Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens is a beautiful place to visit! There are many little spots to explore. The butterfly garden is full of flowers and stripey butterflies darting around. The cactus garden has cacti of dark and bright green, some with flowers. The rose garden has a few rose bushes and some pots of flowers. The garden store has a gorgeous carved relief of a mermaid, and lots of cute pots such as one with tea pots in a tower. The bonsai garden, near the indoor pavilion, has very healthy-looking bonsai trees! There are lovely gates and decorations everywhere- something new to explore around every corner. 

The indoor pavilion gives you a chance to rest in the cool AC on comfortable chairs surrounded by huge windows looking out on the forest. It's wonderful! You can take in the stained glass windows and listen to the classical music. Stop in the gift shop to check out their cute items made by local artists. There are restrooms and filtered water stations here. The pavilion has lovely clean air- not musty at all- so it's a great find!
The land near the water, the Palm Walk Garden, has winding paths on a big lawn, mostly shaded by tall palms and other tropical trees. Walk all the way to the beginning of the River Boardwalk for a fantastic walk over the dark St. Lucie River, past mangroves full of birds. It's fun to watch the birds and their antics. Boats zoom by. It's usually breezy on the water, but you need a cloudy day to truly enjoy the boardwalk, which has no shade.
After, have a cocktail at Club Med Sandpiper Bay, a six minute drive away.
For an older indoor mall ten minutes drive away, check out Treasure Coast Mall. There are also many big box stores near the mall, such as Barnes & Noble Bookstore and Best Buy.
For a more tropical, lush garden, check out Heathcote Botanical Gardens, just twenty minutes drive away.

Directions

Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens are located at 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd, Port St. Lucie, FL 34952. There is plenty of free parking.
Admission is free!
Open Wed-Sat 10-4, Sun 12-4. Closed on Mon and Tues.
You can walk the gardens, but not enter the pavilion daily from 8am-7pm.

Click on map for interactive view