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It’s often a travel dilemma. What to do when you have a night flight home?
Not being a full time traveler, I don’t bring work with me on trips, so a full day keeping busy in an airport lounge isn’t the best option. I didn’t want to choose an activity that either takes all day and thus find myself anxious and sweaty in a mile long airport security line.
With a night flight out of Tampa, The Florida Botanical Gardens seems to be the perfect activity fit.
The Florida Botanical Gardens is a free (though donations are encouraged) gardens located in Largo, Florida. There is also an adjoining historic interpretive area, unfortunately that section is closed on Tuesdays, the day of our visit.
Though we encounter some people during our day at the gardens, being a weekday in January, we have much of the gardens to ourselves.
What is great about The Florida Botanical Gardens is the balance. Parts of the garden are carefully curated.
Other sections of the Florida Botanical Gardens are more wild.
If a hike or a stroll doesn’t interest you, or like us, you have extra time to kill, there are lots of quiet, places to sit and relax.
Since The Florida Botanical Gardens is a manageable size, we are able to squeeze in a quick walk on Clearwater Beach.
Walking on the beach makes me regret that we didn’t add a few wave filled days into our trip, but I’m grateful for the time I do have to inhale a little Gulf air, and I’m happy that I got to experience a new botanical gardens. It was the perfect pre-flight-home activity.
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Comments
9 responses to “The Florida Botanical Gardens”
This sure beats an airport lounge. What a beautiful place!
I do love a lounge, but I’d rather be in the outdoors as much as possible before returning to cubicle life.
I agree with you about the problems of finding something worthwhile to do when you have a late flight out of a place. It is a perennial problem for Australians flying home from L.A. The flights leave late at night but L.A is so huge it is impossible to do anything easily. My favourite activity was walking along the beach (at Venice Beach I think – or somewhere like it) and sitting watching the world go by while eating the worst fish and chips we have ever experienced. Although we regretted ordering the fish and chips at the time, their truly awful taste has become something of a family legend which, now, I wouldn’t have missed for the world.
We love visiting botanical gardens when we travel. This one looks beautiful. #weekendwanderlust
I’m happy that there are so many gardens all over the world.
I love visiting Botanical Gardens – and I’ve never been to this one. Looks like a nice place to visit.
It was definitely one of the more relaxing gardens I’ve been to
I love that part of the gardens are less tended. The pine trees would be my favorite!
I love visiting gardens like this everywhere I go! I’ll definitely be adding this one to my list of ones I still need to visit.