Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown Sarasota campus

We had a wonderful day exploring all the amazing plantings and the art exhibit was wonderful. We also met several volunteers who shared interesting details about the plants as well as the art exhibit plus our lunch was delicious and the gift shop offers beautiful trinkets and gifts. So going back there as soon as possible!!!

Wow! This is an absolute must visit for anyone in the area who wants to see beautiful flowers, be in closer contact with nature in a scenic environment, or just have a great time outdoors. There is more to see than I ever thought; photos and its own fame don't do this place justice. You don't need to know anything about plants; the place is so pretty, anyone can enjoy it. That said, there is plenty of information (species' names, etc.) around the gardens to learn from.
My wife and I spent 4 hours here on Memorial Day 2022 and we had such a fun stroll, discovering nature and taking tons of pictures along the way. Even though it was a hot day, you could feel the gulf breeze and there was enough shade covering multiple parts of the trails as well as plenty of benches and interesting little spots for a rest stop. It was a wonderful afternoon I will never forget.

This place is a gem. Low key, like the rest of Sarasota, but there is a lot of heart in their staging. The variety of plants is wonderful, but the arrangement of scenes and sitting benches is inspired. Many great places to sit and reflect or read. Restaurant has lots of yummy choices, and today there was a food truck, too. Docents are very helpful and engaging. Mapplethorpe show was well done, and helped rehabilitate him for me.

Beautiful place, well kept with gardeners all over the place pruning and raking. Massive campus with lots of things to see! The music/photography theme is cute.. Gift shop was also large with lots of plants, prices were predictably high as most museum-like places are, but for admission $15 was great. I’m told it’s very busy usually, we went right as they opened on a Tuesday and it wasn’t too busy at all. Highly recommend.

Amazing collection of orchids, bromeliads, and more. Loved the vm a Asian gardens, bonsai, and bamboo. Overall better than most similar places.