Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens, Botanical garden in Jacksonville, United States

The Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens occupies a 135.82-acre city-owned site with a ravine 800 feet long and 25 feet deep, a two-acre lake dug as a borrow pit in the 1970s, and trails such as the Lake Loop, Jones Creek Trail, Ravine Trail and Live Oak Trail. The terrain is not flat like most of Jacksonville; 13 ecosystems developed here, including oak hammock, freshwater ravine, upland sand hill and salt marsh.

The Humphries Gold Mining Company extracted zircon and other titanium minerals here from 1941 to 1961, leaving white sand stripped of vegetation. After mining ended the site became an unofficial dump. Jacksonville bought it in the 1970s as a buffer for a wastewater treatment plant; nature lovers founded the non-profit in March 2004, and the arboretum opened on November 15, 2008.

Educational signs donated by Greenscapes of Jacksonville identify tree species and describe habitats along the trails, and point-of-interest codes are posted for scanning with a smartphone. The second Saturday of each month is a volunteer work day, and church groups, Eagle Scouts and garden clubs have built bridges, fences, benches and a pavilion patio.

The property is easy to walk around with clearly marked trails divided into different difficulty levels to suit various fitness abilities. It helps to bring comfortable shoes and water, especially in warm weather or for longer walks.

The national champion loblolly-bay grows beside the Ravine Trail, which follows the rim of a ravine 185 feet wide and 25 feet deep with a stream at its bottom. Swamp azalea and black walnut grow nearby. The ravine is one of 13 ecosystems that developed on the site after mining ended.