Today we are checking out some Florida State Parks near Destin. For Labor Day Weekend, my son Drew and I are in Destin on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Yesterday we found Fantastic Fungi & More at Rocky Bayou State Park. But today we are checking out a few more state parks near Destin, each with something different to explore.
Eden Gardens State Park near Destin
The 1st of the state parks near Destin we check out is Eden Gardens in Point Washington 35 minutes away. Their ornamental gardens are the main attraction of the park. But the focal point of the park is the Wesley House built in 1897. This 163 acre park includes what was part of the Wesley homestead until 1953. And ten years later, it was purchased by Lois Maxon converting the house and grounds into what it is today. To read more about this park, see: Eden Gardens State Park | Florida State Parks.
We get to the park about 11:30AM paying our $4 entrance fee at the honor box so best to have cash. We stop at a white building on our left, but the office is closed. However, we pick up a map of their gardens outside. And then we park in the small lot just past it in front of the Wesley House. The map we got is of the Living Shoreline Trail to guide us through the gardens. And the gardens start to the left of the parking lot near a gray building.
Living Shoreline Trail and the Gardens
The map highlights 18 stops along a loop trail that ends near the Wesley House. Many of which are native trees including the “Wedding Tree”, a live oak over 600 years old. A perfect place to have an outdoor wedding under its shade. Though a very large tree, the resurrection ferns on live oaks closer to the house are breathtaking.
The trail loops to the waterfront showcasing Tucker Bayou. Here is a seawall and a dock where we see people fishing. This quiet bayou’s calm waters can put a spell on you. We see an older couple sitting on a bench here just taking in the views and we don’t blame them.
Another thing that we find really cool are the statues of children playing along this trail. We counted at least 5 of them in different poses. Our favorite is probably the 2 children carrying a canoe. And even though these statues aren’t marked on the map, they are pretty easy to spot.
Unfortunately, the camellias and azaleas are not blooming today. But just past them is a small building which houses some nice restrooms. And just before the trail ends near the Wesley House, we find something else just off the trail.
Another thing not listed on the garden map is the Reflection Pond. This rectangular green pond provides nice views of the Wesley House past its fountain. And we finish the trail at the Wesley House where we check out their guided tours. We’ve enjoyed our leisurely 40 minute walk around the gardens, but the next tour doesn’t start for 40 minutes. So, we decide to walk their nature trail and come back in time for the next tour.
Nature Trail at Eden Gardens State Park
This 1 mile trail starts on the other side of the parking lot. And by the time we get there taking pictures along the way, we have about 25 minutes until the next tour. But we head into the woods crossing a small bridge seeing a tree with orange slime mold on it. And then we get to a clearing in the woods with a bench. We wonder why they would put a bench in a sunny spot and notice someone else sunning themselves.
We see a black racer or black rat snake sunning on the sandy ground. They call them black racers because they are fast when they want to go somewhere. But this one is content hanging in the sun. Eventually when we get closer it slowly crawls into the palmettos beyond. And then we cross another bridge spotting a picnic area to our right through the trees.
On our left we see some marshy area and the trail leads to Tucker Bayou. Here is a nice sitting area with views of the water. The trail turns to pavement from here. And we find another spot just past where you can walk down to the water. We spot a yellow bird as the trail ends at the picnic area. From here, we walk down the road back to our parking lot and back to Wesley House. We get back with 2 minutes to spare just before the tour.
Tour of the Wesley House at Eden Gardens State Park
There’s a little gift shop in a back corner of the Wesley House. And we make it in just in time to see a couple paying a park ranger. The tour is $4 each so we pay and she ushers us past the gift shop into another room. With just the 4 of us, she starts the tour here explaining the history of this house. Originally belonging to the Wesley family until 1953, it sat abandoned for 10 years until it was purchased by the heiress Lois Maxon. Miss Maxon who purchased the home and property for $12,500 “found her Eden”. She devoted a million dollars to the renovation of the 5,500 square foot house and added the ornamental gardens.
Renovations went on over the next 5 years reconstructing the house with more modern comforts. The house was also adorned with her family heirlooms and numerous antiques she purchased during her travels in Europe. Though we weren’t allowed to take any photographs in the house, our guide was excellent. She told us about each room, how it was updated, and where each piece of furniture was from. She explained how Miss Maxon modernized the house before she unfortunately got ill after 5 years and moved to Pensacola. But luckily in 1968 she donated the house, land and all her antique furnishings to the state of Florida. And after 2 hours at this wonderful park, we are looking forward to seeing more state parks near Destin.
Grayton Beach State Park near Destin
The 2nd of the state parks near Destin we check out is Grayton Beach just 10-15 minutes from Eden Gardens. Grayton Beach is consistently ranked one of the most pristine beaches in Florida. Other than their 1-mile beach, you can paddle on the 100-acre Western Lake. There is also a short 1-mile coastal hiking trail and a longer 4.5 mile trail around Western Lake. But after Eden Gardens, we are ready to take a dip in the ocean. To read more about this park, see: Grayton Beach State Park | Florida State Parks.
When we first get to the park around 1:45PM, we can’t get in. We just see a sign that says the day use area is full, and to check back later. Disappointed we leave to find our next destination. But 2 minutes down the road, we pass Beach Camp Brewpub, so we make a stop. After a couple beers and a giant pretzel, we decide to try again. And 5 minutes before 3:00PM, the park is back open. So, we head past Western Lake to the parking lot for the beach.
They have restroom facilities here, and just past them is the boardwalk to the beach. After some sunscreen we head down to the white sandy beach. We jump in the emerald green waters though the beach flags are yellow and purple for medium hazard and stinging marine life. But we are used to much more waves on Florida’s east coast and don’t see any jellyfish. After about an hour swimming, we head toward Western Lake. However, it’s after 4:00PM and their kayak rentals are closed. But swimming at the beach was our goal and we still have time for one more state park.
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park near Destin
The 3rd of the Florida state parks near Destin we are visiting today is Topsail Hill Preserve. We passed this park off US Highway 98 on the way to Eden Gardens about 15 minutes from Grayton Beach. This park is named after its dunes resembling a ship’s sails over their 3 miles of pristine beach. And they have coastal dune lakes, a rare geological feature only found in a few places around the world. And they have a short trail to its smallest coastal dune lake we want to check out. To read more: Topsail Hill Preserve State Park | Florida State Parks.
We make it to the entrance at 4:35PM where we see a softshell turtle walking near the road. Past the entrance is the day use parking lot which is as far as you can drive in the park. However, they have a tram that takes you to the beach and near No Name Lake. And you have to take the tram to the beach unless you want to walk about a mile on the road. Since the trams operate every 30 minutes, we decide to wait until 5:00PM giving us about an hour to explore.
The open-air tram arrives promptly at 5:00PM to pick us up. We basically have the tram to ourselves until we get to the next stop near the campground. We pass some other trails getting to the last stop at the beach 10 minutes later. A lot of people are trying to get on the tram here to go back to the parking lot. But we walk back up the tram path to the start of the No Name Lake Trail.
No Name Lake Trail and Beach at Topsail Hill Preserve
From the beach tram stop to the start of the trail is only a few minutes. And only a couple minutes later we can see No Name Lake. This coastal dune lake is completely calm reflecting the clouds and trees perfectly in the water.
The path continues on the side of the lake to a bench. And just past the bench the trail ends and doesn’t look safe continuing. So we turn around to head back. But we admire some wildflowers near the shore and the serenity of enjoying this hidden lake to ourselves.
Walking the very short trail and enjoying the lake takes us less than 10 minutes. And it’s just over 15 minutes to walk back and forth to the tram stop. We decide to take the short boardwalk over the tall dunes to the beach.
Another pristine beach with beautiful emerald waters and white fluffy sand. It’s so cool to see a remote lake and across the dunes a beautiful beach. But after a five minutes or so we head back. Not seeing the tram, we decide to start walking back toward another trail we saw.
More Hiking Trails at Topsail Hill Preserve
About 10 minutes from the beach we walk down the tram path to the start of the Turpentine Trail. It’s a wide trail also used as a bike path leading to Campbell Lake, another coastal dune lake. We get a glimpse of Campbell Lake before turning back and looping back on another trail to tram stop 2. This stop was in the middle between the beach and the parking lot at the entrance.
It is after 6:00PM meaning we missed the tram on the way to the beach. But we hope we can still catch it on the way back so we don’t have to walk. Sure enough about 10 minutes later the tram appears and takes us back. We spent about 2 hours in this park riding on the tram, doing some hiking and checking out the beach.
Summary of State Parks near Destin
Today we checked out 3 Florida state parks near Destin. All could easily be accessed off U.S. Highway 98 just a short drive away. Out 1st stop was Eden Gardens State Park which we really enjoyed. Though the flower gardens weren’t blooming, we enjoyed the large trees around the grounds. And we highly recommend the tour of the Wesley House. The inside of the house is like taking a step back in time to see the antique furnishings proudly preserved.
Grayton Beach and Topsail Hill Preserve both have pristine beaches and coastal dune lakes. We enjoyed swimming at Grayton Beach though there was a considerable amount of algae in the water. And we would have spent more time there if we would’ve gotten in the 1st time. But we got to stop at a brewpub and if we go back would check out kayaking on Western Lake. The No Name Lake at Topsail Hill Preserve was another highlight visiting the peaceful secluded lake. There’s a lot more trails we could have explored further, but seems biking would be easier for sure. But overall we enjoyed spending time at each of the 3 state parks. We love our Florida state parks!