Selby Botanical Garden Lands On Time’s List Of World’s Greatest Places

SARASOTA, FL — The Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota landed on Time’s annual list of World’s Greatest Places. The list highlights 100 destinations around the globe.

Selby was one of only eight places in the United States that made the list and the only Florida location in the category of “Places to Visit.”

“A recent expansion … has all eyes on this thriving oasis of banyan trees and mangroves, now set to become the world’s first net-positive-energy botanical complex thanks to the installation of a 57,000-square-foot solar array. (It exceeds the facility’s energy demands by more than 10 [percent]). The visitor experience is equally impressive," the listing for the garden reads.

The magazine added, “A new welcome center beckons arrivals into an open-air structure draped with spectacular air plants that introduce the gardens’ many wonders, including a world-renowned collection of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, and ferns. The expanded facilities include concept restaurant The Green Orchid, which uses no onsite combustion and sources produce from rooftop gardens cared for by a group of military veterans.”

Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens said, “On behalf of the Board of Trustees and all of us at Selby Gardens, we are deeply grateful to everyone who believed in our transformational Master Plan. The completion of Phase One has allowed our organization to be recognized as a global leader for sustainability, as well as an international innovator for botanical gardens, museums, cultural organizations, scientific institutions, and restaurants worldwide.”