Azalea Ravine Gardens, Palatka, FL, 1966

About this postcard

The view looks across a steephead ravine planted with azaleas in bloom, banks of pink and purple flowers crowding the water, tall moss-draped trees on the slopes, and a small white footbridge crossing a still pool. The printed caption calls the place "a wonderland of marvelous beauty and gorgeous color" and lists crystal reflecting pools, bubbling springs, terraced gardens and winding walks among its features. Ravine Gardens was terraced and planted in the 1930s with Civilian Conservation Corps labor, turning a deep ravine on the edge of Palatka into a landscaped park. The caption's billing as "Florida's newest tourist attraction" belongs to that opening era, while this linen card was mailed from St. Augustine in 1966, when the garden had long been a standard stop for winter visitors touring the state by highway.