Eden Gardens State Park is a

Florida State Park There are 175 state parks and 9 state trails in the U.S. state of Florida which encompass more than , providing recreational opportunities for both residents and tourists. Almost half of the state parks have an associated local 501(c)(3) non-pr ...

and historic site located in Point Washington, south of Freeport, off U.S. 98 on CR 395, in northwestern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

at 181 Eden Gardens Road (CR 395) in Santa Rosa Beach. The park is centered on the Wesley House, a two-story mansion virtually surrounded by white columns and

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

s. The house is notable for its furnishings, especially examples of late 18th century French furniture. The house was also used as the setting of the 1972 horror film ''

Frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

''. The Wesley House was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as Eden Mansion on July 20, 2021. The site has various gardens, numerous large, old

southern live oak ''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South. ...

trees, and frontage on Tucker Bayou. The park opens daily at 8:00 am and closes at sunset. An entry fee is required.

Recreational activities

The park's amenities include a historic 1897 house filled with antiques where tours are given from 10:00 am through 3:00 p.m. on the hour, every hour, Thursday through Monday (the house is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for maintenance). There are ornamental gardens with heritage roses,

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controversy ...

s, azaleas, as well as a butterfly garden and a reflection pond filled with water lilies and large

koi or more specifically , are colored varieties of the Amur carp ('' Cyprinus rubrofuscus'') that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens. Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of ''C. rubrofuscus'' ke ...

. For those that like the more natural look, there are nature trails as well as picnic areas and a fishing dock. Those with paddle-craft can enter

Tucker Bayou Tucker may refer to: Places United States * Tucker, Arkansas * Tucker, Georgia * Tucker, Mississippi * Tucker, Missouri * Tucker, Utah, ghost town * Tucker County, West Virginia Outer space * Tucker (crater), a small lunar impact crater in th ...

or venture out to the

Choctawhatchee Bay Choctawhatchee Bay is a bay in the Emerald Coast region of the Florida Panhandle. The bay, located within Okaloosa and Walton counties, has a surface area of . It is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, connected to it through East Pass (also known ...

. There is an Annual Camellia Festival held in February and a Christmas Luminary Event is held before Christmas. Easter events are also held.

Event venue

This park is rentable for special events, such as reunions, photo sessions, and weddings.

Friends of Eden Gardens

The “Friends of Eden Gardens State Park” was founded as a volunteer organization to assist the state park staff in repairing, maintaining and enhancing the park. File:SR Beach Eden Gardens SP bayou03.jpg File:SR Beach Eden Gardens SP bayou01.jpg File:SR Beach Eden Gardens SP entr02.jpg File:SR Beach Eden Gardens SP flwrs04.jpg File:SR Beach Eden Gardens SP fntn01.jpg File:SR Beach Eden Gardens SP stage01.jpg

External links

Eden Gardens State Park
a
Florida State Parks

Friends of Eden Gardens
{{authority control Parks in Walton County, Florida State parks of Florida Botanical gardens in Florida Historic house museums in Florida Museums in Walton County, Florida Protected areas established in 1968 1968 establishments in Florida