Take a Break for Sunshine & Flowers

Spectacular gardens dot Florida's Atlantic coast. They'll make you forget all about the cold.

When I-95 in Florida gets too crowded, I take a detour through groves of palms, fragrant orchids, flowering bougainvillea, and banks of azaleas.

From Jacksonville to Miami, eight gardens flourish within easy reach of two of the state's major north-south routes-1-95 and State AlA. They serve as refreshing rest stops where you can relax, stroll on wooded trails, enjoy a picnic, or dine at an outdoor restaurant overlooking one of the most remarkable Japanese gardens in America.

"It's amazing; when you get here, your whole attitude changes," one visitor at The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens says with a smile. It's true. You're on vacation. Slow down, and enjoy it. Exit for one of these inviting gardens.

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

It's rush hour in Jacksonville now, but I'm relaxing under the spreading branches of one of the most beautiful live oak trees I've ever seen. The tree, with a crown half the size of a football field, is the centerpiece of The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. Most travelers never notice this oasis near the I-95 bridge over the St. Johns river.

Don't Miss: After you enjoy the compact English and Italian formal gardens and stroll along the river, visit the museum's exceptional Art Connections interactive education center, fun for children and adults. Draw a self-portrait with the help of a computer. See if you aren't smiling.

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

Trails lead you through enchanting woodland gardens filled with camellias and azaleas-which often bloom as early as February-at this oceanside state park garden near St. Augustine.

Don't Miss: Touring the modest house, now used as a visitors center, that was home to Louise and Owen D. Young, an industrialist who was chairman of General Electric Company. The Youngs lived a simple lifestyle and developed the spacious gardens that visitors now enjoy.

McKee Botanical Garden

Lose yourself in a tropical jungle on trails flanked by elephant's ear plants with leaves almost as big as coffee tables. In clearings, dazzling aquatic flowers dance on the surface of ponds. "We had an explosion of water lilies when we lost some of the tree canopy in Hurricane Frances. They love the sun," explains Mark Peters, director of horticulture at this Vero Beach paradise.

Don't Miss: Exhibits in the Hall of Giants that recall the days when McKee Jungle Gardens was one of the biggest tourist attractions in Florida before it closed in 1976. Locals rescued and reopened the leafy sanctuary in 2001. Many of the original plants remain in the garden that was known as a "World's Fair of Nature."

Heathcote Botanical Gardens

Local citizens saved a beloved plant nursery from development and opened this compact garden in Fort Pierce in 1985. It covers 5 acres but plans to expand to more than 150 acres eventually. Even though it's small, pools and fountains make it relaxing and refreshing.

Don't Miss: Taking a walk on the palm and cycad trail with more than 40 native and exotic species as well as ferns, bromeliads, and flowering trees.

Mounts Botanical Garden

Waiting for your plane doesn't have to be drudgery. In Palm Beach, flowers decorate the airport too. Mounts Botanical Garden grows at the end of the runway.

Don't Miss: Paved trails that provide easy accessibility, and there's a pleasant picnic area with tables.

The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

Just a little while ago I was crawling through traffic on I-95 in Delray Beach. Now I'm sitting on a bench in Paradise Garden. All around me are lushly planted hills and small ponds. Every turn in the mile-long trail through these splendid green spaces makes me feel more tranquil.

Don't Miss: Lunch outdoors overlooking the gardens in The Cornell Café. Have the Bento, a Japanese sampler box ($12.95) filled with teriyaki salmon, red shrimp with golden tofu, and sushi.

American Orchid Society Visitors Center and Botanical Garden

Inhale the fragrance of exotic flowers from around the world at this showcase of the American Orchid Society (AOS) that neighbors The Morikami. Visitors can learn how to grow these lovely blooms or simply enjoy the work of the AOS.

Don't Miss: Two 4,000-square-foot greenhouses and a 3 ½-acre garden filled with orchids, flowering trees, palms, and native plants.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Feel the misty spray of a waterfall as you hike through the largest outdoor tropical rain forest in the continental United States. The Miami skyline rises not far beyond the green canopy of this garden, but it feels as wild as the Amazon.

Don't Miss: Riding the tram to see the far reaches of the sprawling 83-acre garden. Also, Fairchild will exhibit works by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly now through May 31.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN YOU GO

1.The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens: 829 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville; (904) 356-6857 orwww.cummer.org. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $6 adults, $3 students, $1 ages 5 and under. Directions: From I-95 South, take Exit 351C (slow down; it's a quick turn). Take a left onto Post Street and then a left on Riverside Avenue.