USF Botanical Gardens

First of all I Cannot believe this place was just right around the corner From my house. I raise butterflies as a hobby and have a butterfly garden at hy house. The garden is quite big and it includes a butterfly garden, different places to sit and view and also eat lunch if you bring it with you. A Cactus area. Bee boxes and so much more. They also sell native and indoor plants, and local honey. That they extract themselves. I was in nature heaven. I think the highlight of my trip was to see the atala butterflies and larve as they are endangered but making a Miraculous come back. There is a five dollar fee Which i'm sure goes to keeping up the garden And two bathrooms as well for your Convenience. I definitely will be back!

This place is an absolute gem, a breath of fresh air and a beautiful little oasis amongst all of the chaos. Admission is less than 5 dollars a person for anyone who isn't a USF student or a member of the garden. This was honestly the best 5 dollars my fiancé and I have spent in quite a while. We spent probably over an hour here getting lost in the flowers and the foliage. There's a beautiful medicinal herb garden, so many cacti I lost count, and extremely high quality, beautiful plants and succulents that can be bought in their plant shop. And the faery gardens!!!!! are absolutely astounding! And the butterfly garden!!! You also can't miss the sacred banyon tree they have that is so mesmerizing. The bathrooms were very clean and everyone we interacted with was so sweet. This is such a special place and I recommend anyone with a few bucks to spare check this incredible place out.

A great place for plant geeks and anyone looking for a break in the middle of a rather hectic area. Cost is five dollars. Parking is visible in several areas as you enter. A main path goes around all the areas that include a butterfly area, A shade garden, aroids, medicinal, etc. You will shoot off from side to side from the main path to see all the individual gardens. Don't be shy to go into areas. There are changes ongoing, so you'll have to find where the orchids are being displayed. Currently they are behind the office in a little patio area with a small fishpond. Do look for this as they have quite a collection to pick from. A greenhouse full of them are picked over by a group of orchid lovers and set out for you to see. The most impressive bloomers are brought out by these volunteers, and I love seeing what is in bloom each visit. There is a plant shop you can buy from. There are simple restrooms, and the only food or drink is a drink machine. You can bring in your own food as there are a good many tables for you to sit at and enjoy a picnic. A lawn or two also, if you would like to bring a blanket. They boast a good number of tropical plants and trees, something is always blooming. The staff is small with the rest is done by volunteers so expect a bump or two in the road and don't be shocked by a weed. Otherwise, this is a spot I visit frequently. The new direction with more native plants always gives me something new to see and possibly try to use in my own yard. I like that a great deal. For 5 bucks, you can't beat the range of plants you will see. *(If you just want to shop the plant shop there is no fee to enter) To walk the gardens, pay at the small building / plant shop where you park. I tend to spend 1 to 2 hours here, but I am a plant geek. Don't miss the cactus and succulent area.

My wife told me not to use the word "pathetic" to describe the gardens so I guess I'll just say very disappointing. These gardens could be very nice if they were maintained well but they're weedy and sparsely planted. Looks like they could use a lot of TLC and imagination. There's so much more they could be and should be with being associated with a large university. Not recommended

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.