Selby Gardens Blossoms on TIME’s List of the World’s Greatest Places

The following information was provided by several news sources.

TIME magazine has unveiled its prestigious annual list of the “World’s Greatest Places,” highlighting the top destinations to explore and stay, and the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, has earned a spot.

In this year’s list, which is divided into two categories—places to visit and places to stay—Selby Gardens is featured among the 50 must-visit destinations. Notably, it stands out as one of only eight U.S. locations on this list, marking it as the sole representative from Florida and the only botanical garden included.

TIME writer Terry Ward focused on the remarkable transformations at Selby Gardens, especially its downtown Sarasota campus. Key highlights include the garden’s status as the world’s first net-positive-energy botanical garden, thanks to a 57,000-square-foot solar array. Ward also praised the new Green Orchid restaurant and its rooftop gardens, as well as the lush array of plants and orchids within the gardens.

Ward also lauded Sarasota for its cultural significance, noting its prominence in Florida’s cultural scene and giving special mentions to The Ringling and the Sarasota Art Museum.

Other U.S. destinations on the TIME list this year include Maui Cultural Lands in Lahaina, Hawaii; Buffalo AKG Art Museum in Buffalo, New York; CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri; the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina; the Rabbit hOle museum in North Kansas City, Missouri; Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza in Palm Springs, California; and Montgomery Whitewater in Montgomery, Alabama.

Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens, expressed her gratitude, stating, “On behalf of the board of trustees and everyone at Selby Gardens, we are deeply thankful for the support of our transformational master plan. The successful completion of phase one has established us as a global leader in sustainability and an international innovator in botanical gardens, museums, cultural organizations, scientific institutions, and restaurants.”

TIME’s list was compiled through nominations from its international network of contributors and an online application process. For the full list of TIME’s “World’s Greatest Places,” visit their website.

From the Selby Website:  Marie Selby Botanical Gardens provides 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history.  Established by forward thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens is composed of the 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus and the 30-acre Historic Spanish Point campus in the Osprey area of Sarasota County, Florida.  The Downtown Campus on Sarasota Bay is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants. There is a significant focus on botany, horticulture, education, historical preservation, and the environment. The Historic Spanish Point (HSP) Campus is located less than 10 miles south along Little Sarasota Bay. The HSP Campus, one of the largest preserves showcasing native Florida plants that is interpreted for and open to the public, celebrates an archaeological record that encompasses approximately 5,000 years of Florida history.

Selby Gardens is an important destination along Florida’s Cultural Coast.

Photos from Selby Website