Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park
iucn_category = V

---

caption =
locator_x = 212
locator_y = 139
location = Leon County, Florida, USA
nearest_city = Tallahassee, Florida
lat_degrees = 30
lat_minutes = 31
lat_seconds = 08
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 84
long_minutes = 15
long_seconds = 04
long_direction = W
area = 28 acres
established = 1953
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The Alfred B. Maclay State Gardens is a 28 acre Florida State Park, botanical garden and historic site, located in Tallahassee, in northwestern Florida. The address is 3540 Thomasville Road.

The gardens are also a U.S. historic district known as the Killearn Plantation Archeological and Historic District. It received that designation on August 16, 2002. According to the National Register of Historic Places, it contains 18 historic buildings, 4 structures and 4 objects.

History

The gardens began in 1923 when Alfred Barmore Maclay (1871-1944) and his wife, Louise Fleischman, bought the site. Maclay named his gardens Killearn, after the birth place of his great-grandfather in Scotland, and developed them continuously until his death. His wife continued their development, opened them to the public in 1946, and in 1953 donated some convert|307|acre|km2 of their estate, including the gardens, to the Florida Board of Park Service. In 1965 the gardens were renamed in Maclay's honor.

Biology

The backbone of the garden plantings are azaleas and camellias. Trees include bald cypress, black gum, cyrilla, dogwood, hickory, holly, Japanese maple, oak, plum, redbud, sweetgum, and "Torreya taxifolia". Other plantings include ardisia, aucuba, coontie, Chapman's rhododendron, gardenia, ginger, jasmine, Oriental magnolia, mountain laurel, nandina, palmetto, sago palm, selaginella, wisteria, and "yucca filamentosa".

Lakes

*Lake Hall
*Lake Overstreet
*Lake Elizabeth or Gum Pond

Recreational Activities

The park has such amenities as bicycling, birding, boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking, horse trails, kayaking, picnicking areas and swimming. It also has a museum with interpretive exhibits.

Hours

The gardens are open daily; an entrance fee is charged all year.

Gallery

References and external links

* Official [http://www.ssnow.com/maclay/default.htm Alfred B. Maclay State Gardens website]
* [http://www.floridastateparks.org/maclaygardens Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park] at [http://www.floridastateparks.org Florida State Parks]
* [http://www.floridaparks.com/north_west/alfred_b_maclay_gardens.htm Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park] at [http://www.floridaparks.com State Parks]
* [http://www.taltrust.org/maclay.htm Alfred B. Maclay State Gardens] at [http://www.taltrust.org Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation]
* [http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/panhandleeast/trails/alfred_b.htm Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park Trails] at [http://www.dep.state.fl.us Florida Department of Environmental Protection]
* [http://www.abfla.com/parks/MaclayGardens/maclaygardens.html Maclay State Gardens] at [http://www.abfla.com Absolutely Florida]
* [http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=ListAreas&county=Leon Leon County History] at [http://www.flheritage.com Florida Office of Cultural and Historical Programs]
* [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/FL/Leon/districts.html Leon County listings] at [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com National Register of Historic Places]