Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown Sarasota
On Sarasota Bay since 1975, Selby Gardens is small (15 acres) but globally important: 20,000-plus living plants including 5,500 orchids and 3,500 bromeliads, and a research arm whose botanists have described more than 2,000 plant species new to science. It's a Smithsonian affiliate. Come for the epiphytes, the banyans, and the bay views — not for size.
Bayfront gardens with the world's best epiphyte collection, orchids and air plants in open air.
Read the full 10 Best Things to Do in Sarasota Beyond the Beach →Also featured in 17 Best Things to Do in Sarasota, Florida (2026 Local Guide), Florida Holiday Nights Out 2026: Light Shows, Tree Lightings and Strolls
Morning, when the bay light is soft and the tropical display house is coolest.
Head to the tropical conservatory and the banyan grove first — the epiphyte collection is what makes Selby world-famous, and most visitors drift to the bayfront lawn instead.
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