Bongoland Ruins

Beautiful little botanical garden with the sugar mill ruins and a few dinosaurs. Worth the short stop. Very well maintained.

Really cool place to stumble onto. Seeing the origins of the sugar mills was pretty cool! Don't miss the little gnomes

The history of the sugar mill is interesting. But as I was walking around the horticultural society and the Audubon society have made it beautiful by adding plants and trees to attract wildlife and pollinators. The visual sites for your eyes and the sounds of water falls and birds along the trails that are there are just beautiful, right there in the city. You can run away and take time out for yourself. Just beautiful!

A Hidden Gem in Port Orange! The Bongo Land Ruins are an absolute must‑see if you’re in the area. This beautiful garden combines rich history, serene nature trails, and quirky dinosaur statues that make it truly one‑of‑a‑kind. The grounds are well‑kept, shaded by towering oaks, and dotted with fascinating relics of old sugar mill ruins. It’s a perfect spot for a quiet stroll, a family outing, or a memorable photo op. The atmosphere is peaceful and inviting — ideal for anyone who loves a mix of history, nature, and a touch of whimsy. I highly recommend visiting!

Beautiful garden that is a great place to explore and stretch your legs. We were on a road trip and had time to stop by. The volunteers have done a really nice job of maintaining the property. This place has a lot to offer with its history and beauty. It's "free" but you should definitely leave a donation so they can continue maintaining it. We were able to take some great photos while here and even found a painted rock which my four year old felt was magical.

Was digging around Google looking for off beat type things to check out and stubbled across this hidden gem! I knew on my way there it was an old sugar mill and the Bongoland brief story, but guess I overlooked it was a botanical garden as well. Glad I did guess it was a great surprise! Wonderful mix of local plants and some not local. Get a picture of the area map at the entrance to help you through the trails and be sure you see all the little markers. I would have loved to see what Bongoland would have become, if it had become popular, but it was a cool look in the past... In more than one way. I made it through most of it in about an hour. It was getting hot, so I rushed to the end, but it is mostly shaded, so it isn't always direct sunlight. If we come back to the area, I will definitely be back just to walk the trails again.

There is a parking lot across the road from the entrance gate. Tickets are not required as there is a red donation box just inside the gate. There are restrooms along the path to the left after the entrance gate. We took the perimeter path first which goes around the property, but there are several paths that veer off. Paths are gravel but very easy walking under gorgeous live oaks and among gardens and Florida jungle greenery. There are benches scattered around for a quiet break. Several paths lead to places of interest; the historical sugar mill ruins, a tiny gnome village, several dinosaur statues left from Bongoland, walking bridges over small ponds with whimsical ornaments and many flowers and plants. We spent a leisurely 2.5 hours enjoying the quiet space.

Beautiful area to walk through and see a little history...and then some random concrete dinosaur statues...very enjoyable pitstop while site seeing.

Disney What?? Bongoland is the latest craze! What more can you ask for than prehistoric dinosaurs, ancient ruins, gnomes and history? Def. a new family favorite!

During our Spring Break FL-2025 Vacation we stopped at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens to enjoy a stroll. There is a Sugar Mill Ruins located here as well as some gorgeous flowers to fully enjoy! Unbelievably, it's FREE to enjoy and accepts Donations! Be sure to check the mailbox at the entrance area for a map of the grounds! The kids enjoyed walking around and seeing the historic ruins of the Sugar Mill. It was very relaxing and shaded! I'm totally into the flowers because it reminds me so much of my daddy! I love Google image search because you can locate on the internet information about the flowers and plants including their names! Definitely if you are in the area, check it out! Highly recommend

I recently traveled to this local gem with a summer camp group. I was quite surprised at the size of this beautiful botanical garden! There were several interesting trails for meandering, gorgeous plants, trees, shrubs and the like, ruins of a sugar-mill, a garden chapel area for weddings and other events, and dinosaur statutes for added fun! Employees were friendly and knowledgeable, but a trip through the garden is self guided. I enjoyed reading all of the historical signs throughout the garden. There's so much history to learn about this local treasure! The campers enjoyed the whimsical areas of the garden and exclaimed that parts of the garden looked like a magical fairy land. Beautiful is an understatement! Restrooms are available. Insect repellant for arms and legs is recommended. Entry is free. Parking is free too.

Always a wonderful and relaxing experience. Restful, sit on a bench, watch the butterflies and birds, deposit and grab a book at the book exchange station, you are surrounded by beauty. Thanks to all the volunteers who keep the hundreds of variety of plants and flowers. It's a haven. I bought a couple of them in tiny pots and they are so happy around my house. Drop a couple of bucks in their donation box on the way out every little bit helps.

When we searched three things to do in Daytona Beach we were not sure what we would find but were pleasantly surprised with this very hidden gem. The reviews are very positive but we were skeptical due to the odd parking situation. Once we found the parking on the other side of the street to the entrance, we got out of the car and we're not sure what we'd find. We were greeted with gnomes, dinosaurs and a sense of wonderment and fun, that was unexpected and this much larger than we realized gardens. Whether you want history, dinosaur sculptures or a nice shaded walk around some beautiful gardens, reminiscent of walking around Jurassic Park, then you're in luck

The sugar mill In Daytona is a joy to behold and since it's still February in a little early, the blossoms are just starting to bloom. The gardens are spectacular in a couple of weeks. It'll be better. I'll be going back then.

The sugar mills were a lovely garden to and park to visit. The garden is run by volunteers and it has many different varieties of plants and flowers. Part of the gardens has ruins of the old sugar mills that ran in the late 1800s. And historical, and very informative. Also, in the gardens was remnants of a theme park called bongo land. Scattered throughout the park were dinosaur statues that were left over from the theme. Park experience. Overall it was peaceful, beautiful and a lovely place to spend the afternoon.

Fun place to explore on foot with some local history at the remains of a cane sugar mill. Many walking paths showcase and identify an abundance of plants in planned attractive garden beds. The majestic live oak trees are impressive when looking up at their crooked and tall branches and all the interesting plants growing on them. Some Dinosaur statues remain from the 1950's when this location was called Bongoland. The location is staffed with volunteers that take care of the grounds and answer questions. There is a box for donations to help with the operation of the site although it is free to enter.

Wide variety of plants surrounding gravel paths shaded with enormous live oaks and palm trees. Our late February visit was rewarded by numerous flowering plants and cool temperatures. The sugar mill ruins added a lot of interest. Free admission and convenient free parking across the street from the entrance.

This is a beautiful park. The gardens are very nice and well cared for. The sugar mill is interesting, as is the history of the park. Although somewhat small, it is a great way to spend some peaceful time

I really liked my time spent here. I can't believe this is a free place to come as I have visited many similar places throughout the country and there is always a fee. The paths are well maintained, there is an easy map to follow, and every little garden area is as interesting as the next. We were probably there a little over an hour, but I could easily have strolled around more, or perhaps bring a book and sit on one of the many benches they have and enjoy my surroundings.

This hidden gem is in the middle of Port Orange. Visitors can learn about local history in the ruins of the sugar mill and from the life-size dinosaur statues as well as learn about nature in the beautiful botanical gardens and fairy garden. Perfect place for a romantic walk or family pictures. We are very lucky to have such a lovely place free of charge in our neighborhood.

We decided to go to The Dunlawton Plantation + Sugar Mill, a 19th-century cane sugar plantation (think north/central Florida) and not too far from the main road (perhaps just over a mile - it is in Port Orange on 950 Old Sugar Mill Road if you use Google Maps). Parking and entrance were free and took just about an hour to read/see it all. Depends how fast you walk and how many photos and sitting you want to do. History; it was destroyed by the Seminoles at the beginning of the 2nd Seminole War. A lot of the equipment is still there and there are signs for the kids/adults to read and so you know how it was used :) A great place for kids to come for a school trip or for a school paper. Additional history, the Plantation + its sugar mill date back to around the 1800's to the Dean family. His family used the labor of enslaved Africans to cultivate/process the crops. Dean apparently was killed by a renegade Indian or slave during the First Seminole War in 1818, and left the plantation to other relatives (the Bunch family). They eventually sold to the Dunlawton family. The Dunlawtons processed sugar, rum and molasses. Within a short period of time the Dunlawtons (and more than a dozen other plantations) were attacked by the Seminole Indians who were being removed (and other tribes) from the area. There is a lot more history in and around the area on signs and told by the volunteers (so appreciated). Go, enjoy the shade, history and relax and make a donation or buy honey if you can.

A lovely place to visit with some very nice trails This is a historical site and a botanical Gardens with a rich history. It is a 10-acre property that is maintained by the Botanical Gardens of Volusia, Inc. They are an all-volunteer organization working to keep the gardens beautiful for everyone. It is located on the north side of Old Sugar Mill Road with a parking lot on the south side for about 20 cars. The gardens are free but have a lot to offer any visitor. There are maps in a green mailbox to the left of the entrance. The map has 59 points of interest located around the park starting to the right and going in a counter-clockwise fashion. One of the one-of-a-kind sites is the archeological site of the old Sugar mill. It has a well-designed structure over and around it that allows the visitor to walk over the ruins with display boards to explain the various parts. Right next to that is the centuries-old beautiful Live Oak tree. There are several trails throughout the property that allow you to see parts dedicated to bulb, ferns, palms, plumerias, gnomes, bromeliads and more. There are life-size dinosaur sculptures when the area was a tourist site called Bongo Land. Overall it is a very pleasant and beautiful park that has a lot to offer the visitor looking for a nice gardens in the area.

First a bit of elongated history from their site: "Dunlawton Sugar Mill Plantation's history began before Florida became a state in 1845. Originally, Florida was divided and sold into large land grants and estates from Spain. The mill and gardens are located on a 10 acre portion of a 995 acre land grant awarded to Patrick Dean on August 31st 1804. Dean grew sugar cane, cotton, and rice, and possibly indigo. In 1818, he was reportedly killed by a renegade Indian or slave. The plantation eventually passed into the hands of John B. Bunch McGrady as an inheritance. He was an officer in the British Navy and had no interest in farming so he sold the land to Charles and Joseph Lawton for $3,000 dollars. Sarah Petty Anderson (Dunn) inherited the 450 acre Tomoka Plantation (just north of Ormond) from her father. After her husband died in 1830, she and her sons sold the Tomoka property and used the proceeds to buy the Dean Plantation. They filed a fictitious name for the purchase combining her maiden name Dunn with the name Lawton creating the name Dunlawton Plantation. The price was $4,500, and was finalized on May 3rd, 1832. They produced sugar and molasses until December 1835, when the Second Seminole Indian War began. During the Second Seminole War, 1835-1842, the mill was burned down. The Anderson family received no money after the war to help rebuild the mill so it was abandoned until John Marshall bought it on September 18, 1846. John Marshall rebuilt the plantation and it was again productive from 1849 until 1853. Several different managers failed to run it productively and it eventually returned to the Marshall family. It was burnt down again in 1856 during the Third Seminole Indian War. In 1862 it was a camp headquarters for the St. John Rangers during the Civil War. Throughout the war, the kettles were used for the production of salt for food preservation and ammunition. The property was finally sold to William Dougherty in 1871. Between 1871 until 1904 the property was divided and sold off in smaller lots. It was a tourist site as early as 1939. It was mistakenly labeled as ruins of an old Spanish mission from the 1600s. In 1940s and 50s owner J. Saxton Lloyd leased the property to Dr. Perry Sperber who created an amusement park called Bongoland. Dr. Sperber commissioned "Manny" Lawrence to build the concrete dinosaurs found there today. Bongoland also featured an indian village, animals, a train to ride around the paths and a monkey named Bongo. Once Bongoland closed, the property sat neglected, before it was bequeathed by Mr Lloyd to Volusia County in 1963. In 1985 Martin Wittbold, a local nurseryman formed an organization, the Botanical Gardens of Volusia, Inc. They made an agreement with the county to lease the mill property in 1985, beginning a new life for the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens. Our mission is to educate the local gardeners about what can grow in this area as well as create a beautiful place for visitors to enjoy while they explore the mill ruins. We have created different gardens and plant collections to see including azaleas, camellias, ivies, magnolias, native plants, palms, and succulents, as well as an Asian garden, master gardener demonstration area, ferns, and tropical collections. Many of our features are projects done by Eagle Scouts and are recognized on our Project board at the front entrance. Some other interesting features are a children's garden near the full size stone dinosaurs, a human sun dial and an herb garden shaped like Florida." What this boils down to for the present are two things: 1. If you come, you'll see some walking trails that have a decent amount of description regarding the flora and fauna in the gardens. You also have the ruins of the 19th century sugar mill. Most of these are under a covered walkway/boardwalk and also has several placards explaining what you are looking at. You also have the bizarre few remaining dinos from the ill-fated Bongoland debacle of the 40's and 50's. 2. While donations are always welcome, the gardens are free. Overall we came back in mid-August and made it about 75 minutes before the heat & humidity made it tough to want to care about walking around anymore. The mill ruins and greenery are fantastic and this is a truly neat road side stop to spend an hour seeing something that you very much can't see just anywhere.

Gorgeous gardens, easy to park, relaxing to stroll through. Plaques had interesting information on them and were intriguing to read and learn about the gardens. It was so calm, easy to forget you're so close to a busy town and beach. Such a cool spot and amazing communal feeling being up-kept with volunteers and donations!

This is a beautiful and fascinating place. You should visit! Eager to return and show friends and family.

My daughter got married in this garden a few years ago. I was privileged to perform the ceremony. It was a beautiful cermoney with the gardens as a beautiful backdrop.

Visiting the Sugar Mill Gardens is a great way to take a break from all the hussle and bussle of city life and learn about the history of the land owners/entrepreneurs/slave owners who operated the Dunlawton Sugar Mill and the struggles they incurred through Natural and Native American encounters in this region almost 200 years ago. To accompany the history lesson there are several gardens, walking paths, a human sun dial, the Sugar Mill ruins and the remenance of Bongoland; a 1950's attempt at a dinosaur theme park to explore. The Dunlawton Sugar Mills are worth the stop if you happen to be in the area. It's a great way to introduce yourself to the history of the area or to take a walk and enjoy Florida in its natural environment.

Beautiful botanical garden!! Lots to see and learn about the old sugar mill! Highly recommend you check this place out!!

The Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens are a hidden gem near Daytona Beach. The extensive gardens are quite lovely. There is a gigantic confederate oak tree that takes up a lot of land. It reminds me of a banyan tree. Signs posted near it say not to climb it or touch it as is a bit fragile. Perhaps the tree goes back to the times of the civil war. There is a little free lending library adjacent to the Sugar Mill Gardens. It is interesting to see the Sugar Mills where workers worked to produce sugar from sugar cane. It looked like intense work & the machine equipment they used was quite gnarly as would sometimes break down. All in all nice place to relax & enjoy the extensive peaceful land of the gardens right near Daytona Beach.

Web search located this botanical garden. Appreciate a free venue to visit but may benefit if nominal admission charged for staffing to maintain grounds. Suspect finding quality arborists to volunteer has become a problem during COVID-19. Never spotted any volunteer to promote or sell offerings. I appreciate the remoteness but we traveled this area for years without knowing this garden's existence. Guess we're the lucky few stumbling on this attraction.

We had a couple of hours free so thought this would be a nice way to spend some time! We were absolutely right but we wish we had planned to have more time to spend there because it was so beautiful and lovely. We loved the gardens, the history and the little treasures hidden throughout the gardens. Look for the hidden message rocks that are all over the place and lots of fun to find. Also make sure you find the gnome gardens because they are truly just adorable and fun!

What was meant to be a stop on the way home from Blue Springs became the start to our days adventures. This park is a pleasant partly shaded place to stroll around and take fun pictures while learning a bit of history. I enjoy bringing visitors to experience this hidden gem here in Central Florida.

This was a cute stop with the family, and it was free! The parking lot for the mill is across the street. I would highly suggest wearing bug spray. With all the trees and greenery, there were tons of mosquitoes, and we got bite a lot, and we had to cut our visit short unfortunately. There are some cool areas for the kids to explore as well as the sugar mill history off to the right side of the property. On the ground near the old mill, there is a cool sundial with the different months using stones. There is a donation box prior to leaving to make a contribution towards keeping up the property.

I learned of Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens from a Pinterest post. I made the drive from Oviedo to Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens on a Sunday morning in July. It's Florida so the humidity was pretty bad, however, the majority of this park is shaded so walking around wasn't unbearable. Admission is FREE; however, the park is ran by volunteers and donations so we did leave a couple of dollars. I walked through the entire park in about 1 hour. If the weather wasn't so hot, I would definitely had stayed longer. Garden - The park consists of a beautiful garden. There are various walking paths and plenty of benches to sit at if a rest is needed or if you want to enjoy your surroundings. Sugar Mill - My dad always told me to learn something new each day. This particular Sunday I got a lesson in some local history. I can't imagine working at the Sugar Mill in the middle of July, especially with the boiler rooms. Bondoland - a former tourist attraction with dinosaur statues. Great photo ops here. Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens is a hidden gem. Try everything once!

Sugar Mill Gardens is a great place, to see Daytona Floridas past history 1836 and current natural history, and really exceptional flowers.

Very Impressive! A beautiful botanical Garden as well as a Historical site.. 10 acres of beauty. A must see if your in the Daytona aera. The volunteers are amazing!

Absolutely amazing! The whole place is volunteer work and it truly shows! The different styles of gardening that all fit the Florida weather. The Nature's Chapel was so darling! Perfect for small weddings and ceremonies. Great for photo sessions and for simple outdoor exercise. We took out two year old and there was plenty for her to see and learn about nature!

Very historic and relaxing place. Just a donation too. My favorite was the gnome area. We got a tour from, I think his name was, Papa Gnome, but I know he will forgive me if I am wrong. He explained the areas, the gnomes' personalities and was very funny. Spend an afternoon here.

It's a lovely and peaceful place to enjoy Florida's beauty. Admission is free but you can make a donation if you wish. The grounds are maintained by a group of volunteers so a donation will be appreciated. The Plantation was destroyed by the Seminoles, but you can still explore the ruins of the sugar mill. Moreover, there are many little themed gardens scattered around through the property. The quirkiest one and my personal favorite was the children's garden because of the dinosaurs. Cool fact: the concrete dinosaurs were part of an unsuccessful 1950s theme park called Bongoland. There's also a giant sloth statue hiding near the water garden. There are many interesting features like the Confederate Oak tree and the human sundial. You can walk on the nature trail and admire some of the native wildlife and trees. It's a charming and fun place to bring the family to enjoy the scenic view and learn some history.

Such a great place and it's free with free parking but donations are accepted- loads of beautiful trees and plants and they even have plants for sale. Great place for kids

Put them on your list of weird Florida list of things to do on a tankful. Free fun. These gardens are a hidden local treasure with many different vignettes carefully manicured by volunteers centering around the sugar mill ruins, which are a sight to see in and of themselves. We spent half a day here having fun. There's also cuttings and small plants for sale on donation and one of those littlefreelibary's so bring your extra books to donate.

Cute little stop on our vacation. The statues are definitely unique but they have a cool history. The only downside I have is that Bongo the baboon should have some more spotlight lol

This spot is so cute for a little picnic! Very peaceful! Please leave a donation in the donation box if you are feeling generous! Plenty of butterflies, plants and all kinds of fun little figures to sight! :)

Such a beautiful place to stop in and visit, highly recommend it! The gardens are well maintained and we really enjoyed this stop during our vacation drive.

Probably it was the time of year that we visited (Mid April) and Probably because the volunteers hadn't been giving of their time because of Covid but the garden did show a lot of neglect. We thought the information on the Sugar Plantation ruins was very educational. It was something to do but I Probably wouldn't recommend it on the top of your list.

This place is so beautiful and quaint. Nice to visit and take pictures. Nice clean read rooms. Good parking. Place to get married.

it's nice that they have this area for people to walk around. The dinosaurs are weird and neat, but the T Rex escaped (hopefully for repairs). There were tons of people taking pictures here - like large groups of people with a professional photographer, which I thought was weird because it wasn't that scenic in my opinion. Also make sure you wear bug spray. I got killed by mosquitos.

Great little out of the way eclectic spot. Interesting sugar mill ruins, leftover dinosaurs hidden in the woods from a defunct theme park, good history from the Seminole Indian wars, a Confederate Army encampment, and today it has beautiful Florida botanical gardens. You could spend a couple of hours here leisurely walking around. Although, one hour might be plenty. I had fun taking a bunch of pics. Interesting that I live in Port Orange, and have driven by this secluded space for years and never stopped in (not sure why). Finally decided today to venture in. I'll do it again, and it will be a spot to take our vacationing visitors with us. Also, its FREE! But, you can leave a donation (good idea).

This is one of my favorite places to visit. It Is so beautiful. Also a nice spot to take pictures.

This place is great and wonderfully kept up! If you're on a lunch date and want to walk around for fresh air somewhere nice and not sketchy it's perfect. If it's your first time and you stop to take pictures and read the signs, you could be entertained for a full hour. Free parking/admission; I encourage you to leave a donation for the upkeep of the grounds. If you're wearing sandals, know there are portions of the dirt path that are quite sandy. The only downside is that food/drinks/dogs not allowed Sugar Mill: I really liked this small section -if you/your kids are interested in learning about how things used to work in the olden days it's a nice short self-guided walk. Dinosaurs: there are charmingly awkward (concrete?) dinosaurs along the garden paths. They're really fun to pose in front of and take pictures, but they're not make to be climbed (awww) Parents: There are all kinds of beautiful plants with berries. I seriously was tempted to eat them. Kids would probably be similarly tempted so make sure they know not to as the berries are probably poisonous.

Beautiful gardens and ruins. Have taken pictures here on two separate occasions and both times they came out beautifully! Great spot to take a stroll or stop and smell the roses. Dirt lot located right across the street offers ample parking. Dinosaur statues littered throughout for the kiddos. Overall a great and FREE place to waste some time. Both times I've seen volunteers cleaning or planting. Be sure to tell them what a great job they're doing and to drop a little something in the donation box!

A 19th century sugarcane plantation and sugar processing plant was once fully operating by slaves, then Seminole broke out destroyed most of the plantation. The plantation was rebuilt again just to be taken by Confederates for salt processing. After the Civil War, the plantation changed to theme park Pongoland. Why all these explanations? That's what this beautiful garden encompasses 148 years of history will tell you. Walking between all the shaded oak trees and well maintaining landscape, it's hard to imagine all the anguish of slavery, battling natives, fighting for independence, and pleasure seeker once happened right here! Restroom here is clean and functional. Smaller parking on left side of entrance, bigger dirt parking is across the street, all within short walking distance. Locally made honey sold here by volunteers. Since no pet allowed, we don't spend a lot of time here but could have. Overall, this is a beautiful and casual strolling garden with ponds, water fountains, bridges that will surely keep kids entertain for exactly 10 minutes, but can be much longer for adults.

We visit the gardens and "Bongoland" often. A great place to spend time with children, family and friends of all ages. The sugar mills ruins are interesting and educational while the garden paths and little nooks really provide a varied time while visiting. The kids love the old cement dinosaurs and we take most all our out of town guests here!! No food allowed in Gardens; however, benches right outside the entrance provide a great spot to picnic, just clean up your trash. Have fun visiting this piece of beautiful, classic Florida with some nostalgia mixed in!

Very nice but small park. The concreat dinosaurs seem whimsical and out of place but the kids love them. Great place to walk around for a lunch break.

What a beautiful little oasis just a few minutes away from all the tourist traps in Daytona. A delightful spot to spend a few hours walking off the belly full of lunch from one of the many good local eateries, or a place for some quiet contemplation. Seems to be a favorite of local photographers and with good reason. Lots of really cool gardens (several of which are elaborate Eagle Scout projects), and a well preserved sugar mill from the 1830s. Don't forget to drop a few bucks in the donation box on the way out, as a way of thanking the volunteers for all their hard work keeping this going.

It was a nice garden to walk around. I was expecting larger after visiting Leu Gardens in Orlando. The shade kept the heat down and in Florida's heat it is needed. I was hoping for more dinosaurs, but there were only two and they were not designed well. I enjoyed the history and learning about the site. It would be a great place to bring kids. It's small enough that they can run around and not lose their attention too much or get overly tired by the end of the day.

I don't know how anyone could complain about this. It's a free area that takes donations. There are really cool pieces of history sugar mill machinery. Lots of places to take pictures. Trails. Old built dinosaurs. Lots of beautiful plants and flowers. They even have a library take a book give a book box.