Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

A great place to visit that is free of charge and furry friends are welcome. They display lights each night through the Christmas season. Located by a brand new park and also a walking path along the river.

I went during the day to take family photos and at night for the lights. The park is so serene during the day. Great place to bring a lunch and a book. Check out the garden where plants are sold at a great price. The lights for Christmas at night was beautiful. Don’t forget to look for fairies in the fairy garden.

The gardens were light with colorful holiday lighting. It was absolutely beautiful. There were many people here enjoying it. The security made parking easy. The grounds were absolutely beautiful. We spent about 45 minutes walking through. There was live music and food trucks. Surprisingly the prices were great too. Here are a few pictures to get an idea what you missed. We did December 13th the 5pm visit. There was no cost to enter but a donation would gladly be accepted. I got to see Santa and Mrs. Claus. Iconic! They were free too and taking pics with your phone was free too. Both young and old appeared to really enjoy it Yup, lots of fun. Some these pics are not the best but my phone started acting up. I did want to show a few because a picture is worth a thousand words. Did I mention, the botanical garden is right next to The Port District Park. This is another place that is great for all ages to enjoy. I sure wish I was a young un again. Enjoy!

Beautiful gardens. Many varieties of plants. Cute gift shop too! Can't beat the price of admission... it's free.

This is a nice peaceful place to visit. Not too small, not too big. I will definitely be back. The entrance fee is a suggested $5 donation. There is a nice park adjacent with a cool play area for the kiddos and a long boardwalk along the river.

Beautiful garden. Kind of on the small side, yet any nature/plant enthusiast will enjoy the visit. We loved the orchid garden. The small gift shop has a variety of knick knacks.

Absolutely gorgeous and stunning grounds! Breathtaking beauty. I loved the garden center, such nice volunteers, thank you Shelia!

Beautiful place, super friendly people! Thank you for being dog friendly!!!! We travel with our pups and it's hard to find pet friendly places. I loved the entire place. So many different plants, trees and cacti. Just a wonderful place and again the people when you walk in are so friendly and welcoming!

We stopped by at the tail end of our honeymoon while visiting family, and volunteer Rick was super nice to talk to. He explained the gardens and gave us a map for us to navigate our way around. Beautiful and nicely kept botanical gardens. We came on a Tuesday and it was nice and quiet with maybe a small handful of other people also visiting. It was a pleasant walk around the grounds, talking in the Floridian sunshine and beauty of the gardens. It's not a large garden but it's still very worth a visit in my opinion!

**INITIAl REVIEW** I love nature, therefore, I am always looking for all the venues that center on nature whenever I can. Ergo, I have a perchance of trying to find the aforementioned that is local. I will admit there is a lot to be said and done about state parks and the like, but finding a local gem of a botanical garden or plant nursery is always a treat. Utilizing the Nature & Eco Pass by Visit St. Lucie, I have found some wonderful nature-related venues within the county. Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens is one of those locations. Given it was my Friday at the time, I definitely had to stop in and see what beauty the garden would behold. Though an address is given, Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens (which I will shorthand to PSL Gardens for the remainder of the review) is located right next to the historical landmark, the Peacock House and Lounge, and the amazing Pioneer Park. PSL Gardens is technically not that big compared to other gardens I have been to. However, it is more than good enough to enjoy on one's own or with friends and/or family. Bringing a big groups shouldn't be a hastle as admission is free. You can, however, donate to the botanical garden as it is privately owned and operated. It must be stressed my initial visit was during the Halloween season, therefore there were plenty of Halloween decorations put up to give PSL Gardens a spooky yet kid-friendly feel. Upon entering, I got to talk to some of the women who worked there in the main building. I discerned the entrance/main building serves as an office, classroom, auditorioum, and store. The restrooms are located here, too. The entrance to the garden is at the "back" of the main/entrance building and goes around primarily in a ring. The ring is somewhat smallish but still has enough to do and admire. There are numerous "gardens" featuring a theme. Off the top of my head, my favorite gardens were the butterfly garden, the cacti garden, the bamboo garden, and the secret garden. The lilypad pier was also beautiful but I would suggest holding the hands of your little ones. The pier has no railing whatsoever. There is a larger ring path just west of the smaller ring path that has an open field, but a las, it was closed when I was there. In short, you'll need about an hour to thoroughly enjoy everything PSL Gardens has to offer. Take note there is no on-site restaurant or eatery but they do serve some food in the store. As for the store, they seem to feature handcrafted wares. Not a lot of "official" PSL Gardens stuff. Because there is a good amout of things to do, explore, and learn and you don't have to pay to enter, I am giving PSL Gardens a four out of five stars. When I come back, which I will most-likely do with friends and they stay consistent, they'll earn their fifth star.

his botanical garden is a hidden gem! Not a lot of people seem to know about it, which is such a shame. I visited on a Saturday, and it wasn't too busy, making it a peaceful experience. I highly recommend making a donation since I was told the garden is maintained solely through contributions. While I was there, they were hosting a wedding, and it looked absolutely beautiful--definitely a great venue option if you're planning an event. My favorite part was the bonsai garden, and parking was very convenient. Definitely worth a visit.

Beautiful botanical gardens! We loved the Florida native plants on display! New boardwalk and very clean place! Admission is a donation.

I recommend the Jazz that's available on Wednesdays. They are available on some Wednesdays. You can walk thru the gardens before the fantastic jazz participants play. There are some professionals and some amateurs. They sometimes ask for requests. They serve lovely desserts. We usually left at the break since it was time for us to go home

Beautiful!!! Peaceful, well maintained! Would highly recommend!!!!!!!!! Good value for the money.

I enjoy every single time I visit! The beauty and serenity bring me peace. I love being able to bring my dog and being able to purchase new plants and garden art.

I haven't had a chance to tour the whole garden yet, but they have a little garden center where they sell plants to the public. Please consider buying there first instead of the big box stores or larger nurseries to support your local botanical garden.

The land of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens used to be the Pruitt Fishing Camp. In 1981 roads were built for a proposed housing development that never took place. In 2002 the land was purchased by the city of Port St. Lucie to protect the plant communities along the north fork of the St. Lucie River. In 2005 the plan for a botanical garden on the site was conceived. In 2007 the firm of Lucido & Associates was selected to design the botanical garden and construction of the garden began in 2009. Seven acres of mangrove wetlands were preserved and 1.7 miles of sidewalk through the garden were added. Today you can visit the garden free of charge although they gratefully accept donations. The gardens are managed and operated by Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, Inc., a non-profit so all of the people who work at the garden are volunteers. The gardens are comprised of a lake with a fountain, paved paths, gardens, a pavilion, and a gift shop. Some of the gardens you can explore here are the cactus and succulent garden, orchid room, bamboo garden, bromeliad island garden, and butterfly garden. The butterfly garden was my favorite. It was blooming with colorful flowers, sweet smelling jasmine, and butterflies everywhere. The garden hosts weddings and was being set up for one that evening when I visited. I also ran into a couple doing a pregnancy photo shoot and group of cosplayers also taking pictures. The gardens are popular for all kinds of photo shoots. Two historic houses have been moved to the property, the Peacock House, built in 1917, and the Peacock Lodge, built in 1952. They are going to be part of a historic park that is being added to the area. A waterfront restaurant and a new $6.5 million park and boardwalk are now under construction next door to the Botanical Gardens. The new park will also include a riverfront stage, a playground, restrooms and a canoe/kayak launch. The Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens are looking forward to a partnership with the new park which will bring more people to the area.

What a lovely place this is! As you enter off of Moreland, it feels like you're going through a winding road to enter the area where the main building is. The part I liked about this place is that there were two lovely ladies greeting us, and they actually didn't charge for the walk-through of the gardens. All they asked for is a donation if you can afford it. The ambiance was wonderful from the minute we entered to the minute we left. The weather was nice and cool. I would probably say it was in the upper 60s, and we walked around while talking and looking at the amazing plant life. We made our way all the way to the back area where we found two benches, and we sat on one of the bench chairs and talked for a while. We also met some people and talked with them before we left. It was a wonderful time, and the atmosphere was amazing. I truly recommend this hidden gem. I would have never thought of going to this place, but I'm glad I did.

The is boardwalk is another very. Quite a few fisher people and little more crowded than the other side of the boardwalk. Seems to be more birds too.

Great little side trip on the way North or South on the FL Turnpike. This was a great surprise and to add to the surprise it is completely free of charge to visit. Donations are appreciated. Not terribly large property so it allows you to cover the grounds fairly quickly on a hot day. A good number of plant variations with decent amount of signs and documentation of species. Strangely, the map was a bit confusing so use it as reference but let your natural sense of direction guide you. The collection of Orchids is outstanding as is the variety of Bromeliads. Right next to the gardens is a walk on the river. We didn't do that part because it was the heat of mid afternoon. Nice find!

Beautiful gardens and pathways. It's a tranquil setting for a relaxing stroll - alone, with friends, or with family. Some plants and flowers may be seasonal.

Note: We went knowing the gift shop and garden center were closed. We enjoyed walking around the garden. Well maintained with a variety of plants. Easy paths for all ages to enjoy.

Beautiful free botanical park in Port St Lucie . The center is closed due to covid but as soon as this is over the building will open.Thank goodness the park is still open. As you enter you see the beautiful butterfly garden with beautiful colorful flowers. The bush that I really liked was the almond flower bush with the sweet scent. After you walk out of this area there is the bamboo area with many different bamboo trees and all of them are identified with signs. Love the rare black bamboo and the blue one as well. This park also had many different roses if this is the type of flowers you like. My favorite was the cactus area this reminded me of Aruba with all their cactus. We even saw another section with many different types of bromeliads most of them were in bloom so pretty. The last part was the orchid area with many in the trees and some in pots. This park is such a treasure and I hope you check it out . I hope to come back again . You can also purchase plants at this center . Parking is easy.

Went to the gardens to get some exercise during quarantine. There was only one other visitor during the time we were there. We felt very safe. It was nice to have the place to orselves. It would be a lovely outing any day. Lots of fresh air. You can see butterflies zipping around. You'll see lizards of all kinds. Ponds and fountain are small but green and lush. Fish were jumping like crazy. There is a nature/board walk under construction as well. The main office and what appears to be historic homes were closed when we visited. We saw picnic tables, benches, and a very rustic garden shop. But do beware of the alligator if you have little ones.

Small but beautiful. The grounds are expertly maintained and definitely worth a stop.

A beautiful and serene botanical garden to visit. Not overly huge but big enough at that for an hour or two relaxing visit. Well kept and nicely manicured with many different and unique plants and flowers. The butterfly garden was my favorite with many species of butterflies calling it their home! You'll enjoy it, I'm sure!

Has potential, Needs to incorporate more art, water features etc, to make this a place that more than just the locals would enjoy

The plants are great its quiet peaceful and I kinda like it. However on the two times that I have visited I have been stopped and told to keep my dog on a short leash I use a 6 foot lead. anyways its cool just be ready to be confronted if you bring your dog also this is a 100 percent dog friendly establishment the people in charge just don't like it.

Beautiful garden and views. Take a few quite peaceful steps along the amazing St Lucie river

Absolutely beautiful gardens! Took my grandmother on a beautiful February day. They were having an orchid show which was exciting. Lovely grounds and beautiful flowers. So many picture taking spots! They are free but ask for a donation which they truly deserve. Lots of benches and picnic tables to sit and have a picnic. So nice to sit by the lake. Great way to spend a day!

We recently visited the gardens and it was lovely. There were many different sections featuring different types of plants or themes such as the Fairie Garden, the Serenity Garden and even one that featured bamboo trees. I was impressed that the grounds were run by volunteers. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming when we arrived. Entry was free but they had a donation box for those that wanted to support them.

I am an avid gardener and have a love for anything gardens/gardening. I found this magical botanical gardens right in our little town, it's free admission or you can donate, they have beautiful gardens, it's very peaceful and a great way to spend your day.

A very beautiful garden especially enticing at this time of year when it's not so hot.

We held our wedding at the Botanical Gardens on 8/31 and it was amazing. Due to Hurricane Dorian, our initial venue was forced to close and the Botanical Gardens were able to book us last minute ensuring that our wedding was everything we hoped it would be and more. The location is beautiful and the staff is fantastic and accommodating, especially Heather and Curtis! Thank you so much for everything!!

Beautiful, relaxing. You can tell this place is attended to and taken care of. Love walking through here with my little ones. Definitely would recommend if you need to get out of with the kiddos for a while.. or for a romantic walk after a lunch date. :)

I was so impressed with this I became a member of the botanical gardens. Wonderful place for gardening ideas, meeting knowledgeable people and buying great plants.

Toured this place a couple of weeks ago. It was beautiful. Great place to hold a wedding or any type of celebration. Learned a lot about plants and those native to Florida. They also sell beautiful healthy plants as well, Lot cheaper than the other stores. Highly recommend taking a stroll thru here. Very peaceful.

This botanical garden just opened in 2010, so it's still not quite finished. It's also staffed by volunteers, so it might not be progressing as quickly or as professionally as one could expect. If one doesn't compare it to an actual working botanical garden (of the sort where botanists are actually doing research) it's a quite pleasant park, with plenty of pretty flowering greenery and nice pathways for a brief stroll. It seems like a lovely place for local gardening enthusiasts to get together. However, it's a bit weak on actual information. A few of the plants are labelled, but that's about it, and when one of us asked some of the volunteers to identify an interesting plant, they were unable to. (They were, however, quite friendly, and invited us to leave a name and phone number if we wanted them to find out and get back to us.) We happened to be there on a free day, so there was no admission charge, and it was a quite pleasant interlude. We all agreed, however, that if we had paid to get in we would have felt a bit ripped off - frankly, one can see just-as-impressive plantings along the median of any road in Florida! Cute visitors center & gift shop, though.

I take my children here for walks, and the PAL sponsored fishing tournaments. It is taken care of and clean.

Beautiful and tranquil the gardens are still young but it's so nice to have such a beautiful place in the middle of the city

Horrible place to get married at.. The manager Clair was horrible she doesn't keep her words and will RUIN your wedding STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE and especially CLAIR She is the worst person to deal with!!!

Like every excited bride I thought I had found the perfect place. I was getting married in "the secret garden" I paid a deposit of $649.00 thinking I would use the garden and the pavilion for my reception. After much research I decided to only use the garden and hold the reception elsewhere. I was very suprised when Stephanie the manager told me there were be no refund for my over payment. If you look on ther site it says the cost is $400.00 for the garden and that includes chairs as well as set up and tear down. I let it go, because I was so excited about the garden. I followed the weather and noticed that rain was predicted for my wedding day, so I hired "all in fun" to put a tent up. Me being ocd I wanted to decorate the inside of the tent, so I bought over $300 in greenry to hang around the tent. I called the tent company and explained I could not come back until Monday to take down the greenry. They agreed and I thought all would be okay. To my luck my cousin decided to stop by the garden on Sunday shortly after they opened to gather the greenry for me, much to her surprise the greenry was all cut down and in a pile where the local "playhouse theater group" was planning on taking it. They were officially looting my greenry. At which point my cousin informed them that she was there only for the greenry and they said that's all, aren't you going to help clean up? your son looks like he could use some work." They clearly stated that clean up is included in the $400 fee. I contacted the tent company because I had also rented chair sashes from them and I was instructed that the tent company would gather them when they picked up the tent, I am in hopes "the local playhouse" did not steel those sashes as well. As for Stephanie, I made the mistake of hiring her for my flowers as well. I made an appointment with her to let her know what kind of flowers I like, I took pictures from pintrest to show her ideas, what a total waste of money and time. My bouquet was awful, I hate yellow flowers and it was loaded with any and all possible yellow flowers she could find. My husbands boutonniere was some dead yellow flower as well. In fact I could have saved the $500 dollars I gave her and went to Publix and spent $100 and had better looking flowers. AVOID STEPHANIE'S MISTY ROSE at all cost. Why did I not say anything on my wedding day? because she knew the flowers were nothing like I wanted and so she waited till the last minute to show them to me. I was very upset but I was not about to let flowers ruin my wedding day.