Accessibility
Florida State Parks are in various stages of accessibility, and are working to improve access to services and facilities. Should you need assistance to enable your full participation, please contact the individual park office as soon as possible. Sometimes as many as ten days may be needed to schedule a particular accommodation.

Management & Protection
Florida State Parks are managed as natural systems. All plant and animal life is protected in state parks. Hunting, livestock grazing and timber removal are not permitted. Do not remove, deface, mutilate or molest any natural resources. For your safety, do not feed any animals. Intoxicants and firearms are prohibited.

Hours of Operation
Florida state parks are open from 8 a.m. until sundown 365 days a year.

Pets
Pets are not allowed in camping areas, on bathing beaches, in concession areas and may be restricted in other designated areas of the park. Where pets are allowed, they must be kept on a six-foot, hand-held leash and well-behaved at all times. Service dogs are welcome in all areas of the parks.

State Park Guide
To discover and experience all of the Real Florida at Florida's 145 state parks, ask a Park Ranger where you can pick up a copy of the Florida State Park Guide, or call 850/488-9872.





Reservations for
Florida State
Parks are now
made through
Reserve America,

toll free, at
1-800-326-3521

 

 



Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial at (Gamble Plantation) State Historic Site

The Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial at Gamble Plantation Historic State Park serves as a memorial to a way of life and an economic system that existed before the War between the States. Gamble Mansion is the only surviving antebellum plantation house in south Florida.


HISTORY
The mansion was the home of Major Robert Gamble and the headquarters of an extensive sugar plantation of over 3,500 acres. In May of 1865, after the fall of the Confederacy, Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin took refuge in the house until his safe passage to England could be secured.

In 1925, the mansion and 16 acres were saved by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and donated to the state. Today, it is furnished in the style of a successful mid-19th century plantation. A guided tour through the mansion depicts a time and way of life that were very much a part of Florida's unique history.


TOURS

Tours of Gamble Planation's historic mansion are
given daily, Thursday through Monday.
The grounds of this beautiful site contain the mansion, where tours are given through the house, a visitor center and a picnic area where the visitor can relax and enjoy the beautifully landscaped grounds.

This historic site grounds are open from 8 am to sunset. There is no fee to enter the grounds or the visitor center. The mansion is open Thursday through Monday with tours being given at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., and at 1, 2, 3 & 4 p.m. Tickets for a guided tour of the mansion can be purchased in the visitor center. Price for the tour is $5.00 per adult, CHILDERN 6 through 12 $3.00; Childern under 6 are admitted free.

An Open House is held each Thanksgiving season and again in March, hosted jointly by the Florida Park Service and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Visitors are treated to entertainment on the grounds, free tours through the mansion and ladies and gentlemen in period costumes. Many crafters display wares reminiscent of the antebellum period.


Gamble Plantation Historic State Park is located in Ellenton on U.S. 301 E. From I-75 take exit 43 then go west on 301.


For more information on this site, write to:
Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial at (Gamble Plantation) State Historic Site
3708 Patten Avenue
Ellenton, FL 34222
or call (941) 723-4536.


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