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We have a large oak tree in our back yard that provides quite a bit of shade. In Florida, that is pretty crucial. However, the root system of the tree has made it nearly impossible to grow grass in the entire area around the tree. We have a huge bare spot in our back yard with a million pieces of root sticking out of the dirt and no clue as to a remedy. I am open to any suggestions on how to make this area any prettier. Hardscape? Planter box around the tree? What can I do?

Don't cover the roots entirely...it will eventually kill the tree. And don't put anything up against the trunk...leave a minium of 3" around it so that mold/disease & bugs don't have a place to start.
You might think about a ground cover that will work well in the shade. Just be sure that both the cover & the tree have enough water & nutrients cause they will be competing for them.

What kind of grass are you talking about? Contact your local county extension office for a list of grasses that do well over there. We have the same problem in some places and this fall we plan to add some St. Augustine to those spots in hopes that it will take. We have too much shade in some places for centipede. However, our lawn is looking better since we had soil tests done and added what was needed.

Good luck. Oh, and welcome to the board.

It’s not advisable to try and prune or cut away any of these roots, as this will likely damage the tree itself. This should only be done as a last resort, such as when the roots are causing damage to nearby structures or others areas.
Adding topsoil to the exposed root area and overplanting with grass may help some.

you may visit http://NMLandscaping.com

Oh, this is ridiculous!!! Anybody who goes back almost a year to post an advertisement to a threas just isn't to be believed. He's been reported again for this post. And I'll be using that ignore feature, too.

Well for those that might have such problem as this....and there are many trees that sprout their roots above the grass in yards that maybe are not gone over as often as other areas---mowing those regularly can keep them in line.
For roots that are far from the trunk--those thin thready roots, they can be cut anytime, any place--safely because they continually grow and take water.
Its the major roots that you have to be careful about; cutting them can damage the tree. Covering the ground over roots with soil can put off the problem for a time--but it can also encourage more roots to show themselves.
Keep any topping under 3". The first sign of trouble will show in limbs not producing as many leaves as it once did--leading to the complete death of the limb.

Most grasses have trouble growing in shade, but they also have trouble growing in bad soils so the first thing you need to do is take a good look at the soil that is there.
Is that soil compacted?
Does that soil have adequate levels of organic matter?
Does that soil retain moisture well and drain well?
What is that soils pH?
Contact the locla office of your University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service for help on which grass might grow there, once the soil problmes have been addressed.

Can't believe the date on this post--just to advertise?

That advertising post has disappeared, thank goodness!!!