Sensory Saturdays
Before Sarasota fully wakes, the gardens will belong to a quieter kind of morning.
By Edit Sarasota Staff
Before Sarasota fully wakes, the gardens will belong to a quieter kind of morning. On October 24, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens will open its Downtown Sarasota campus early for Sensory Saturdays, a private, sensory-friendly hour designed to make one of the city’s most beautiful public spaces more welcoming to neurodivergent and sensory-sensitive guests.
From 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., families and caregivers can explore Selby’s outdoor spaces without the usual crowds, noise, or bustle. The experience is intentionally unhurried: guests may follow the walking paths, visit the Children’s Rainforest Garden, look out over the Florida Lagoon, and move along the Mangrove Boardwalk at their own pace. A customized map, provided at check-in, uses clear icons to identify places involving touch, scent, interactivity, or stronger sensory elements, helping visitors shape a visit that feels comfortable and predictable.
That kind of preparation matters. For many families, an outing is not simply a question of where to go, but whether the environment can accommodate different ways of seeing, hearing, moving, and engaging. Selby’s Sensory Saturdays offer more than a special admission window; they reflect the Gardens’ larger commitment to being a safe, inclusive community resource. Complimentary admission is extended to neurodivergent and sensory-sensitive guests, their families, and caregivers, with advance registration required for everyone in the group.
The event also makes room for individual needs. Noise-cancelling earmuffs, sensory kits, and wheelchairs are available to borrow at no charge, and visitors are encouraged to bring familiar tools, toys, or stimming devices. The Welcome Center’s accommodations—including sensory maps, kits, earmuffs, and wheelchairs—are available during regular business hours, too, making this morning an introduction to resources that can support future visits.
To preserve the calm atmosphere, the Tropical Conservatory, gift shop, café, and Museum of Botany and the Arts will be closed during Sensory Saturdays. The gardens’ open-air landscapes, restrooms, and designated paths will remain accessible. Check-in begins at 8:20 a.m. at the Welcome Center, with parking available in the Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility, or LEAF, structure. The event takes place Saturday, October 24, at Selby’s Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound Street. Registration is required; families can email programs-classes@selby.org or call 941.366.5731, ext. 243, for the registration link.