Florida Botanical Gardens

***HOLIDAY LIGHTS REVIEW ONLY***
Although we walked the entirety of the gardens, it was during the Christmas holidays and at night. We didn’t get to experience the beauty of the flora, but for a suggested donation of $ 4 per person, the lighting was indeed spectacular.
The narrow paths were crowded with people, but it was not overbearing or annoying. Some displays were flat out aw inspiring as they altered layers of colors between the backdrops and foreground to maximize visual stimulation. Snacks such as hot chocolate and grilled cheese sandwiches were available at the concessions stand. In one lovely section of the garden with a large open courtyard, live music was being sung by a solo artist. The entire garden was designed well enough to include plenty of places to stop for a family photo opportunity. However, there was the occasional inconsiderate family who didn’t respect the fact that others were waiting as they took a gazillion different shots in a gazillion different poses.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, a lovely place to experience the sights and sounds of Christmas. Not sure if this is a annual event at the Florida Botanical Gardens, but if it is, I highly recommend making plans to visit in 2016 and beyond. This is a steal of a deal for family holiday entertainment. By comparison, the Atlanta Botanical Garden charges between $ 23-​$ 26 for adults and $ 17-​$ 20 for children 3 – 12. I don’t know when mankind became so greedy, but it’s nice to know places that charge a modest price still exist. At a cost of $ 4pp, oh yeah, this was indeed 5 stars!
SIDE NOTE to Florida Botanical Gardens: It would be highly beneficial if you created some sort of easy-​to-​read directional signs. It does get a bit confusing and several times we didn’t really know which way to go.
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I’ve only been here at night for the Christmas lights but it was beautiful. I will be back for the day time so I can actually see the names of the trees.

It’s free with a lot of parking.
It’s adjacent to Heritage Village so do both.
Beautiful trails to walk and see plants, flowers, trees, tropical fruit trees, birds and even alligators.
Lots of chairs in shade to rest
Heritage village is excellent as well.

Not sure if we went during the bad time if year but we really get what we thought we would out of the trip. It was nice and the gardens were nice to walk through. We sort of felt lost the whole time and didn’t know what was where or which direction to go. We’d go back again in the fall but probably not while it is hot out.

Great!!! Free! I love the fruit plant area, the herb gardens and wandering around looking at all the cool plants and flowers. So much stuff grows in FL!!!
They do lights for Christmas /​Winter season.

what a wonderful time we had looking at the holiday light display
everything was arranged beautifully and there was even cocoa for sale which lead to a wonderful holiday feeling since there was a chill in the air (for Florida anyway).
I don’t know why I’d never come before!
and the staff were all volunteers.

My husband and I went on a weekday and it was really relaxing. For a moment, we felt like we weren’t in Florida — some parts of the garden reminded us of a park we went to in Charlottte, NC.
This would be a beautiful place to have a wedding. Best of all there was ample parking and it was free!
Additionally, take a walk across the parking lot and get transported back into time at Heritage Village. History lovers will be in all their glory with this free attraction (and one of the best free attractions in my opinion in Pinellas County). Review to follow.

This place is a small piece of heaven. You forget to enjoy the little things and then you go to this place and see so many different kinds of plants and you’re amazed. You see the different types of gardens. You see how some of your food is grown and even how some of your clothes are made, by nature. I’ve never seen a cotton plant until I went here. This place reminds you just how important the little things are, how important nature is and how much it does for all of us. It’s a very beautiful and nice place to go for a stroll and relax. The ONLY complaint I have is, I don’t know if it’s because we are young or what but me and my bf went here and the people were not very friendly to us at all. not the staff but the guests.

I visit my grandmother every Christmas and we always come to the light show here. I was a bit disappointed this year– I remember it being better past years, but it’s still a nice activity for the family! The gardens themselves are beautiful as well

What a treat! This was a wonderful holiday experience. Lights in every shape, form and colors, designed around impressive collection of plants and flowers. The place was comfortably packed, but isn’t what the holiday is all about, family and friends getting together? I can’t wait to visit this place again to enjoy all the usual and unusual varieties of flowers and roses. It is a perfect place to go for a stroll with your kids and dog.

Another yearly visit to the Florida Botanical Gardens during December is full of fun for the everyone, very festive with Christmas lights during the annual Holiday Light Show event. If you like trains, there is the 4 Men & Their Trains, which kept the children amused.
Video:
Florida Botanical Gardens is made up of flora and natural resources in surroundings intended to inspire, educate and promote environmentally friendly gardening. Amazingly there is more to see than what you can see on the ground, so here is a video view from the sky.

Their annual holiday lights event has to be the best bang for your buck for holiday events in the Tampa Bay area. They don’t charge for parking. The don’t charge for children under twelve. Everyone else is only charged two dollars and pets are welcome. The volunteers do a wonderful job of decorating the gardens with thousands of beautiful lights. I like how some sections are bursting with colors while other sections are devoted to white lights. This year that had several spots that had a projector box that would illuminate the trees with moving patterns. It looked really great.
They have entertainers to perform for the crowds and on some nights they’ll have merchants with gifts for sale. I was annoyed that I was going to dinner right after I was here because they had food vendors selling some really nice looking desserts. Next time dinner first! Coming to this event has definitely become a tradition for my family.

We go every single year to see the Holiday Light Show. It’s not a Christmas without our trip there. I can’t wait to share it with my newborn son this year

Beautiful! Entire property is well maintained, gardens are gorgeous and everyone we met was friendly. If you’re looking for local Florida activities, the Florida Botanical Garden is well worth a visit.

it was a bit chilly when we went, I adored this gigantic beautiful garden in shiver but it was totally worth it!
Great organization in the garden, clean, beautiful, exotic, and variety of plants with great information. I got kinda hungry browsing the all the recognizable Asian vegetables… had to warn my party to keep their hands in their pockets lol. Great for outdoor people, family, people want to relax, photographers, wanting a ‘zen’ moment people, plant lovers, couples taking a stroll, gardeners looking for inspirations… what have you. Had great time here, totally recommendable =^^=

Went to see the lights at the garden. There was a good variety of design and color. Worth the money. Good place to take children to.

Stroll through the well manicured paths and serene settings that evoke a sense of calm and mental peace. Sit on the many lawn chairs or by the waterfalls or in the shades of the bamboo or on the soft grassy carpet in the middle of the wedding garden. No you don’t have to be getting married or attending a wedding ceremony to play in the wedding garden. Take a gander in the creeks or river or pond, Smell some flowers, compose that poem /​novel you’ve been putting off doing. Escape the noise of the city and lose yourself in this natural escape. Florida Botanical Garden is free to tour and during holidays they have a $ 2 cover charge to walk through the holiday lights display. For locals and visitors alike, this garden is truly an escape.

Really beautiful gardens with a truly amazing display of lights. There is a good variety of color as well as plant life, although I was much more interested in the holiday light display. There is a good mix of light up animals and lighting in trees and plants and it is all professionally done. The $ 2 suggested donation is minimal compared to the $ 15 or $ 16 that many (often inferior) light shows charge and is worth it.
There is a food vendor there with a variety of hot food and beverages as well as music and performing acts which vary by night. All in all a wonderful experience which I would gladly repeat for years to come.

I’ve only been here in the evening for the Holiday lights display, but that experience alone was tremendous. Suggested donation of $ 2 a person is all it takes to get you into a really terrific event. Also, parking is free! This is likely to become a holiday tradition for us. It’s kid and dog friendly. The gardens are fully illuminated with colorful lights on every tree, bush, palm tree and flower. There is music, jugglers, and Santa and Mrs. Claus. Hot chocolate, funnel cakes and other goodies were available from $ 1-​$ 5.
I saw some folks attempting to push around wheelchairs and strollers and while manageable, the terrain isn’t ideal for that.
We’ll definitely be back this season and now I’m looking forward to visiting during daytime with my camera.

It’s a photographer’s paradise. Highly recommend this beautiful place to anyone!
The gardens are well designed. I applaud their attention to detail. You can customize your adventure here. I love it because they have focused on educating children here and there’s ton of paths and adventures specially designed to entertain them. The gardens are maintained by Master Gardener volunteers. It is a labor of love!
That’s what makes repeated trips so interesting. You can always choose a new route. Also, be mindful that not all plants bloom simultaneously so when you come back again and again, you’ll always see something different. The wildlife is abundant including the occasional Bald Eagle, which I hope to see some day.
I love it. My kids love it. I especially love it without my kids so I can have quite time with nature and work on my photography. A must see for tourists and locals alike. Support this fine non-​for-​profit!