There are two Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in the Sarasota area. The Downtown Sarasota Campus off Bayfront Park, and the Historic Spanish Point located a little over 10 miles away along Highway 41 on North Tamiami Trail in Osprey.
It’s possible to visit both botanical gardens on the same day and doing so would not be redundant as they are a completely different experience. We did this as a stop on our way back from Sarasota and enjoyed both sites. Since we were overnighting in Sarasota, we started with the Downtown Campus.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: Downtown Campus
There is plenty of parking across the entrance way. We got there a bit early for their 10 am opening and picking up our tickets was quick and easy.
Start your self-guided tour in the Tropical Conservatory, an amazing indoor area with a large variety of orchids and other exotic tropical plants. We were lucky to find a very knowledgeable volunteer (or staff member) that guided us to some of the more exotic displays, some of which were hidden in the corners of this area. Take your time in this section to admire the variety. We were amazed.
Exiting the conservatory, we came across a small bonsai exhibit with some marvelous specimens. From here there are two sections to explore, and we started on our right towards the original Payne Mansion, which is now used as a small art museum.
The path along the coast was filled with fragrant wildflowers and as we made our way past the old carriage house, we ended up next to a fragrance garden and a natural outdoor butterfly garden.
The Payne Mansion was built in 1934 as a retirement home for Christy Payne when he left his father’s business, Standard Oil of New Jersey. He built the house in the midst of the Great Depression at a cost of over $50,000. He used steel railroad tracks in the foundation as extra reinforcement against Florida storms. Payne lived in the mansion until his death in 1962.
The William and Marie Selby Foundation purchased the estate in 1973 opening it two years later as the botanical gardens you see today.
After finishing the tour of the mansion, make sure to visit the Tidal Lagoon and the Hardwood Hammock, you might see some birds fishing for their lunch.
Returning to the entrance and now heading in the opposite direction of the mansion, you’ll get to visit a variety of gardens enjoying ferns, bamboo, and cycads. A banyan grove and even a children’s rainforest garden complete with an obstacle course for kids are in this section.
Take some time to sit on the benches, enjoy the sights, sounds and smells. Try and spot the birds and butterflies. We were very impressed with the gardens.
Selby Gardens Downtown Sarasota visiting hours
- Open daily: 10 am – 5 pm
- We recommend 2-3 hours to explore.
Selby Gardens Downtown Sarasota entry fees
- Adults: $20
- Children (5 to 17): $15
- Children (Under 5): FREE
- Parking: FREE
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: Historic Spanish Point Campus
There is a lot more walking required around the 30-acre Historic Spanish Point museum and complex but it’s well worth it. The many historic buildings give you a feel for what it was like for the early settlers in Florida.
The site was settled by John Greene Webb in 1867. They selected an elevated point of land to have some extra protection against storm surge upon the guidance of a Spaniard they met in Key West. The location was named Spanish Point to honor the good advice of their acquaintance.
Bertha Palmer purchased the Spanish Point homestead in 1910 along with many thousands of acres intended for real estate development and farming. She chose the old Webb home area and the surrounding 350 acres naming it Osprey Point.
Preserving the historic buildings, she added gardens and lawns beautifying the property. After her death in 1918, her family maintained the site sponsoring an archaeological dig and getting it listed in the National Register as a historic place in 1976. It was donated to the Gulf Coast Heritage Association in 1980.
You can visit the Guptill House and the Pioneer Boat Yard complete with furnishings and various boats and parts. It’s like taking a step back in time (but the air-conditioning was a nice add-on for our convenience touring the home).
A small butterfly enclosure was setup along the path, and various historic sites like the Pioneer Cemetery, Mary’s Chapel (open to go in), and a replica of a citrus packing house are available to visit. A long footbridge gives a nice view of the mangroves, it was originally constructed in 1890!
Be sure to also check out the inside of the archaic Shell Midden and the Window to the Past exhibit. This dig is thought to date well before 3000 BC when Calusa Indians would use it to dump shells and pottery shards. You can see the layers many feet thick of these remnants inside an enclosure meant to preserve and display these artifacts.
You can enter some of the cottages that made up the community including the Point Cottage and the White Cottage. Be sure to stroll around the beautiful Sunken Garden and Pergola overlooking the water.
Historic Spanish Point Campus visiting hours
- Open daily: 10 am – 5 pm
- We recommend 2-3 hours to explore.
Historic Spanish Point Campus entry fees
- Adults: $15
- Children (5 to 17): $10
- Children (Under 5): FREE
- Parking: FREE
Conclusion
We enjoyed visiting both of the Mary Selby Botanical Gardens. While the gardens in downtown Sarasota had more exotic plants, the Historic Spanish Point campus offered a window into the past.
We would suggest spending a few days in Sarasota for a more relaxing outing. In Sarasota be sure to visit the Ringling Museum where you will see another historic estate, the Ca’ d’Zan. Further south in Fort Myers there’s another interesting historical site, the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.
If you like gardens and are staying in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, we suggest that you visit the historic Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden or the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens.