Laura Bernheim
| Special to The Sun
(This story is part of our weekly Hidden Gems feature series as the USA TODAY Network-Florida takes readers around the state to highlight some of our most interesting attractions.)
WILLISTON — What started as a backyard fishing project has transformed into one of Florida’s most unexpected escapes — an enchanting oasis of cascading waterfalls, colorful koi, and floral surprises at every turn. Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens feels like a secret sanctuary, with the grounds feeling thoughtfully manicured and naturally untamed all at once.
The steep quarry walls create natural terraces where tropical and temperate plants thrive. Gazebos and wooden bridges overlook ponds decorated with koi, water lilies and swans, while waterfalls and chirping birds provide the tranquil soundtrack.
Dr. Raymond Webber didn’t set out to build a garden. But he’s still there nearly every day more than three decades later, feeding the animals, sketching out new pathways, and figuring out which space to transform next.
“We’re always expanding on what we started,” he said. “I’ve still got a lot of goals, and if you were to come back tomorrow you’d see a big difference from two weeks ago.”
The transformation started in 1991, when Webber found and purchased a 110-year-old abandoned quarry that once supplied limestone for nearby roads like U.S. 27. He planned to clean it up for use as a personal fishing hole.
For two decades, Webber and his team dug out old mining debris and deepened the quarry, shoring up walls to keep dirt from washing back in. They added concrete paths, handrails, bridges, islands… Gardening began as an afterthought, a way to add greenery and color around the quarry walls.
“It got to the point where local gardening clubs would come by to take a look, and they’d say, ‘You need to preserve this,’” Webber said. “And I started to think maybe they were right.”
By 2014, Webber had turned the abandoned dumping grounds into a 20-acre botanical garden, then donated the land and opened it to the public under a newly created nonprofit. He then gave away the surrounding 64 acres of woods to Conservation Florida, protecting them for years to come. Last year, volunteers and staff welcomed more than 87,000 visitors to the woods and gardens.
“We call ourselves a country garden, I think that’s why people like it,” Webber said. “That first year, we had 875 visitors. Now we get people from all over the world.”
Many of the trails and garden sections are named for people who helped shape Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens, including friends, family, longtime staff members, and even former patients from Webber’s time as an endodontist. A greenhouse now houses one of the Southeast’s largest collections of cacti and succulents, a recent donation from the family of Hawthorne’s Glen Brown.
General Manager Brenda Standridge has known Webber for more than 20 years, first as his dental assistant, then as an original board member of the Cedar Lakes nonprofit, and now as a leader in running the gardens. She said his vision was always clear — even before there were blueprints.
“He had the map drawn in his head long before it made it to paper,” she said. “When he started, he always knew in his mind where to dig, what it should look like, where they should leave an island. It’s amazing he has that vision in the first place, but to actually make it happen the way he has and to share it with people has been incredible.”
Visitors are welcome to wander the entire garden and wooded trails, with benches tucked into shaded corners and plenty of quiet places to stop and listen. For many, the experience is less about sightseeing and more about reconnecting — with nature, with loved ones, or simply with a slower pace.
Webber, who originally lived on the property — his back porch was part of the trail — now lives a few hundred feet away. He, Standridge, head groundskeeper Jesse Chisholm, and a slew of long-term staff members and volunteers continue to work on the grounds and are planning a conservation and education center.
“We’re trying to save a little bit of nature,” Webber said.
Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens
Where: 4990 NE 180th Ave, Williston
Hours: Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Adults, $12; Children 6-13, $7; 5 and under, free.
More info: cedarlakeswoodsandgarden.com