Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Named to TIME List of 'World's Greatest Places'
Image: Courtesy Photo
TIME magazine has revealed its annual list of 100 "World's Greatest Places"—a roundup of must-see places to visit and stay—and our very own Marie Selby Botanical Gardens made the list.
The TIME list is divided into two categories: places to stay and places to visit. Of the 50 places to visit, Selby Gardens is one of just eight destinations in the United States, the only Florida location in its category, and the only botanical garden on the list.
Image: Courtesy Photo
Writer Terry Ward homed in on the gardens' transformed downtown Sarasota campus, including the fact that it recently became the world's first net-positive-energy botanical gardens thanks to a 57,000-square-foot solar array. Ward also highlighted Selby's new welcome center, the new Green Orchid restaurant and its rooftop gardens, and, of course, the gardens' lush collection of plants and orchids.
In the article, Ward also praised Sarasota in general, writing that it "stands out on Florida's cultural circuit" and gave nods to The Ringling and Sarasota Art Museum.
The TIME list's other U.S. destinations include Maui Cultural Lands in Lahaina, Hawaii; Buffalo AKG 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.
Image: Courtesy Photo
"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," Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens, said in a statement. “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.”
To compile its 100 places to visit, TIME solicited nominations of destinations—including hotels, cruises, restaurants, attractions, museums, parks and more—from its international network of contributors and via an online application process. You can see the entire list here.
