FOREVER IN BLOOM

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens celebrates half a century of breathtaking beauty

By Heather Turk

Boasting two beautiful bayfront sanctuaries that connect people with the air plants of the world and native nature, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens offers guests a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of Sarasota.

The gardens’ 15-acre downtown Sarasota campus is the world’s most biodiverse botanical garden per acre. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the campus features a variety of gardens and habitats displaying tropical and subtropical plants from around the world. Meanwhile, the gardens’ 30-acre Historic Spanish Point campus is one of the largest waterfront preserves showcasing native Florida plants that is open to and interpreted for the public. Visitors also can explore 5,000 years of Florida history while strolling through the picturesque campus.

“Each of our two campuses is truly a bayfront sanctuary,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ president and CEO. “When first-time visitors get into the heart of either campus, many say, ‘I had no idea this was here.’ And then, when they get their first water view, they’re sold!”

Gardens’ two campuses were established by forward-thinking women of their time: Sarasota resident and gardener Marie Selby and Chicago businesswoman Bertha Palmer.

Currently in the midst of a $92 million Master Plan project that will eventually include a new hurricane-resilient greenhouse complex and the restoration of the historic Payne Mansion (which serves as the Museum of Botany & the Arts), the gardens’ downtown campus is scheduled to open Phase One of its transformative project in November. In addition to creating a more welcoming experience for guests, Phase One will debut the world’s first net positive-energy botanical garden complex and restaurant.

“Visitors will be greeted by a state-of-theart Welcome Center, which will create a stunning entry to the gardens,” Rominiecki stated. “Then, they will have a muchimproved orientation experience, thanks to a new Welcome Gallery and orientation film. They will also be able to dine at our garden-to-plate restaurant, where meals will include produce and herbs grown right on the restaurant’s roof. The improvements also will provide new windows into Selby Gardens’ hidden treasures, which include the best scientifically documented collections of orchids and bromeliads anywhere.”

Fall also marks the return of the downtown campus’ Orchid Show. Part of the gardens’ rotating schedule of dynamic exhibitions, the annual showcase features the plant family for which Selby Gardens is most famous. The 2023 Orchid Show will take place Oct. 7 through Nov. 26.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ downtown Sarasota campus and Historic Spanish Point campus are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. While separate admission tickets are required for each campus, visitors can book a daylong boat tour that includes access to both sites as well as lunch. Guided walking tours can also be booked in advance, including a cool carnivorous plant tour at the downtown campus where guests can feed some of the plants. selby.org

Dine for a cause during Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining event Sept. 1 through Oct. 1. Diners can savor specially priced prix-fixe menus at some of Orlando’s best restaurants — including MICHELIN Guide honorees — with $1 from each meal donated to charity. magicaldining.com

Everyone’s favorite practically perfect nanny comes to Sanford Oct. 6 through 15 when the hit Broadway musical “Mary Poppins” flies into The Ritz Theater at Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center for seven supercalifragilisticexpialidocious performances. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, with an additional 2 p.m. performance Oct. 14. ritztheatersanford.com

Expected to attract more than 200,000 guests, the Come Out with Pride Festival takes over Lake Eola Park in Orlando Oct. 21. The familyfriendly event is the largest single-day event in Central Florida and will include a parade in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. comeoutwithpride.org

Comedian Anthony Jeselnik’s Bones and All Tour stops by Hard Rock Live Orlando Nov. 16 for two hysterical performances. Show times are at 7 and 9:30 p.m. hardrock.com/live/locations/orlando