After a morning on the beach, an afternoon in the Joy & Gordon Patterson Botanical Garden is a great way to escape the sun and salty sea air of Melbourne Beach. Relax under the rare palm trees, follow the paths and enjoy its jungle-like ambiance.
Covering 15 acres (6 hectares), this botanical treasure trove helps to preserve a significant section of the special flora and fauna of Florida. This native hardwood hammock in the floodplain of Crane Creek was once owned by V.C. Brownlie, who donated it to the University of Melbourne. The subtropical garden is now part of the Florida Institute of Technology (F.I.T.).
The Pattersons made a big donation to park in 2019 and the garden was subsequently named after the generous pair. Both teach at the School of Arts and Communication of F.I.T. and since Jo and Gordon were long ago married in the Mathias Botanical Garden of UCLA and their son played in the Botanical Gardens of Melbourne, the couple feel a special connection to botanical gardens.
To start your explorations of the garden, follow the main pathway, the Dent Smith Trail, which honors the founder of the Palm Society, a global organization that studies all kinds of palm species. Many of the species planted in the Botanical Gardens came from Dent Smith’s palm nursery and garden at Daytona Beach.
Follow the self-guided walk from the historic Little Red Schoolhouse of Melbourne, situated along the short Pioneer Trail. Then follow the Creek Branch Loop and its extensions to visit the Teardrop Garden and Butterfly Garden and take rest breaks on park benches or under shady pagodas.
The Joy & Gordon Patterson Botanical Garden at Florida Tech is open to the public from sunrise to sunset. Access is free of charge. You can call or email F.I.T. to make prearrangements for a guided group tour. There is parking available on site just off Babcock Street. From there, walk across the covered bridge to the start of the self-guided walking trail by the old school house.
