Sunken Gardens restores building to open history center
October 15, 2022 - St. Petersburg's Sunken Gardens is opening a history center in the original 1940 entrance and gift shop, a building that until recently held the garden’s tropical birds at night. The birds now have new nighttime accommodations, and the building has been restored with the history exhibits opening to the public Oct. 22, according to the city's website. The new history center will showcase Sunken Gardens’ history and its important role in developing Florida’s tourism industry during the era of Old Florida roadside attractions with never-before seen photos and documents. The organization was able to open the center with funding from Florida’s Division of Historical Resources, the City of St. Petersburg, Florida, Penny for Pinellas and the Sunken Gardens Forever Foundation