15 Stunning Botanical Gardens in Florida

Botanical gardens in Florida offer a beautiful and peaceful retreat from everyday life. They provide a shady sanctuary on hot Florida days and introduce visitors to Florida’s native plants as well as exotic plant species from around the world.  

As a nature lover and advocate of landscaping with native plants, I love visiting gardens in Florida. Some of my favorite trips include a visit to a local botanical garden, whether it’s a small local spot that I happen upon by accident or one of the more famous attractions with extensive, manicured floral displays. Even Florida zoos and theme parks in Orlando and Tampa show off their horticultural skills with beautiful gardens.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the most amazing botanical gardens in Florida, highlight what makes each one special, and show you how you can visit these Florida gardens, too.

1. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, Miami

With a subtropical climate, Miami provides the perfect location for tropical plants from around the world to grow and thrive. Fairchild Tropical Gardens opened its 83 acres to the public in 1938. Named after Dr. David Fairchild, the gardens quickly became a place for Dr. Fairchild, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and others to grow and exhibit exotic plants as well as educate the public about these plants’ important uses.

Today, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens has more than 40 buildings and exhibits to explore, including artwork and sculptures. Favorites among visitors are the Rare Plant House, the Wings of the Tropics exhibit, and the Orchid Odyssey. Fairchild also hosts special events, such as dog dates when well-behaved dogs are welcome to the gardens, concerts, classes, and yoga, and one of the best holiday light shows of any botanical garden in Florida. It has been named the Best Botanical Garden in North America by USA Today.

2. Selby Gardens, Sarasota

Located in Sarasota, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens provides two beautiful locations for visitors to explore – the 15 acre downtown campus and the 30 acre location at historic Spanish Point. Founded in 1973, the downtown campus was bequeathed by local gardener, Marie Selby. Since then, these gardens have placed a significant focus on botany, historical preservation, and education.

The downtown campus is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, ferns, bromeliads, and other tropical plants. In 2020, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens adopted the campus at Spanish Point. The archaeological record here indicates human habitation at the site dating back at least 5,000 years.

When visiting this garden, be sure to make enough time to visit both locations which are only 10 miles apart. The downtown campus hugs Sarasota Bay and Hudson Bayou. It features a rainforest garden, native Florida garden, palm grove, display garden, the Selby House, and the Payne Mansion. Historic Spanish Point overlooks Little Sarasota Bay. Besides the gardens and plant displays, several historic buildings showcase early life in Florida.

3. Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Gainesville

Gainesville, Florida may be best known for the University of Florida, but it’s also home to the 68-acre Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. Comprising 24 collections, a visit to Kanapaha Gardens can include seeing all the collections along the 1.5 mile path that winds among the gardens. The Garden has the largest public display of bamboo in Florida and the largest herb garden in the Southeast United States. Collections are organized in different ways, some taxonomically while others demonstrate principles of ecology or natural selection.

Kanapaha holds a number of special events, such as a Spring Garden Festival, Fall Plant Sale, and Moonlight Walks. Some of the most popular spots, though, are the ponds with the giant Victoria water lilies and their signature plant, the Chinese royal bamboo. Visit during the summer for the best color. The garden also welcomes picnics and dogs.

4. Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville

The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is located in the historic Riverside area of Jacksonville. It was originally the private residences of the Cummer family and now encompasses the museum and 2.5 acres of riverfront gardens. The private residences were deemed unfit to be museums and were destroyed in the 1960s. A new museum building was constructed of pink Georgia brick and highlighted with Indiana limestone and granite steps. The museum houses Ninah Cummer’s extensive art collection as well as a Tudor-style room where many of their private furnishings are on display.

The gardens highlight Ninah Cummer’s wish for “a center of beauty of culture”. Four main areas showcase different garden designs.

The Olmstead Garden was nearly lost during the demolition of the 1960s. Cummer Museum purchased the property in 1992 with a full restoration completed in 2013.

The English Garden was the first formal garden commissioned by the Cummers after construction of their home in 1903. It features a cypress-beamed pergola overlooking the St. Johns River, wisteria, and azaleas.

The Italian Garden stands as the jewel in the Cummer Gardens crown. It was created in 1931 to house Ninah’s large collection of Italian marble garden sculptures and features two reflection pools.

Completed in 2013, the Sculpture Garden has four permanent displays and offers one temporary exhibit each year.

5. Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales

Bok Tower Gardens has brought beauty and nature to the public since 1929. The dream began in 1921 while Edward Bok visited his winter retreat near Lake Wales. The beauty of the area stunned him so much he decided to leave a legacy of this beauty.

Edward Bok purchased 60 acres on one of the tallest hills in Florida and commissioned famed landscape architect Frederick Olmstead, Jr. to design and create the gardens. They officially opened in 1929 with the subtropical gardens, reflection pool, and Singing Tower with 60-bell carillon. A Mediterranean-style mansion was added in the 1930s.

Since opening, Bok Tower Gardens has entertained more than 23 million visitors. It was one of the first roadside attractions in Florida along with Silver Springs to the north in Ocala. Today the gardens host a number of events, including yoga classes, discovery sessions, free admission days, and events that showcase various plants. These gardens feature a visitor center, the singing tower, gift shop, café, and several miles of nature trails and paths to explore. 

6. Henry P. Leu Botanical Gardens, Orlando

Leu Gardens is 50 acres of tropical and semi-tropical botanical gardens minutes from downtown Orlando. It’s one of the best attractions in Orlando besides theme parks.

The gardens are the work of Harry P. Leu and his wife, Mary Jane. They traveled the world for many years, bringing back exotic plants from their travels for their gardens. The Leus also specialized in camellias, and the gardens house nearly every known variety.

Leu Gardens includes Leu House Museum, Harry and Mary Jane’s home until 1961 and Orlando’s social center. The house has been restored to it’s original splendor, including period furnishings and decor. The gardens are divided into several smaller gardens, each with a mission to improve guests understanding of and appreciation for the many plants on the property.

Though the Camellia Garden is a big attraction, other gardens to stroll through include Rose Garden, Herb Garden, and Butterfly Garden. In all, thirteen distinct areas delight the senses and provide a beautiful and peaceful oasis in the heart of Orlando.

7. McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach

McKee Botanical Gardens is one of the most diverse botanical gardens in Florida. And one of the most popular. Eighteen acres with more than 10,000 plants delight children and adults alike.

The historic gardens began in 1922 as an 80-acre development project. After seeing the grounds, however, the developers deemed the land too beautiful in its native state to destroy with development. McKee Jungle Gardens was born. Eventually, however, development did happen and reduced the gardens to its present-day 18 acres. The land lay dormant until the 1990s when a fund-raising campaign raised the money necessary to save the land from becoming a shopping center. Volunteers cleared and reclaimed the land.

Today McKee Botanical Gardens sits on the National Register of Historic Places. The grounds are an oasis for nature lovers and feature special exhibits alongside architectural treasures such as The Hall of Giants and the Spanish Kitchen. These botanical gardens are also home to one of the largest collections of water lilies in Florida. The gardens host a number of classes and workshops each year, including yoga classes, art workshops, and lectures.

8. Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens began as a pioneering Japanese farming community in 1904. Named Yamato, the community never achieved the hoped-for success. Morikami opened in 1977 as an arts and culture center for the Japanese community in South Florida.

The original building of the museum complex is modeled after a Japanese villa. A ring of exhibit rooms surrounds an open-air courtyard and includes an exhibit of the Yamato Colony. The main museum building three exhibition galleries, a 225-seat theater, an authentic tea house with viewing gallery, classrooms, a museum store, the Cornell Cafe and lakeside terraces for a panoramic view while dining. The collections house more than 7,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts.

Sixteen acres surrounding the museum buildings feature Japanese gardens with strolling paths, resting areas, our world-class bonsai collection and lakes teeming with koi and other wildlife. An additional 200 acres provide ample space for visitors to experience nature via trails, pine forests, and picnic areas. The gardens have been designed to reflect different periods in Japanese garden design. Though modeled after separate time periods from the 8th to the 20th century, the gardens flow together seamlessly.

9. Naples Botanical Garden, Naples

Naples Botanical Garden is a 170 acre garden wonderland in Southwest Florida. It features plants from around the world in nine themed gardens. In 2017, Naples Botanical Garden received the prestigious Award for Garden Excellence from the American Public Gardens Association. It is the youngest garden to have received the award; these gardens were only established in 1993.

Visitors to this garden enjoy spaces such as the water garden, the native plant garden, and a nature trail around a lake. Other photo-worthy gardens include the orchid garden and Caribbean garden. Many special events throughout the year also provide fun and educational ways to experience Naples Botanical Garden, such as W.O.N.D.E.R. monthly themes and activities and free sensory-friendly Saturdays for families with autism spectrum disorder or other sensory processing needs.

10. Maclay Gardens State Park, Tallahassee

Once a picturesque winter home and gardens, Maclay Gardens is now a stunning state park which features hundreds of camellias and azaleas, a secret garden, a walled garden, a reflection pool, and a beautiful brick walkway.

First planted in 1923 by Alfred B. Maclay, visitors to this state park enjoy two short nature trails as well as Lake Hall for swimming, fishing, and kayaking. And while those activities are fun, they can be found at many parks in Florida. Go to Mackay Gardens for the gardens! The camellias and azaleas really show off early in the year. January through April usually marks the peak blooming season.

The historic Maclay house also offers beautiful opportunities to see how the Maclays lived at their winter retreat and the flowers and plants they surrounded themselves with. Special events at the park include Tour of Gardens in May, Kids Fishing Day in June, Scarecrows, Moon Over Maclay – Jazz in the Gardens, and Camellia Christmas in December.

11. Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg

Compared to many other botanical gardens on this list, Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg is small. Miniscule even. However, don’t let its four acre size fool you. This botanical garden in Florida explodes with floral delights around every corner. Sunken Gardens is one of Florida’s original roadside attractions and one of the oldest in the United States.

This attraction began in the 1920s as a gardening oasis for a local plumber and his wife. George Turner drained a six acre sinkhole-turned-lake. The gardens’ location down into the earth and the rich soil left from the lake bottom created the ideal conditions to raise exotic tropical plants, many of which still grow in the gardens today.

Concrete paths meander among more than 50,000 plants and past features such as a babbling brook with gentle waterfalls and the koi pond. Koi aren’t the only animals here though.

A flock of flamingos has been on exhibit since 1956. Two original flamingos, George and Lucy, were joined by twenty young birds in 2016. Caged parrots can also be found throughout the gardens, the last remaining residents from the gardens’ zoo-like days. Visitors, however, come for the botanical beauty. One of Florida’s largest collections of royal palm trees can be found here. As well as the beautiful rainbow eucalyptus.

12. Mounts Botanical Gardens, West Palm Beach

The O’Keefe Rain Garden, planted in a natural depression, helps contain the abundance of summer rain waters and acts as a sponge, filtering that water as it goes back to the Earth. Like many Florida gardens, Mounts also features a Florida natives garden, an herb garden, and an edible garden. For the children, Mounts Botanical Gardens offers the Children’s Maze, a maze created from fragrant shrubs hedges.

These gardens open for many special events each year, such as Sean Kenney’s Nature POP! and Dog Days in the Garden. Several clubs and associations meet at the gardens and hold events there as well. Mounts also has an extensive library and classrooms where more learning and educational opportunities take place. Weddings, of course, also take place in this beautiful setting.

13. Florida Botanical Gardens, Largo

One of my favorite botanical gardens in Florida is this one. Located in Largo, Florida Botanical Gardens spreads across 150 acres providing free access to anyone who visits. Several distinct gardens and native habitats provide plants and information for plant lovers of all kinds.

The gem of Florida Botanical Gardens is the Wedding Garden. An arbor and formal garden dominate the space which is used for weddings, special events, photo shoots, and musical performances. Each corner displays a unique garden – the rose garden, the topiary garden, the English cottage garden, and the jazz garden. Love-inspired quotes stamped in the concrete walkways serve to further show off the Wedding Garden’s purpose of bringing love into everyone’s life.

The herb garden and the native plant garden educate visitors about plants that serve an important function in Florida and our lives. For children, the butterfly garden delights with a plethora of colored flowers, musical instruments, and winged visitors. The Florida Botanical Gardens holds many special events throughout the year, such as art workshops, native plant workshops, and the very popular Holiday Lights in the Garden.

14. Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, Key West

This stunning botanical garden in Key West is the only frost-free, subtropical, native plant botanical garden in the continental United States. Founded by the federal government in 1936, the mission of Key West Tropical Forest has always been to protect and conserve this fragile tropical ecosystem. While other botanical gardens showcase exotic flora and fauna, this one focuses solely on native plants and animals on more than 15 acres.

Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Gardens participates in the Champion Trees program, a program designed to recognize the largest of native trees in the United States. The Forest is home to several such trees, including Saffron Plum, Florida “Black Olive”, and Cuban Lignum Vitae. Another interesting feature of this garden is its Cuban Chug exhibit which showcases the many floating devices immigrants have used to cross the Florida Straits seeking freedom.

Throughout Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Gardens, paved paths, boardwalks, and bridges cross curated collections of native plants and trees. The facility offers wide, ADA-compliant pathways and is a great place for families to spend a couple of hours, even Fido as dogs are welcome, too.

15. Nature Coast Botanical Gardens, Spring Hill

Nature Coast Botanical Gardens is a 4.5 acre property which houses a nursery on one acre and the botanical gardens on the remaining 3.5 acres. This botanical garden in Florida began as a project of the Spring Hill Garden Club at nearby Lake House.

Nature Coast is unique in that it’s run and maintained entirely by volunteers and club members. Volunteers choose a themed garden to work in and are responsible for the healthy of their gardens. Upgrades to the gardens and equipment are paid for by donations and proceeds from plant sales, events, and the sale of memorable bricks.

The botanical garden has 22 themed gardens, including an Asian garden, butterfly garden, desert garden, and native plant habitat. Paved and unpaved paths wind through the many themed gardens and among the plants. Benches throughout invite visitors to sit and enjoy the scenery. Visitors are welcome 7 days a week while plant sales happen every Monday and Saturday.

Closing: Botanical Gardens in Florida

When life calls for beauty and some time spent in nature, it’s time to visit one of the botanical gardens in Florida. Filled with native plants, exotic beauties, and amazing wildlife, a trip to a beautiful garden is a great way to spend quiet time with alone or with family and introduce kids to nature around them. Many of these are also free, providing a budget-friendly activity that everyone can enjoy. Looking for more of Florida’s natural beauty? Check out Florida’s most iconic hikes.