Washington Oaks Gardens: Where Formal Gardens Meet a Prehistoric Beach

On one side of A1A, formal gardens shade under ancient live oaks along the Matanzas River. Cross the road and you are standing on a prehistoric beach covered in coquina rock formations that look like they belong on another planet. Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is two parks in one, and both halves are worth the drive.

From Plantation to Paradise

The land has a long history. Jose Mariano Hernandez, Florida’s first territorial delegate to Congress, purchased the property in 1818 and established the Bella Vista plantation. His granddaughter Luisa later married George L. Washington, whose family long claimed kinship with the first president, a story the Flagler County Historical Society has since looked into and found no evidence for. In 1936, Louise and Owen Young bought the property and spent nearly three decades creating the ornamental gardens, importing plants from around the world and shaping the landscape under the oaks. They donated it all to the state in 1965.

The Gardens

The formal gardens sit on the river side of A1A, tucked beneath a canopy of live oaks draped in Spanish moss. Rose gardens, bird of paradise, and tropical plantings line the paths. It is quiet, shaded, and nothing like the Florida most people picture.

The Beach

The ocean side is where things get strange. The shoreline is covered in coquina rock, part of the Anastasia Formation laid down during the Pleistocene. The formations have been carved by centuries of tidal action into ridges, pools, and channels that fill with seawater at high tide. Bring water shoes and a camera. The tide pools are full of small crabs, fish, and anemones.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is at 6400 N Oceanshore Blvd in Palm Coast, Flagler County. Entry is $5 per vehicle.

Official page: Washington Oaks Gardens State Park