Parks of St. Pete: Coconut Park

Coconut Park is located at the intersection of Sunset Drive and 5th Avenue South. Photos by Brian Brakebill

Parks of St. Pete: Coconut Park & the Garden Club of St. Petersburg

By Tina Stewart Brakebill

St. Pete is home to more than 150 parks, offering a wide variety of possible activities. There are over 100 picnic areas, 80 playgrounds, 44 miles of fitness trails, 30 basketball courts, 21 boat ramps, 11 softball fields, six dog parks, five beaches, three skate parks, two disc-golf courses, and one Jai-Alai court. But that’s not all! We also have 76 tennis courts. 33 football/soccer fields, 31 baseball fields, nine volleyball courts, four historic sites, three nature preserves, and one splash pad. And, still, there’s more! Simply put, choose an activity (or choose to just relax) and there’s a city park that fits your needs.

Located at the intersection of Sunset Drive and 5th Avenue South, Coconut Park provides visitors a beautiful setting where they can quietly enjoy the view from one of the many available benches or take a meandering walking path through the park’s unique garden spaces. Thanks to a collaboration between the St. Petersburg Parks & Recreation department and the Garden Club of St. Petersburg, these distinctive plots located throughout the 3.2-acre park offer something special for almost every kind of flora fan.

For more information about the Garden Club of St. Petersburg’s activities and membership, visit www.gardenclubstpetersburg.org

The Garden Club

The Garden Club of St. Petersburg (GCSP)’s mission is simple: promote an interest in gardening, horticultural study, preservation, beautification, and community service. First organized in 1928 with 47 charter members, it was soon divided into smaller subgroups or “circles,” with each circle responsible for different aspects of the club’s activities. Its steady growth led to its incorporation in 1950, before transitioning into a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization in 1971. Today, with a membership of over 200 people, the GCSP’s facilities are located in Coconut Park and the club supports the park both financially and physically. In addition to maintaining and beautifying each distinct garden space within Coconut Park, members from its five current circles focus on a variety of horticultural topics and community outreach, including gardens and plant projects in area schools and nursing homes.

Take in the distinctively tranquil feel of the Japanese Garden

The Gardens

Coconut Park’s multiple gardens take visitors on a widely varied horticultural journey but the three most distinctive spaces may be the Native Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the Butterfly Garden. The Native Garden offers a winding path that takes visitors through a garden replete with flowering plants, a bird feeder, numerous small statues, and (depending on the season) lots of really big grasshoppers before ending at a bench. A short walk across green space takes visitors to a short bridge and pagoda where they can take refuge from the sun and take in the distinctively tranquil feel of the Japanese Garden. Conversely, the Butterfly Garden offers colorful blooms meant to attract visiting butterflies as well as colorful mosaic seating areas to attract visiting humans. If those choices don’t peak a visitor’s interest, they also can admire the wide variety of drought resistant Bromeliads that thrive in the Florida heat or the lovely Tropical Garden and its handmade steppingstones adjacent to the Garden Club Center. There really is something for everyone.

Thanks

Thanks to the Parks & Recreation Department for all they do! For more information about Coconut Park or any other of St. Pete’s many parks visit www.stpeteparksrec.org or call (727) 893-7441. For more information about the Garden Club of St. Petersburg’s activities and membership, visit www.gardenclubstpetersburg.org or call (727) 3818920. You can also find them on Facebook @gardenclubstpetersburg.