Access to the park is from Twigg Street, east from Moseley Avenue, south from S. R. 20 and U. S. 17. Ravine State Gardens is less than an hour drive from Gainesville, Jacksonville and St. Augustine. A steep ravine was created by water flowing from beneath the sandy ridges that flank the west shore of the St. Johns River. As time passed, the slopes of the ravine were colonized by grasses, shrubs and trees. Ravine State Gardens has long been famous for its extensive plantings of azaleas and other ornamental plants.
Recreational uses are generally passive, related to the aesthetic enjoyment of the gardens.
Park programs emphasize interpretation of the park's natural and cultural attributes. The gardens were maintained by the City of Palatka until the park was deeded to the State of Florida in 1970. One of nine Florida state parks with New Deal Era structures, Ravine Gardens is the only park with a formal designed landscape. The extensive fieldstone terraces, rock gardens and massive cypress building construction is typical of the era. The Court of States and 64 foot obelisk dedicated to Franklin D. Roosevelt is located near the park entrance.