More than 100 years ago, in 1903 a plumber with a love of gardening purchased four acres of land with a sunken freshwater lake. The lake was the result of an old sinkhole. With that purchase, he began one of Florida’s oldest roadside attractions.
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George Turner Sr. quickly drained the lake to create his own private garden. However, the beauty he created did not stay private long. By the 1920s, he had opened a nursery and began selling fruit. A few years later (1935) he fenced the area and began charging a 25-cent admission fee. By doing so, he created a home for more than 50,000 tropical plants with meandering paths and what is now the oldest living museum in St Pete.
Popularity grew in the 1950s and by the 1970s Sunken Gardens was ranked one of Florida’s top commercial attractions. Today you won’t wander far from other St. Pete activities. The garden is just off a busy street near downtown. Entering the gardens, you will descend fifteen feet below street level (at its deepest) while wandering the paths. Surrounded by some of Florida’s oldest tropical plants and cascading waterfalls is a flock of flamingos.
The Growing Stone
While wandering you will come across a seemingly plain limestone rock. Uncovered while draining the lake, the bench-size rock has a sign stating…
Legend has it that, “He who sits upon the ancient stone shall be granted tranquility, inner harmony, and the talent to make things grow.”
More Information on Sunken Gardens
1845 4th Street St. Petersburg, Florida 33704
Angela DiLoreto is a bestselling author, former Fortune 500 marketing executive, and a passionate advocate who successfully worked to change stalking laws in several states after a family friend was murdered by her stalker. That fight — for justice, for voices that weren’t being heard, for stories that needed to be told — runs through everything she does. She and her husband Vince travel the country by RV with their two rescue chihuahuas, Gracie and Loki, chasing history, great food, and the overlooked people and places that shaped America. Angela created Fitting in Adventure and the Historic Footnotes series because the best stories are usually the ones nobody’s heard yet.