Selby Gardens Guide: Downtown Campus, Historic Spanish Point and Construction Updates

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is one of the easiest wins on a Sarasota trip: orchids, bay views and shady paths, a short drive from the beach. It's also changed a lot in the last few years, with a new welcome center, a new restaurant and a second campus in Osprey. This Selby Gardens guide explains what's at each campus, where the construction stands, which seasonal shows are coming up, and how to plan your visit.

Selby Gardens at a Glance

• Two campuses: the Downtown Sarasota campus, 15 acres on Sarasota Bay, and the Historic Spanish Point campus, 30 acres on Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey.
• Downtown address: 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL 34236.
• Historic Spanish Point address: 401 North Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL 34229.
• Hours: both campuses are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Christmas Day. Downtown, the Museum of Botany & the Arts closes at 4:30 p.m.
• Tickets: each campus has its own admission. Buy online and check current rates at selby.org.
• Construction: Phase One of the downtown master plan opened in January 2024. Phase Two, a new conservatory complex, is under construction with completion expected in late 2028. The gardens are open in the meantime.
• From St. Armands Circle: the downtown campus is just over the Ringling Bridge on the mainland.

The Downtown Campus: What to See

The downtown gardens sit right on Sarasota Bay, a few minutes south of the heart of downtown. Selby is best known for orchids and bromeliads, and Visit Sarasota describes its collection of them as the best scientifically documented anywhere. You don't need to know anything about plants to enjoy it, though. Most visitors simply wander: through the conservatory, along the bayfront, under big old trees and past water gardens.

A few things to look for:

• The conservatory. This is where the orchids are, and where the big seasonal shows are staged. It's warm and humid inside, so dress light.
• The bayfront. Some of the prettiest water views in downtown Sarasota are inside the gardens.
• Museum of Botany & the Arts. Selby pairs plants with art, and this museum hosts its exhibitions. Remember it closes at 4:30 p.m.
• Newer gardens and the Palm Avenue promenade. Phase One added a Lily Pond Garden and a Glades Garden, and turned Palm Avenue into a pedestrian-only promenade.

Selby Gardens Master Plan: What's Finished and What's Under Construction

We get asked about this a lot, because the downtown campus has been a construction zone on and off for years. Here's where it stands in fall 2026.

Phase One is done. It opened in January 2024 and added most of what you'll use as a visitor:

• The Jean Goldstein Welcome Center, an open-air ticketing and welcome area.
• The Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility, known as the LEAF, which holds a roughly 450-space parking garage, the gift shop and the Green Orchid restaurant.
• The Green Orchid, run by Michael's On East, which Selby bills as the world's first net-positive energy restaurant, powered by a large solar array.
• The Steinwachs Family Plant Research Center, home to Selby's herbarium of more than 125,000 preserved specimens.

Phase Two is under construction. Selby broke ground in December 2025 and began vertical construction in summer 2026. The plan is a new conservatory complex, with a 32,605-square-foot conservatory meant to show off more than 20,000 plants from Selby's research collections, plus a learning pavilion and new gardens. Selby now expects it to be complete in November 2028.

What that means for your visit: the gardens are open daily, but expect some areas near the work zone to be fenced off. If seeing a specific garden matters to you, check selby.org before you go.

Historic Spanish Point: Selby's Osprey Campus

Historic Spanish Point is a completely different experience from downtown. It's a 30-acre waterfront site on Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, south of Sarasota, and it tells the story of the land through its people: ancient peoples who built shell mounds here, pioneer families who settled the point, and Chicago socialite Bertha Palmer, whose winter estate left its mark on the gardens. Selby calls it one of the largest waterfront preserves of native Florida plants in the state.

Expect walking paths, historic buildings including a pioneer home and a small chapel, native plant gardens and views of the bay. It suits history lovers and anyone who prefers a quieter, more natural setting to a manicured garden. Because it's south of town, it pairs nicely with a day on Siesta Key.

Coming up at Historic Spanish Point: an exhibition on the poetry of Emily Dickinson, New Feet Within My Garden Go, runs November 21, 2026, through August 29, 2027.

Seasonal Shows Worth Planning Around

Selby's big exhibitions are a good reason to time a visit. On the 2026 to 2027 calendar, all at the downtown campus:

• The Orchid Show 2026: Christian Sampson, October 10 through December 6, 2026. Orchids paired with glass and light work by the artist.
• Lights in Bloom, December 5, 2026, through January 2, 2027. Selby's holiday light display, and a favorite evening outing in December.
• Spring exhibition, February 7 through May 30, 2027, part of the Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series. Details are still to be announced.

Evening events like Lights in Bloom are ticketed separately from daytime admission, so check selby.org for dates and tickets.

Tickets, Parking and Food

Tickets. Admission is separate for each campus, and members get in free at both. Prices change, so check selby.org before you go and buy online to save time at the gate.

Parking. Downtown, parking is in the LEAF garage on campus. Check selby.org for current parking details before you go.

Food. Downtown, you can sit down at the Green Orchid or grab something lighter at the Selby House Café.

How Long to Spend at Selby Gardens

• Downtown campus: plan about two hours to see the conservatory, the bayfront and the museum at an easy pace. Add time for lunch at the Green Orchid.
• Historic Spanish Point: plan two to three hours. The site is bigger and more spread out.
• Both in one day: doable if you start early, but most visitors are happier picking one per day.

Morning is the most comfortable time for the gardens, especially from late spring through fall.

What to Bring to Selby Gardens

Most of a Selby visit is outdoors, and the conservatory is warm. Here's what we'd pack, plus a few things that make good reminders of the trip:

• Sun protection. Sun Bum Mineral Sunscreen Spray and a hat. If you're pairing Spanish Point with Siesta Key, the Siesta Key Cap in sand fits right in. See sun care.
• Water. The Sarasota Small Water Bottle fits easily in a day bag.
• A gift for the plant lover at home. The Sarasota Coffee Mug travels well, and our home and gift collection has more ideas.

Come Say Hello

We're at 410 St. Armands Circle, a short drive from the downtown gardens, open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Stop in for sunscreen on your way, or a souvenir on your way back. Planning more of your trip? See our downtown Sarasota guide and our St. Armands Circle guide.