Tampa hides a tropical garden that even many locals have never visited. In the east of the city, Eureka Springs Conservation Park spreads across 31 shady acres of ferns, orchids, roses and boardwalks — and it is the only botanical garden in the Hillsborough County park system.
The park began in 1938, when botanist and traveler Albert Greenburg planted a botanical garden of rare and unusual tropical plants he had gathered from around the world. Beside the gardens, at the clear springs, he also created Florida’s first tropical fish farm. In 1967 Greenburg donated his prized site to Hillsborough County so it would remain open to the public — a gift Tampa still enjoys today.
Plant lovers come for one record in particular: the park holds the largest publicly owned collection of ferns in Florida. Add a rose garden, an orchid room and a greenhouse, and every path offers something in bloom. Beyond the formal gardens, walking trails and boardwalks wind through a lush floodplain forest of maples, cypresses and tupelo trees, where the air turns cool and quiet.
It is an easy, gentle outing: follow the interpretive trails, linger in the garden rooms, and finish with a picnic at the tables and shelters, or book the Eureka Springs party pavilion for a gathering. The park sits at 6400 Eureka Springs Road — bring a camera, take it slowly, and enjoy one of Tampa’s greenest surprises.
Photo: Ssriram mt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
