Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens — Attraction in Port Saint Lucie

The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens is hands down one of the most peaceful and underrated spots in the city. I came here with my daughter after a quick errand day and we ended up staying way longer than planned. The walking paths are beautifully maintained, the variety of plants and flowers is stunning, and there’s this calming, tropical vibe that makes you feel like you’ve escaped without ever leaving town. It’s a perfect spot to relax, take photos, or just breathe for a while.

Before we came to the gardens, we stopped for lunch across the street at a place called Berry Forkin’ Good — and wow, it lives up to the name. We shared a smoothie bowl loaded with fresh fruit and granola, and tried one of their signature pink crepes (made from beetroot and totally gluten-free). The café has a super fun retro-Miami vibe, and the food was not only Instagram-worthy but genuinely delicious. Highly recommend if you’re looking for healthy food in Port St. Lucie that still brings the flavor.

We had originally just gone to City Hall to sort out a quick utility issue, but somehow the day turned into a full-on Port St. Lucie adventure — from city services to an amazing lunch to a walk through one of the city’s most beautiful spots. Truly grateful for everything this area...

My wife and I really enjoyed this place. It's free (although donations are accepted and they sell plants, with proceeds benefitting the gardens). They have a good variety of tropical plants from succulents, palms, and more, plus a Florida-specific section, plenty of trees, and a cactus section. It's a nice place to wander and relax.

One nice feature is the plant signs with QR codes that take you to a Friends of the Gardens page with a ton of info about what you're looking at.

You could spend 30 minutes or a couple of hours depending on how fast you walk and how much time you want to spend wandering and soaking in the scenery. We recommend taking your time. Also, leave some time to check out the plants for sale, and the folks working there are knowledgeable about how to care for what you buy. We even found a super tiny succulent for our very small RV.

They also have a gift shop on site with artists' crafts. Note the hours posted online are for the building, but the gardens open much earlier.

Keep an eye out for the alligator that lives in the pond!

When finished here, consider the short walk to the Port St. Lucie boardwalk for a nice stroll down the river where you can see different varieties of birds resting on the...

I will never set foot in this place agin. This place changed and now you must enter through the building entrance bc there is a gate now I was told because of vandalism etc. We were there a month ago and we were able to walk through no donation required and not hounded to give one. Today we went in there and the old lady at the desk in front was beyond rude! Would not let me pass by and go walk through without giving a donation. Stated $10 per person. Are you serious this place isn’t even that big for that! I understand they operate on donations however you don’t need to hound me for it and make me look like a terrible person bc I didn’t at that moment. Last time I checked a donation was given at free will not made to donate. Only other option she gave me to walk through was if I bought something in the gift shop. Don’t worry I will not be back and will make sure i tell me friends as well. Very greedy. I felt like telling the lady I was actually stopping in to shop and purchase at the plant shop but you stopped that-the lady wouldn’t be quiet...