McKee Botanical Garden

In the 1940s, McKee Jungle Gardens was one of Florida’s most popular roadside attractions, hosting more than 100,000 tourists each year. The 80-acre tropical hammock (a fertile area that’s usually higher than its surroundings and characterized by rich soil) along the Indian River boasted one of the world’s outstanding collections of water lilies and orchids in a beautiful setting of streams, ponds, and trails.

But by the early 1970s, attendance had dwindled and the garden closed. Most of the land was developed. Trust for Public Land purchased the remaining 18 acres in a cooperative project with the Indian River Land Trust. Reopened to the public in August 2001, the gardens now include an educational building and small café as well as restored ponds, streams, and flower beds.