Connecting with Nature Locally

Sarah Finfrock and Rebecca Reif, Copy Editor/ Director of Photography
March 28, 2023

Around Central Florida, many public gardens provide a space where residents and tourists alike can connect with nature. Situated on the shore of Lake Maitland,
Kraft Azalea Park is a popular photoshoot destination and reception area for weddings. Another garden close to Downtown Orlando, with 50-acres of land and a garden
house, Leu Gardens has a variety of both tropical and temperate plants for guests to learn about and view. Just two and a half miles from Leu Gardens is the site of Mead
Botanical Garden, which is another popular photo and wedding venue, as well as a space for various outdoor activities containing 37-acres. Whether one is interested in
gardens for their beauty or for recreation, all of these gardens share the ability to bring the Central Florida community together by prodiving meeting spaces in nature.

(Above) Mead Botanical Garden was hit hard by
Hurricane Ian. Many areas of the park were
flooded for months. Additionally, the park
is still seeking grant money for recovery from
hurricanes in 2004. Photo by Sarah Finfrock.
(Photo by Sarah Finfrock.)
(Above) Kraft Azalea Garden, also known as Kraft, is a 5.2 acre public
park off the shore of Lake Maitland. The park is named after George and Maud Kraft who funded the park’s creation and shaped its design. Photo by
Sarah Finfrock.
(Above) Kraft is home to a Great Egret rookery (a large colony of egret nests). Rookeries allow for easier breeding, nesting, and hunting for the birds. The parking lot, as well as the sidewalk near the park, is covered in the
birds’ droppings. Due to fallen trees from recent hurricanes, some of the egrets have been migrating into the neighborhood more frequently. Photo by Sarah Finfrock. (Photo by Sarah Finfrock.)
(Above) Mead Botanical Garden regularly hosts private and public events for the Central Florida community. People can rent out the venue for weddings, corporate events, and birthday parties. The park occasionally hosts concerts, speakers, and classes. The stage was recently re-painted, but the white color stayed consistent. Photo by Sarah Finfrock. (Photo by Sarah Finfrock.)