Pensacola is known as a city of oaks. Of particular beauty is a stretch of roadway just beyond the Old Sacred Heart Hospital on 12th Avenue. It is referred to as the 12th Avenue Tree Tunnel. Majestic old oaks line the street forming a tunnel with their long, overhanging branches. The limbs of the large oak trees have been cultivated to form a natural canopy over the road.
Sarasota lies along the coast of southwest Florida, south of Tampa. Barrier islands with sandy beaches separate Sarasota Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. Hidden on the bay side of the Lido Key barrier island are the mangrove tunnels of South Lido Park. The dense growth and intricate root systems of the mangrove trees create narrow winding passages that can only be navigated by kayak or canoe.
Boca Grande is a village town on Gasparilla Island between Tampa and Fort Myers on Florida's Gulf Coast. It's known for tarpon fishing, the grand old Gasparilla Inn and the stunning trees of Banyan Street. Where Banyan Street crosses Gilchrist, a tunnel of large spreading ficus trees appear. Ficus have snakelike aerial roots that grow downward from the limbs wrapping around other limbs and the trunk of the tree.
Just north of West Palm Beach on Florida's east coast lies Stuart. Driving down Saint Lucie Boulevard, you come upon a banyan tree tunnel. Similar to the ficus, the intricate aerial root system of the banyan tree creates a natural maze of branches that knot around each other as well as the trunk.
Blowing Rocks Preserve is on Florida's Atlantic Coast at the southern end of Jupiter Island, a barrier island north of West Palm Beach. Among the dunes and tropical hammock of this 73-acre preserve lies a tunnel of smooth-barked sea grape trees. The tunnel was formed from the round, leathery leaves, which reach 8 inches in diameter, spreading over the dune path. The restored preserve reflects what South Florida barrier islands looked like a century ago.
Amelia Island, south of Jacksonville on the Atlantic coast, is home of the historic town of Fernandina Beach. Oak trees draped in Spanish moss adorn the local landscape. The winding road leading to the Civil War-era Fort Clinch is canopied by the giant trees. As you walk along this trail, the trees and shrubs create a tunnel into the woods dripping with Spanish moss.
