Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

About Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Matanzas River, the property once belonged to a distant relative of President George Washington. It was called Washington Oaks and is located in the heart of the park, a formal garden that sits at the center of a Kokina rock formation that lines its Atlantic beach. The garden was created by Louise Owen Young, who bought the land in 1936 and built a winter boarding house. In 1965, most of it was donated to the state, but it is still called the Washington Oaks in honor of its namesake.

A number of short paths offer opportunities for hiking and cycling, and the garden makes remarkable use of the exquisite bird paradise protected by picturesque oak hammocks. Visitors can picnic, fish and fish on the beach and on the banks of the Matanzas River, and find natural and cultural resources in the park at the Visitor Centre.

The hill at the top of the Rose Garden is made up of the remains of a stone wall and other waste left by generations of Indians. Native Americans came here before Europeans reached Florida to hunt, fish and collect mussels, and archaeological studies are underway to learn more about their way of life here. The hotel is located directly on the beach, a short walk from the main entrance of the park and the visitor centre.

In the 1500s and 1600s, several French, Spanish and English groups moved into the area, but the first documented European settlement occurred in 1770, when the British government left the country.

Moultrie set up an orange grove and used his lime kiln to extract mountains of oyster shells to extract lime. In 1793 a fire, probably a natural one, broke out through the wing and destroyed the woods and the lime kiln.

Shortly afterwards, it was acquired by a Portuguese-born merchant who may have built a building and planted plants. Rice and maize were grown on nearby farms, and some other crops such as wheat, barley, oats, maize, sugar cane, cotton and wheat.

Spanish colony, called Bella Vista, and was a citizen of the Spanish colony and owned land granted to it by Spain. He bought the land in 1818 (Florida became US territory in 1821) and he owned it until his death in 1861.

He swore allegiance to the new country and changed his name to Joseph Marion Hernandez, and became known as General Hernandez, who organized and commanded the militia. His government duties included representing St. Augustine in the Tallahassee Territorial Assembly and serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Hernandez raised cotton, sugar and grain to feed his family, workers and slaves, but Bella Vista never seemed to develop into a farm in its own right. In 1836, U.S. troops who occupied a plantation on the Matanzas River, including Hernandez Land, were burned down by Native Americans.

Although Bella Vista was not occupied, it was destroyed, and the plantation economy in this part of the state never fully recovered.

Although George Lawrence and Luisa Washington lived in the Augustinian Quarter since 1856, it seems unlikely that they built or lived in Bella Vista. It seems that Washington remembered the country fondly long after his death, and he and his wife apparently did not live there.

In 1878, his seasonal visits to Saint Augustine began with a visit to the Augustinian Quarter and in the summer of 1879 to Bella Vista.

After Washington's death in 1894, the property passed to his heirs, but in 1923 the land was sold to an independent developer and bought by the National Park Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1936. A small beach house his son used was built on the Bella Vista property, which is now owned by General Hernandez's daughter.

Young, a lawyer and industrialist, served in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, advising the government on international monetary issues. He was the son of William Young, the founder of Young & Company, Inc., one of the first American commercial banks and a major player in the US economy.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is a popular spot for recreational fishermen, and fishing and surfing are allowed in Washington Oaks. Fish on the dikes and the surf, which is a pleasure, can also be fished in the water of the river and in the creek.

Different species are routinely caught, including flounder, and different species are routinely caught, including redfish, snapper, tuna, bluefin and other small fish. Florida residents do not need a license to fish from shore, but non-residents must behave with a Florida saltwater fishing license.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park offers beautiful picnics under large, majestic oaks. The picnic area and footpaths along the Matanzas River make it one of the most popular picnic spots in the state of Florida. This pavilion can be reserved at the Park Office under the numbers 386 - 446 - 6783.

It has a covered gazebo with additional tables for barbecues and a picnic table for two for $10.

A toilet and a children's playground are also available on the picnic area, and the playground is equipped with amenities such as slides and swings. It is located on the west side of the Matanzas River, commonly referred to as the inland waterway. The main car park of the park with its large parking spaces is located on a hill that certainly offers plenty of shade.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park offers hiking and biking trails, and Bella Vista Trail stretches for a mile from the park's entrance to the Matanzas River.

Mala Compra is a 1.7 mile long trail system that explores mature maritime hammocks along the coast. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, in collaboration with the Florida Trail Association, has developed a 2.5-kilometer loop from the park's entrance to the Matanzas River.

This one-mile loop runs through the coastal bush that spans the southernmost part of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park from its entrance on the east side of the river to its exit on the west side.

All pets must be kept on a leash, always well behaved and not left unattended or alone.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is located two miles south of Marineland on the A1A and a short drive from Marin County Highway 101. All pets must be kept on a leash in the park, always at least 10 feet from the trail or park entrance.