Washington Oaks Gardens State Parks

Oaks Gardens is located on A1A, about two miles South of Marineland, on both the East and West sides of the road. To the West of A1A are the actual gardens, and where the bulk of the park is located. On the East side of A1A is the beach side, and where I’ve spent the majority of my time. To be completely truthful, I’ve only driven through the garden side so far. We’ve always been planning to explore it, but we end up spending all our time beach side.

On the garden side, you can spend your time fishing in the Matanzas River (Intracoastal Waterway or ICW), having a picnic, walking nature trails, watching the kids play on the playground, or just taking in the beauty of the gardens.

Beach side is much different than the normal beaches of Florida. First of all, DO NOT SWIM at the Washington Oaks beach. The feature that makes it so unique is also the feature that makes swimming extremely dangerous. The rock formations you see on the shore, continue into the ocean. I’m not exactly sure how far out they go, but do not risk it! Because of the rock formations, the waves crash hard on the shore at Washington Oaks. If you are standing at the edge of the water, on or near a rock, you will get wet! The kids always have a blast thinking they can ‘beat’ the water, only to end up soaked.

For an interesting read about the history of the conquina rock formations, check out the following site: Florida State Parks .

If you arrive at the park at high tide, you might think it looks fine for swimming, as none of the rocks are visible right away. However, a look to your left, down the beach, will reveal what lies just below the water! {Insert image}

At low tide, you’ll find tidal pools in the rocks, full of all sorts of wildlife. You’ll also be able to walk the beach and find my family’s favorite treasure: sharks teeth. The amount of sharks teeth we find here makes me wonder if I ever want to set foot in the Atlantic Ocean again! (of course I always do) At times, we’ve left the beach with over 150 sharks teeth of various sizes after only a few hours!

There are shells to be found, too, but most are broken after being smashed against the rocks. Only the most sturdy shells survive, and they are usually found up higher on the beach.

Details:

The park is open from 8 am to sunset, every day.

The cost is $4, for one vehicle, up to 8 people (This is on an honor system, but trust me, pay the money and hang the paper on your mirror. The rangers DO come around frequently and will ticket you without it!)

A wheelchair accessible port-a-potty is available in the parking lot

The ramp is wheel chair accessible also, but that’s as far as you could go.

Visit the official Florida State Park website for more information.

View my photos of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park (beach side) on Flickr.