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    USF Botanical Gardens

    4.1 (30 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

    USF Botanical Gardens Photos

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    Angels Trumpet
    Karen V.

    It's a cool place to walk around and chill out when visiting USF. It may not be as manicured as places like Florida Botanical Gardens, but it's not meant to be that way. It's more of a learning garden. Also keep in mind that it's a natural tropical habitat that attracts birds, butterflies, and all kinds of creepy crawlies. There's a great view of Lake Behnke. We even saw a Roseate Spoonbill scooping up breakfast from the shallow water near the bank of the river. The pelican must have just finished eating. It flew off as we started approaching the lake. The gardens are divided up into plant collections such as orchids, butterfly, bromeliads, gingers, carnivorous, aroids, succulents, and so much more. I think I spent most of my time in the butterfly garden looking at the pipevine swallowtail butterflies and caterpillars. There were some interesting butterfly plants. There's an herb garden with Tank the Caterpillar. What a cool idea to paint the irrigation tank for the kids. So, the entrance to the botanical garden is on USF Pine Drive. It's kind of at an odd location. It's a left turn into the entrance before you get to the stop sign at USF Alumni Drive if you're coming from Bruce B. Downs. It opens at 9:00 am. It's a good idea to go in the morning on a hot day. The admission fee is $5 per adult and $3 per child. It's free if you have a USF ID. They have scheduled events on Saturday. Check out their events page for more details. They have plants for sale (indoor and outdoor plants). I would definitely go back, and especially when they host their plant festivals. They have many vendors that day. I went to one about 10 years ago, and it was quite a show. I may go back again in June. Check it out if you happen to be in the area.

    As of March 28, 2021
    Rachel M.

    Enjoyed my visit to USF Botanical Garden. It's actually bigger than I thought. There's several parking lots and the one I favored was the first one coming in to the drive way. There was shade there, as well as the restrooms. Once parked, I met my friend and we went through the area close to the Plant Shop. This is the area where you pay for admission. The girl working was a college student that was super cheerful and helpful. She provided us with a map, but I'd rather just walk around and see for myself rather than seeing a map. The first areas that you come through are is the butterfly garden. There's many flowers that are inviting for the butterflies, bees, wasps, & pollinators. It's nice to see life like this just literally happy and blossoming. Walking through, there's a cow and caterpillar statue along with other types of gardens Keep going and you will see a small pond with some birds. I was so happy to see a Spoonbill bird. It was so pink and had that spoon bill scooping the water. It was nice and intriguing. There is also a meditation garden, cactus garden, koi pond, and some other cool garden areas. It's a nice array of gardens here. At the very end, you can go through the plant shop and see if there is a plant you would like to take home. I'd like to visit their plant fests in the future, & see all of the variety they have available from participating vendors. For now, I was quite happy with my visit. It was $5 to visit, & parking is free.

    Tee P.

    Lots of native Florida plants. Nice pathways. Nice areas to sit and meditate and listen to the birds. Also, this was the first time I heard a strange sound. It turned out it was the tall bamboo trees swaying in the wind and hitting against each other! The longan trees were amazing and beautiful.

    Natalya K.

    It's a nice place, not very big but worth a visit to support the students, program, and planet if you're on campus. We went after visiting the art gallery at USF. There is a cat that visits sometimes, he's friendly'! I got to pet him. They also have a nice gift shop, take what you need herb garden, and honeybee

    us in the greenhouse!
    Valeria M.

    My best friend asked me to accompany her to the Sunday plant sale event at this garden, and since I'm not from the area, I decided to give it a try! We arrived around 10:15 AM. There was a bit of a line but we went through the entrance quickly. To enter each person had to pay $5, and they accept both cash and card. The botanical garden was beautiful and the were several vendors selling not only plants, but pots, keychains, shirts, and other plant-like merchandise. We walked around and saw which plants interested us, and after going inside the greenhouse (which they had both of them open that day) and I saw the plant I knew I wanted to take home. I ended up choosing a Swiss Cheese Plant, for only $10!. After this, we walked a bit more and decided it was enough plants for the day. A few tips: 1. Get there early! We say a crowd starting to form at the door and the parking lot was completely full. 2.Wear sunscreen. The sun was up and shinning and even though there are some tents, I'd recommend some protection. 3. Before deciding which plant to buy, walk through every tent (and the greenhouse) and compare prices and size of the plant. This is to make sure you get the best deal for the plant you want to get. I had a lot of fun at this plant sale, and I will come back when I go to Tampa again!

    Visitors can request a gazebo for special events
    Katrina P.

    The USF Botanical gardens is open to the public with an admission of $5 for adults. Totally affordable for out of town visitors that are looking for an informational Tampa Bay attraction. Not only does the garden inspires and educates visitors, the area surroundings showcase flora, fauna and natural resources to promote the environment. The gardens also has special events throughout the year to anyone who will enjoy.

    Lake with alligators and other animals.
    Melissa W.

    Visited here after picking up family from USF to move out. Admission was $5 for adults and free for our student. Cute area. Some of the areas looked run down but maybe that's the look? We saw lots is little lizards and butterflies! They give you a map to help find the little gardens.

    If you haven't been in a while it's gotten much prettier in the last year!! Added multiple new areas with lots of florida natives. Also they've completely redone the begonia beds. They are also painting murals. There's a huge new community garden. It's absolutely magnificent.

    Jenny R.

    Great spot for photography. They had several cool spots and this botanical is probably the biggest I have visited near home. Many trees and plants everywhere but they do have a lot of land unlike other botanicals. They have a medicinal plant section, pretty cool to learn about them. The bamboo plants were probably my favorite. Not packed at all, it is a bit hard to find if you miss the entrance.

    Ariel G.

    This place is amazing. There is always something new in bloom each season. Sometimes every other weekend there is a plant event sale where you can buy different kinds of plants. The staff is friendly and super informative plus it's only 5$

    Cute, quaint garden. Definitely stop by if you're in the area. Don't forget to look around the plant shop, lot's of plants that you don't usually see and for good prices. They also sell local honey. Hosts a lot of cool events, workshops, and plant sales throughout the year. Only $1 for USF students.

    Debbie T.

    This review is for the succulent wreath class sponsored by the USF botanical gardens. The botanical gardens operates with donations alone and mostly maintained by volunteers. The class was $30 and included the instructor and all materials and plants to make a 10 inch wreath. The class is held under a tent near the parking area. Lots of fun. There is a limited number of participants allowed. There is a small store to buy multiple plant species at fair prices.

    Beautiful orchid garden

    Small gardens run by the students of USF; however, it is nice to walk around. The staff is very knowledgeable and they have great prices in their plant store.

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    22 days ago

    Not very many blooming flowers during prime flower season. probably due to Winter ice this year.

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    Ask the Community - USF Botanical Gardens

    Is the park wheelchair friendly/accessible?

    Yes. No steps or hard to get areas.

    Is there parking here or nearby?

    Yes there is a small lot right next to the store. When they have the large plant sales they establish a lot Just next to the entrance driveway on the grass. Have fun!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - USF Botanical Gardens

    Don't forget to look around the plant shop, lot's of plants that you don't usually see and for good prices.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

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    Hummingbird Gardens

    Hummingbird Gardens

    4.4(31 reviews)
    7.7 mi
    $

    I've visited many flower and garden shops, including well-known chain stores, but I've never seen a…read moremore stunning selection of plants than at Hummingbird Gardens, 10305 Henderson Rd., Tampa, Florida. The owners were courteous, friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable about the beautiful variety of plants on the property--and there are plenty. It was such a unique and personalized experience. The gardens are absolutely gorgeous, and if I hadn't been told about this place, I would have never known it existed. As a garden and plant fanatic, I can say this spot is truly special. If you ever need plants for your home or garden, this is the spot to visit! On a scale of 1 to 10, this place easily scores a 15!

    We had our daughter's wedding at Hummingbird Gardens, Tampa, Florida on Feb 14th. The venue was…read moreextremely pleasant, beautiful, easily accessible and full of nature including peacocks. It is a family-owned nursery, especially designed for special events like weddings etc. As bride's parents we first encountered with this family-oriented business when we had to put up the Mandap/poruwa/wedding Altar. Since the day one until the wedding is over and taking the structure down, we had beautiful memories. Francesca and Shani are the ones we directly dealt with, and they are so accommodative for our requests and made us so welcome and comfortable. They helped us to make our decision in making our structure giving us very positive comments. They were very helpful with the time frame. On the day of the wedding as we arrived, the whole place decorated with flowers and it was elegantly beautiful! It was like I was in a fairy land, very magical. Francesca was extremely professional and decorated the place so beautifully to meet the wishes of the couple. Shani added beauty and flowless running of the show as a great coordinator. Shani is very professional, very kind and loving. She executed the program very elegantly and to the highest standard. We would recommend this venue to anyone without reservation! We left this place with our hearts filled with love and beautiful memories!

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    Hummingbird Gardens
    Hummingbird Gardens
    Hummingbird Gardens

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    Sunken Gardens - An awesome geode rock

    Sunken Gardens

    4.4(428 reviews)
    22.6 mi
    $$

    I went to Sunken Gardens on a Sunday and honestly just had a really chill time. It's a good spot to…read morespend an hour or 2 just walking around without feeling rushed. The place has been around forever so there's a bit of history to it and a ton of different plants throughout, which keeps it interesting as you go. They had a scavenger hunt going on which made it more fun than I expected, and my favorite part was easily the huge koi fish. I didn't realize how big they get until seeing them up close. Also got a nice discount on Groupon so that was a win. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area and want something low key.

    If you are looking for a tropical oasis, the Sunken Gardens are your place. The gardens are lush…read moreand gorgeous and I loved exploring them. I'm obsessed with palm trees, so this was the perfect place for me. There are so many beautiful plants to see. The rainbow eucalyptus was cool. There are koi and and turtles and flamingos as well. The flamingos were so fun to watch. There are tropical birds, but it was too cold for them on the day I visited. The staff were so nice. We were recommended to stop at the history center and I really appreciated learning about the Sunken Gardens. The gift shop is great. There are bathrooms and plenty of parking. Sunken Gardens is not huge, so you can add it other activities. I cannot wait to return.

    Photos
    Sunken Gardens - Bee  on a flower.

    Bee on a flower.

    Sunken Gardens - Flamingos!

    Flamingos!

    Sunken Gardens - Exotic birds

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    Exotic birds

    USF Botanical Gardens - gardens - Updated May 2026

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