Needless to say we’ve had quite a busy past few months- what with us braving the great outdoors, spider monkeying through treetops, gallivanting all over town for birthdays and more or less eating our way through Tampa Bay. So this past Saturday when we found ourselves post Alessi breakfast sandwiches with nothing to do, Nick & Ryan hit the interwebs for some inspiration. We knew we definitely didn’t want to spend the day inside given the gorgeous weather and it didn’t take long for my phone to buzz with news of an outdoor adventure. This time we decided to trek it over to St. Pete (and by trek we’re just being over dramatic… it’s not that far people- get over it) and take in the beautiful sights and sounds of the Sunken Gardens.
Located on 4th Street in St. Pete, “Sunken Gardens is a botanical paradise in the midst of a bustling city” and it’s totally true! Who would have thought nestled up next to Carrabbas is this tranquil garden? We made a quick pit stop at Panera across the street for some green teas (gotta stay hydrated in this hot Florida heat) and headed inside. The first thing I noticed was how much shade the tropical foliage provided and was immediately grateful since I neglected to use my moisturizer with SPF that morning (#girlproblems) The second thing I noticed was the sign directing guests towards the wedding. Since we were in no shape, or fashion to be attending a wedding we made a quick left and got on our way.
It took us about 6 steps to the left to realize we are not plant people. Listen, we are all for making the best of an experience, and we always do but it takes a certain person and a certain mindset to really appreciate botany. About 3 steps after that, we were totally immersed in the atmosphere. It was such a relaxing environment and it was almost as if you had to whisper not to disturb the beauty of the space. In fact, they actually have yoga classes right inside the garden. We made our way over towards a new tortoise friend who came to life right away and we swore he was trained to do that when guests came by. As we winded around the paths we discovered little nooks and crannies around every bend. We saw cacti, breathtaking canopies of intertwined branches and were on a mission once we heard the waterfalls.
We had heard from the woman working at Panera that the waterfalls at Sunken Gardens were amazing. Eh… let’s just say they’re no Niagra Falls, but waterfalls none the less. The next noises we heard came from a photographer directing the bride and groom in their post wedding ceremony photo shoot. It just so happened it was in the direction we were heading so we did a quick peek, a short congrats and we were on our way towards some wildlife. We saw kookaburras, macaws and our favorite part of the gardens- the Chilean flamingos. We definitely spent the most time admiring these beautiful creatures and quizzing each other on our flamingo knowledge. (I knew why they were pink thank you very much!) For those questions we couldn’t agree on, we turned to Siri (which was pointless cause she’s horrible. So as I sit here now I am Googling why they stand on one leg, feel free to do the same- no freerides here)
With that we were at the end of our tour of Sunken Gardens, but not St. Pete. Stay tuned to see what other goodies we discovered in The Burg.
Happy Adventure Hunting- Allison
NHIE Guys 