10 Amazing Old Florida Roadside Attractions: Sunken Gardens

EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE ATTRACTIONS HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY FLORIDIAN-SHAPED HEART, BUT NONE MORESO THAN THE SUNKEN GARDENS, ONE OF MY EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES. A visit to Sunken Gardens is otherworldly; wholly special in a way that is hard to put into words. So we sat down with historian and education coordinator Jennifer Tyson in the hopes of finding those words, and to find out more about this landmark, it’s past, present, and future.

A more recent addition, the succulent garden is just one of the many wonders of Sunken Gardens. COURTESY OF SG ARCHIVES

Tucked along a busy stretch of Fourth Street North in St. Petersburg, the 100-plus-year-old attraction feels almost impossible once you step inside. The sounds of traffic fade. The air cools. Towering palms and dense tropical foliage rise around you. And somewhere nearby, flamingos preen with quiet indifference, as if they have always been there.

That sense of timelessness is no accident. “It’s really a love story,” said Tyson. Long before it became one of Florida’s most beloved historic attractions, Sunken Gardens was something far less romantic: a marshy sinkhole known locally as Curlew Pond.

In the early 1900s, George Turner arrived in St. Petersburg from Jacksonville, drawn by opportunity as the young city began to grow. A plumber by trade, Turner saw potential where others saw a soggy, unusable depression in the ground. He also found something else in St. Petersburg: his future wife, Yula. The two shared a passion for horticulture. She grew roses. He experimented with exotic fruit trees like mangoes and bananas. Their courtship letters, discovered decades later and now preserved in the gardens’ history center, are filled with references to plants, scents, and shared curiosity.

Sunken Gardens’ sign Color Postcard 1960s. COURTESY OF SG ARCHIVES

“One of the letters talks about a blooming shrub outside her house,” Tyson said. “She writes about wishing he could be there to smell it. That connection to plants was always there between them.”

Together, they transformed the sinkhole into fertile ground. Using his plumbing expertise, Turner drained the marshy land, revealing rich, nutrient-dense soil built over centuries from decomposing organic matter. What emerged was not just a garden, but a microclimate — a lush, protected basin roughly 15 feet below street level.

At first, it was simply their personal grove. They grew fruits, vegetables, and plants, selling them from a modest log cabin stand. But visitors began arriving, especially on Sunday mornings after church, curious to see what lay beyond the roadside. Eventually, the Turners started charging admission (about 15 cents) and a Florida icon was born.

“What people don’t realize is that the gardens are here because of luck as much as fortitude,” Tyson said.

The transformation from private garden to public attraction was gradual, shaped by both necessity and imagination. After the Florida land boom collapsed in 1926, the Turner family leaned heavily on the property to support themselves. With four children to raise, they expanded the gardens, adding winding walkways, hand-built pools, and waterfalls. The family worked together, turning the space into something immersive and theatrical.

“They realized they had an enterprise on their hands,” Tyson said. The gardens grew not just in size, but in reputation. Exotic plants from around the world were introduced. Visitors marveled at the density and scale of the vegetation; a result of both the fertile soil and the unique microclimate created by the sunken terrain. Even today, that environment allows plants to thrive in ways that surprise even experts. “We’ve had specialists come through and say they’ve never seen specimens this large anywhere else in Florida,” Tyson said.

Sunken Gardens is not just old. It is layered with history that continues to grow. Some of its most iconic features began as simple family efforts. The towering royal palms that now define the entrance were planted in 1930 by the Turners’ teenage son, Ralph, as part of his daily chores. “They were supposed to be sold when they got bigger,” Tyson said. “But the family got so busy developing the gardens that they were never removed. Now they’re some of the tallest in the county.”

A majestic live oak offers a shaded canopy to visitors; below: A model with a fruiting papaya tree (30s or 40s). COURTESY OF SG ARCHIVES

Elsewhere, live oak trees estimated to be more than 200 years old still stretch their branches overhead, offering shade and stability through decades of storms and freezes.

And then there are the gardenias — shrubs that carry both botanical and personal significance. Yula Turner loved them, often plucking blooms to hand to guests. It was a gesture of hospitality that occasionally frustrated her husband. “She would just say, ‘It’s fine. They’ll grow back,’” Tyson said. Today, those gardenias still line one of the gardens’ most popular wedding lawns, a quiet tribute to the woman who helped shape the space’s identity.

Papayas With Model 1930s. COURTESY OF SG ARCHIVES

While the gardens themselves were enough to draw visitors for decades, the Turners made a pivotal decision in 1955 that would forever change the experience. They brought in flamingos. The addition was both strategic and whimsical — a way to boost attendance and add a sense of spectacle. It worked. “People have loved them ever since,” Tyson said.

Over the years, the flock has changed, but the presence remains iconic. In 2016, after the population dwindled to just two birds, a community-led fundraising effort brought in a new group from a Texas zoo, restoring the flock dynamic flamingos require.

The birds have always been more than just an attraction. For the Turner family, they were part of daily life. Tyson recounts a story shared by the founders’ granddaughter: a childhood memory of driving back from Miami with flamingos riding in the back seat of a station wagon, bewildering passing motorists.

Another memory involves the children learning to mimic the keepers’ clapping pattern, sending the birds back into their night enclosure from across the street.

“It was just magical,” Tyson explained.

For all its beauty, Sunken Gardens has never been guaranteed.

Behind the scenes, the gardens faced repeated threats including financial strain, environmental damage, and even potential sale to developers. “What people don’t realize is that the gardens are here because of luck as much as fortitude,” Tyson said.

Severe freezes in the 1960s and 1980s nearly devastated the plant collection, requiring expensive heating systems to keep vegetation alive. At times, the cost of maintaining the gardens pushed the family to the brink.

Later, in the 1990s, rumors circulated about possible buyers, including one particularly memorable possibility: a nudist resort. The speculation galvanized the community.

Residents rallied to protect the gardens, ultimately supporting the City of St. Petersburg’s purchase of the property in 1999. The move ensured its preservation and transitioned the gardens into a public asset. “It’s here because people cared,” Tyson said.

The Turner family maintained relationships with other iconic destinations like Cypress Gardens and Weeki Wachee. They exchanged letters, shared horticultural advice, and even worked together through industry groups.

“They weren’t competing the way you might expect,” Tyson said. “They were helping each other.”

For first-time visitors, the gardens offer an abundance of visual highlights. But Tyson encourages guests to slow down and look deeper.

One of the most overlooked features is the history center, housed in the original 1940 entrance building. Once used for storage, it now showcases artifacts, photographs, and personal documents that bring the gardens’ story to life.

“Some people walk right past it,” Tyson said. “But it really changes how you experience the gardens when you understand the history.”

She also recommends making your way to the lowest point of the property — a quiet pond area where the surrounding walls reveal just how far below street level you’ve descended.

“It gives you a real sense of how unique the space is,” she said.

The original entrance. COURTESY OF SG ARCHIVES

Interpretive signage throughout the grounds further enhances the experience, pairing historic photographs with present-day views to show how little — and how much — has changed.

Today, Sunken Gardens continues to evolve.

While it remains rooted in its history, the gardens are adapting to modern environmental realities. Native plants are increasingly incorporated alongside exotic species, reducing the need for water, fertilizer, and pesticides.

And for those who have not visited in years, or perhaps ever, the message is simple. Go. Because places like this do not just survive on their own. They endure because people return.