Big Tree Park — Attraction in Orlando

I love a historic tree. They have silently witnessed so many formative events and will still be standing long after we are gone. I found just such a tree, a majestic southern live oak tree from the 1500's in Big Tree Park in Orlando. Live Oaks can live for centuries while growing 60-80 feet tall and 60-120 feet wide. Big Tree is so beloved by Orlando that it had its own park created around it in the 1950's.

Big Tree sprang to life from an acorn in the 1500's. That was before the Spanish arrived in Florida in 1513 and the Pilgrim's reached Plymouth Rock in 1620. Big Tree grew as our nation did in the 1700's when the Declaration of Independence was written and George Washington became the first President of the United States. In 1819 the United States took control of Florida from Spain and Florida became a state in 1845. In 1875, Big Tree's home city of Orlando was incorporated. In the 1920's the Park Lake Highland neighborhood grew up around it. Through all of these years Big Tree has been pulling significant amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Big Tree has continued to flourish surviving hurricanes, freezes, and city growth. In 1972 Big Tree was struck by lightening three times and experts hired by the city did critical work on the root structure. It stands here still today majestically with minimal upkeep through a combination of interaction with the soil, the surrounding environment, and luck. Earlier this year a group of arborists from Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a nonprofit based in Michigan came and took clippings from the canopy of Big Tree so they can clone it and make thousands of more trees to plant throughout the southeast.

Surrounding Big Tree are a few stone benches so you can sit and and enjoy the peacefulness of the park. Read a book, have a snack, contemplate our place in the universe, just refrain from climbing...

Up to the age of 5 I lived a block and a half ftom this tree and park. It was fun to get together the kids on my block , Terrace Blvd., and walk over to the "big tree" to play. That was in the early 50's. The limbs of the tree were on the ground and we could climb them up to the "sky". My children and grandchildren have played there too. Time has taken a toll on the "big tree" and the branches are no longer on the ground but the memories are still there from over 60 years ago. It isn't the size of the park, but the history the 'old tree" has seen that...

it was a nice place for my friend and I to just sit outside and catch up. There were a few square concrete blocks to sit on, but it would have been better with a blanket on the ground or camping chair. The park is surrounded by homes. we saw people riding around on bikes , walking and a couple had brought their small dog to play Frisbee. this is not a children's park, no playground, its a park for the tree. 😁 It was clean and quiet, a nice place for...