Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Historic Spanish Point Campus
The first site in Sarasota County to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Historic Spanish Point is now a companion campus of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens!
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Historic Spanish Point campus offers leisurely walking tours of a 30-acre archaeological, historical, and environmental museum located on Little Sarasota Bay in charming Osprey, Florida.
Visitors experience “A Window to the Past,” the only museum exhibition built entirely inside of a prehistoric shell mound called a midden. Pioneer homestead era buildings connect guests to a more recent time and the colorful gardens of Mrs. Potter Palmer delight people of all ages. Seasonal Living History Interpreters tell you what life was like a century ago. Read Historic Spanish Point’s featured blog article – click here!
Shaded nature trails wander through native coastal habitats, and a long boardwalk affords stunning views of the bay. Scenic Mary’s Chapel is available for “Old Florida” style weddings.
Tours Offered at Selby Botanical Gardens Historic Spanish Point Campus
Take a daily docent-led two-hour tour and connect with Old Florida, where native plants and wildlife intermingle with historic buildings and a premier archaeological site.
Call ahead for walking tour times (no reservations required).
For seats on a docent-led tram tour, call 941.966.5214 x285. Advance reservations are required.
Continuous-loop tram rides, designed to bridge longer distances on site, run 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday (this is not a guided tour).
Seeing the Invisible: An Augmented Reality Contemporary Art Exhibit
Seeing the Invisible: An Augmented Reality Contemporary Art Exhibit features works by more than a dozen international artists such as Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Isaac Julien CBE, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau, Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Timur Si-Qin—including several artists’ first work in AR.
The most ambitious and expansive exhibition to date of contemporary artworks created with augmented reality (AR) technology continues at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus through September 2023!
Visitors engage with Seeing the Invisible via an app designed for the exhibition downloadable to smartphones and tablets.
Food and Beverage
Michael’s on East Food Truck is located adjacent to the White Cottage and offers a variety of sandwiches, baked good, beverages, and snacks that can be enjoyed with beautiful bayfront views inside or outside the Cottage. The Food Truck is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Please no other outside food or beverage.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Historic Spanish Point campus is a proud participant of the Blue Star Museums program, which offers free admission to active-duty military personnel, including National Guard and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day. See the complete list of Blue Star Museums here.
For a complete list of COVID-19 safety protocols please visit selby.org.
Admission and Tickets
Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point campus Admission: Members free, Adults $15, Ages 5-17 $10, Age 4 and under are free.
Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point campus tickets may be purchased onsite and online.
Members have access to Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown campus and the Historic Spanish Point campus. Please bring your membership card (from either Selby Gardens or Historic Spanish Point) and ID with you.
Member guest pricing is as follows: $15 per member guest at Historic Spanish Point campus, $25 per member guest at Downtown Sarasota campus.
American Horticulture Society reciprocal memberships are accepted at both campuses.
North American Museum Reciprocal and ROAM program memberships will only be accepted at the Historic Spanish Point campus.