GARDENS & LANDSCAPES
Jacksonville Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
Duval County · North Florida & First Coast
A 120-acre preserve on the site of an old titanium mine, with 3.8 miles of trail, a lake and a ravine with a small waterfall.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
The Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens is at 1445 Millcoe Road, on 120 acres that were a titanium mine from 1944 to 1961. That is why the ground rolls the way it does, which is unusual for this part of Florida, and why Lake Ray sits in the middle of it. There are 3.8 miles of trail through a surprising number of different habitats for one property: rosemary scrub, a pitcher plant bog, the edge of the estuary along the St. Johns, alluvial streams, a depression marsh, and a steephead ravine with a small cascade running through it. A National Champion loblolly bay grows here. Areas are being restored to longleaf pine sandhill, turkey oak barrens and wet pine flatwoods. Benches are set along the trails, there is a picnic area on the Lake Loop Trail and restrooms by the accessible parking, and part of the Lake Loop is surfaced for wheelchairs. Leashed dogs are welcome except in the fragile areas. The city owns the land and a nonprofit runs it with volunteers, who also teach art classes and gardening workshops. It opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 5, and entry is free with a donation suggested
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