Cedar Lakes Woods & Gardens

With our time in Ocala dwindling, Cameron and I decided to spend one more day exploring Central Florida.  I gave him several difference options and was very glad that he chose Cedar Lakes Woods & Gardens.  I didn't know anything about it, but someone at Doug's work told him that it was a great place to visit.  We did a little bit of reading about it before we left and found out that it was a limestone quarry that someone had been turned into a botanical garden.  The pictures looked beautiful and I could received half off of our admission because of our membership to Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, so we decided to give it a try.  

Cedar Lakes was a forty minute drive west of Ocala.  The trip was a beautiful one passing by several horse farms.  We were a little unsure when we arrived as the gardens were down a long dirt road through some woods.  I was relieved when I saw a half dozen cars in the gravel parking lot.  I didn't want to be the only ones there.  

Cameron and I started our hike on the path at the top of the quarry.  The view was spectacular.  It was a little scary for those of afraid of heights, however.  Thankfully, there was a fence line all along the path preventing falls.  Halfway around the quarry there was a ramp leading to the bottom.  Cameron and I had a lot of fun exploring the beach area and walking by the waterfalls.  Everything was so beautiful.  There were also signs everywhere labeling the plants and giving more information about the gardens.  While we were hiking, we saw a pair of swans, koi fish, an orchard, a pet cemetery, the remnants of the first mining camp, and the owner's home.  We found a five hundred year old oak tree, a cactus garden and two rescued turtles.  We were impressed with all of it and spent an hour and a half walking through the area, taking pictures.  We couldn't wait to show them to Doug as he also wanted to visit the gardens someday.  I was incredibly happy with today's visit and definitely would go back again.