesting as you go. They had a scavenger hunt going on which made it more fun than I expected, and my favorite part was easily the huge koi fish. I didn't realize how big they get until seeing them up close. Also got a nice discount on Groupon so that was a win. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area and want something low key. read more

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Sunken Gardens is an absolutely beautiful place to spend a few hours wandering around. One thing we really appreciated was how much shade there is throughout the gardens. In Florida, that's a huge bonus! But it's not just shade for the sake of shade, it's provided by some truly stunning trees that are worth admiring in their own right. The gardens are filled with gorgeous plants, flowers, and tropical scenery, making it a relaxing place to explore. I can also see why people choose to get married here. If it's within your budget, it would make for a spectacular wedding venue. One of our favourite parts was seeing the animals. I absolutely love flamingos, so I could have stood there watching them for ages. They offer a flamingo encounter where you can get up close and feed them, but unfortunately we had just missed it. Next time, that's definitely something I'd like to do. We also enjoyed seeing the other birds and, of course, the turtles throughout the gardens. My only minor criticism is that I wish there were a few more animals to see. But honestly, that's a pretty unfair complaint because at the end of the day, this is a botanical garden, not a zoo. Overall, it's a peaceful, beautiful attraction that's well worth visiting if you're in St. Petersburg. For more travel, food, and attraction reviews, check out our YouTube channel A&M Roam! read more

Sunken Gardens - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Saint Petersburg, Florida

If you are looking for a tropical oasis, the Sunken Gardens are your place. The gardens are lush and gorgeous and I loved exploring them. I'm obsessed with palm trees, so this was the perfect place for me. There are so many beautiful plants to see. The rainbow eucalyptus was cool. There are koi and and turtles and flamingos as well. The flamingos were so fun to watch. There are tropical birds, but it was too cold for them on the day I visited. The staff were so nice. We were recommended to stop at the history center and I really appreciated learning about the Sunken Gardens. The gift shop is great. There are bathrooms and plenty of parking. Sunken Gardens is not huge, so you can add it other activities. I cannot wait to return. read more

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Such a unique place! It was so fun to walk around and see all the plants and birds around the gardens. Definitely take some time to read about the history of the attraction. The price wasn't high and we thought it was a relaxing addition to a busy vacation. read more

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A lovely experience on a nice day to walk around and take in the scenery, even on a hot day, plenty of shade. Highlight was the flamingos, beautiful! Cost is very reasonable and parking was plentiful. They do not have food/drink on premises so be sure to bring water. read more

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My husband planned a day starting with this and I loved it! We were in town visiting family and he found this while doing some research. This was a wonderful stop that I will always remember. The history behind it is really fascinating, and everything we saw was beautiful. We went a few days before New Year's Eve, so it was still decorated for Christmas and was lovely. We saw different birds, we counted the amount of little lizards lounging on signs and leaves, and learned about a lot of different plants, flowers, and greenery. There's a little historic center within the garden that I suggest you take the time for. It gives you a greater appreciation for what was there and what's there now. They also do weddings, which OMG this would have been on my list if I lived here. The entry fee was very reasonable and we spent at least 2 hours here wandering around, reading the signs, and basking in the beauty. We took a Christmas ornament home with us as a way to remember the trip forever. Give it a try, it won't disappoint! read more

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Interesting place. Came on Valentines day which was a Saturday afternoon. It just materializes on a busy street. Parking was extremely tight. Had to go around the lot multiple times till I got lucky to get a spot. I was surprised it was $18 admission & $15 for Sr. Thought $10-12 would be normal. But I guess cause theres many rare creatures, plants and trees, I suppose this is what they need to sustain it. The Gardens are not overly large. They did have lots of plants, trees, shrubs along with fountains and ponds along with a variety of wildlife. The Eucalyptus tree was awesome! That was quite interesting. The Macaws had a " zookeeper" take them out of the cages, and put them in a perch held by the keeper. This while people were close and asked some questions. My feeling is this happens daily but is unscheduled and sporadic. Kind of cool, though. Interesting place . Not sure if Id go again. Kind of pricey, but relaxing. Touristy. 3.5 stars. read more

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A huge amount of parking, bikes to rent out front and a children's museum attached. We only attended the gardens as they are both separate fees but it would be nice if it was a percent off. The gardens themselves are well taken care of and bigger than it looks, expect to spend about an hour. They have some birds and flamingos and a quaint gift shop after the experience. read more

Sunken Gardens - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Saint Petersburg, Florida

100% worth the stop. 100% worth the money. Feels like you're in a whole Nother land. It's just a beautiful calming serene place to walk around take a few deep breaths check out flamingos check out the other tourists and then move on to the other fun spots in Saint Pete. Beautiful, even in the summer heat read more

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What an amazing garden tucked away in the heart of St. Petersburg. An easy trip off I-275, Sunken Gardens is definitely a treasure of a find and a must visit for those living in the Tampa Bay area. Sunken Gardens is arguably a Tampa/St. Petersburg staple for visitors that would love to see what the local area has to offer aside from beaches. For starters, you can find some neat deals for the Sunken Gardens on value sites such as Groupon, although the general admission fee is relatively reasonable compared to the aquariums, zoos, and other parks in the area. We found an annual family membership on Groupon which is pretty neat considering the perks that come with it - free admission to some popular museums during certain months, as well as reciprocal admission at other gardens (you can find a list of those on the website, while a more accurate list of this program is available with the main kiosk). There is free parking on site; the lot is also shared by the children's museum, Great Explorations. While there appears to be plenty of parking, I would recommend getting to this venue earlier to get a prime spot and to be able to stroll at your leisure without feeling too crowded in. Sunken Gardens is one of the smaller gardens we have been to as we travelled across the nation, but do not let it's small size fool you. There is plentiful flora that grows on this piece of real estate that will amaze you with their natural beauty. What makes Sunken Gardens unique is that it showcases a vast variety of palms, leveraging the temperate weather of Florida for the growth of these specimens (you won't find these up in the Northeast). Aside from the palms, there are various areas that are gorgeously arranged and curated to bring out the best in each plant. We definitely took our time to enjoy the trails that looped through the garden - there are also unimproved paths that are also accessible for viewing. Sprinkled throughout the garden are also a variety of beautiful birds to include a sanctuary for some flamingos. There are several bridges that cross some bodies of water, one of which hosts gigantic and marvelous koi. All-in-all, there are plentiful areas and spaces to explore within the garden which makes it such a wonderful garden. I highly recommend Sunken Gardens to everyone! read more

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Sunken Gardens is easily one of my favorite spots around here. It's actually an old sinkhole turned into a stunning garden, and those massive trees keep it shaded and cool even in the heat. It's right in the middle of the city, but the moment you step inside, all that noise just fades away. read more

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Beautiful, peaceful and wonderful history. A great place to walk around and enjoy nature. read more

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Groupon had a deal going for a year long membership and I'm so glad I bought it! This place is a great way to take a break, touch grass, and recenter! I look forward to my next visit! Well worth it! read more

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Came here while staying in the area as it was listed as a reciprocal membership location for my local botanical gardens. Pretty centrally located off of a busy street, it's a surprisingly hidden paradise right in front of your eyes. We came here on a Thursday, and it got very busy very quickly. There was still plenty of space to enjoy the gardens, the crowd didn't seem to impact my ability to walk around, but the parking lot filled up instantly, so be prepared to walk a long ways to find parking. Admission (mandatory) was a bit steep just to walk in the gardens, but if it's doable for you I still recommend. I was surprised to see a lot of birds housed in the gardens as well. The flamingos were so fun to watch, I just wish they posted more information about each bird grouping to read while you walk around. Overall, a beautiful place to spend the day. They even have picnic tables spread around so you could enjoy a quick break while you're here. read more

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Sunken Gardens is a short walk from my house and every time I visit, I wonder why I don't just get a membership and come more often. This last visit was because I bought a Groupon while a friend was in town, but we didn't get an opportunity to use it while she was here. So I went with my husband a few weeks later. It was a discounted ticket so definitely take a look at offers available instead of just showing up to purchase a ticket. The gardens itself are beautiful year round and a perfect place for a stroll. It would definitely add to my neighborhood walks if I could just pop in for a visit. The grounds are well taken care of and there are even flamingos , birds , turtles and butterflies . It's a lovely thing to do whether you're a neighborhood visitor or from out of town. read more

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$15. Great way to spend 1-2 hours. Beautiful flowers and trees. Highlight is definitely the flamingos. Big parking lot. Doesn't get too crowded. Really good to learn about the history of the area. Come support! read more

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Nice spot to spend a couple hours looking at all kinds of plants flowers , and trees from all over. Flamingos, turtles and other birds and the dense canopy of vegetation keeps the place shady I recommend this for a great place to bring your visitors to check out some cool palms etc. inexpensive offer a AAA and Miltary discounts and get some money off if you decide to hit Carrabas on the way out..(Show Reciept) read more

Sunken Gardens - More Flamingos - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Saint Petersburg, Florida

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I've been here 2x over a two year period. I loved my first visit there, it was a magical place with lots of birds, fish and turtles to look at. This year the birds were all away (including their famous flamingos) YET they still charged the full admission price. I am not a fan of removing half of the attraction yet costing the admission price the same. Don't go unless the birds are out. Very beautiful place to walk thru nonetheless. read more

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The Sunken Garden was actually really nice and a great way to see normally house plants in its natural state.. especially if you are not from Florida or a state with traditionally warm wet climate. The flamingos were nice as well! Overall the associated Groupon made it a nice mostly peaceful family trip. read more

Sunken Gardens - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Saint Petersburg, Florida

The gardens were beautiful. There was so much great looking and smelling foliage. The staff were all very knowledgeable. It was a beautiful place. They had flamingos, parrots and turtles. They have a really pretty cactus butterfly garden as well. The cost for tickets wasn't expensive. There is a nice little gift shop at the end. They have some neat little hand bag, trinkets and stickers. It was a nice place for a date or a family get together. read more

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My annual visit to this lovely garden. As per usual, I purchase the Koi food at the ticket desk. We also eat lunch at Carrabas next door, and do show them your receipt for a 10 percent discount. read more

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Love the Sunken Gardens. It's a small garden with lots of beautiful plants and birds to admire. It doesn't take long to explore the whole thing, so definitely take your time and stroll and take it all in. There's also a cute little gift shop! Definitely worth checking out if you're in St. Petes read more

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This small garden is beautiful and with the visit when in town! The flowers and little critters made Thai place worth visiting!

Super interesting and tranquil spot. Huge credit to the founding family and their later generations that visualized, created and tended to this spot before selling it to the city. I loved the 90 minutes we spent here looking and marveling at the foliage and the beautiful birds. read more

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It was a nice garden to go through and see all the different flowers and plants. The flamingos were beautiful

Drove by the sunken garden a few times... and always wanted to go check this place out but I just never had the time. This week due to my daughter high school graduation I was able to take time off from work and enjoy exploring St Pete Area. So Sunken Garden was on my list. The entrance fees is $15 not bad at all. Nice place to bring family or friends to just hang with. Lots of nice area to sit, have a picnic walking around or just sit and people watch. The garden is so peaceful, relaxing,quiet and so very beautiful. The flowers, fruit trees, koi fish pond, all the greenery feels. I love it. I would come back again without hesitation. But this time I will bring some snacks and some drinks with a blanket to just sit and enjoy myself. read more

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What a gorgeous tropical oasis! If you're ever in the St. Petersburg area, this is a must place to visit. It costs $15 for adults but is for free for military and veterans. There are also BOGO coupons available from Discover Downtown Guide and Map. It's an absolutely beautiful botanical garden with so many varieties of exotic flowers, plants and trees. First time seeing a eucalyptus tree with multiple colors and it was just magnificent! The pathways are paved and very well maintained. There's small streams throughout the garden too. The history center gives a very detailed overview of how George Turner Sr., a 21 year old plumber and his wife Eula purchased 4.1 acres on the site of a sinkhole in 1911 and started building their dream. In 1936 Sunken Gardens was opened to the public and charged 15 cents to enter. Very cool history! Employees walk around with parrots that talk to you. It was so fun to listen to the parrots say "hello, what's going on on". Also got to see macaws and an endangered umbrella cockatoo. Really cool to watch the Chilean flamingoes having a grand time finding goodies in the water and got to see 6 different sized tortoises too. It was such a fun wonderful experience that was very enjoyable and also educational. read more

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Brought the grandsons here today. Was a little concerned they might be a bit bored (ages 12 and 8). I had nothing to fear. They loved it. Three generations spent several hours at the gardens - taking pictures. My 12 year old grandson took 200 photos, by himself. I loved the variety of plants. Wow. The boys loved them but also, very much, enjoyed the lizards, butterflies, parrots, flamingos and tortoises. The gift shop has many cute things. read more

Sunken Gardens - On a photo hunt - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Saint Petersburg, Florida

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Beautiful and relaxing garden with many exotic plants and flowers. The workers are very pleasant and friendly. Great gift shop. read more

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As a plant lover, I was excited to visit Sunken Gardens. I came on a weekend and it was fairly busy, despite there being rain in the forecast. I was underwhelmed by the size. I had imagined it to be bigger than it actually is. I also would have wanted more plant explanations or overall guidance. read more

$18 entry fee may be a bit much for this tourist a-TRAP-tion. I mean - there are parks around with the same tree features. It felt a little silly. read more

I could not believe how big the sunken gardens are. It was absolutely stunning all the different plant species and feeding the koi fish was so much fun. Well worth the money. Your ticket gets you reentry so once you get hungry you can go eat and come back to enjoy the vast beautiful plants. read more

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Kind of lame. Definitely more for weddings and nostalgia. Might have been cooler with the bird but they were away because of bird flu. They did not charge less. Took us about 20 mins to Walk through. Some people were picnicking there, that might be cool. read more

Sunken Gardens - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Saint Petersburg, Florida

Found myself in Florida and was looking for something to do. We went to the Sunken Gardens and it was very relaxing, beautiful and a lot of fun. To start, this place was built by a husband and wife on a marsh pit. He developed the area and drained the water to turn it into what it is today. Throughout its history, there has been a lot of challenges and was almost sold during WW2 because both sons were off at war and the parents were in there 60 and were unable to maintain the garden. Thankfully one son came home and picked up where his parents left off. It was 25 percent wiped out due to a hard freeze one time but it still endured. Today it's owned by the city. There are Birds that talk, flamingoes and tortoises in the garden. There is also a place to get married and this would be a fantastic place to start a new journey in life. The volunteers are nice and friendly. They offer They offer a military discount into the park. All around a wonderful experience and I highly recommend going if you're ever in the area. read more

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A hidden gem in Saint Petersburg area. Where else can see some flamingos and take a nice nature walk stroll for a few hours . read more

Sunken Gardens - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Saint Petersburg, Florida

Love this! Beautifully landscapes gardens that are well cared for and maintained. Re-homed/rescued exotic birds were awesome. Absolutely worth a visit. read more

Sunken Gardens - Flamingos - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Saint Petersburg, Florida

May be less than 5 acres but this park is packed with beautiful sights that I throughly enjoyed. read more

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It has been on my places to visit and finally made it! It was busy on a Saturday morning and since it was cold, we did not get to see the birds! There is plenty of parking and people go in and out constantly, so you will find a spot. We did not have to wait long to get our tickets and the entrance is right next to the check in. It is a small garden with plenty of plants, fountains, small history section, flamingos, birds (during cold weather they are not on display) and a small gift shop. They are sunken because you go from the street level down to the gardens. If I remember correctly, this was a sinkhole but don't take my word for it. A good visit to get a nature fix away from the city or the beach. read more

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Sunken Gardens is a very beautiful attraction to come and visit in the St. Petersburg area. It's basically a sinking garden that has various tropical animals and a ton of exotic imported plants that don't grow naturally in Florida. It's a very relaxing walk through - most people take 1.5-2 hours to take everything in and walk through the entire garden. It's a good value too on Groupon I believe I got 2 tickets for $15 or so. They also have a small gift shop when you finish your tour of the gardens - indoor bathrooms as well. Overall - I'd recommend a visit if you want to see a unique, outdoor attraction. read more

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We had a great time touring this original Florida attraction. TONS of flowing plants and tropical birds. Very pretty, even serene environment. They also do weddings. I've been wanting to check this place out for years. It did not disappoint! read more