If you're a local or a tourist this place is great for your child. I actually joined the rose level membership I enjoyed it with my child so much until we moved. They have arts and crafts on certain days and story time. Also special events throughout the year. They have dress up where you can dress up in costumes , tables to eat at ( bring your own lunch ) and a playground like area. Just oooodles of fun. read more

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What a hidden gem! This is a beautiful and magical art and nature garden for kids complete with imaginative play area. The dress up area is such an awesome idea! Our girls had a wonderful time playing and exploring the garden. Can't wait to be back. read more

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It's well keep up clean it's out doors good for the family to be together getting together for the family s

This place is magical for kids and adults! We have so much fun coming here. It is wonderful for imaginative play and for kids to be out in nature. I love the fairy gardens, running through the misters, the bamboo, the swings, the puppet show, the stages. It's truly delightful. Don't forget to bring a lunch, there are plenty of picnic tables and places to eat. read more

Love this place! It's a child's dream backyard! The staff is very friendly! Lots of shade and even a rainforest misting station! So creative! read more

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The Chuldren's Garden is a unique outdoor play area for kids. There are several sculptures, creative play areas, costume dress up, rope swing, sand pit and more. read more

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The kids call this place a secret fairy garden :) it's really one of those hidden gems for kids to just be free while parents just hangout. read more

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I thought this was bigger from all the pictures I saw on yelp and google. Besides the size, it's a great place to have a picnic lunch right in the heart of Sarasota. Everything is outdoors and there are plenty of things for the kids to climb on and play pretend. My kids favorite was the pirate ship and the rainbow tire mountain. The staff is very friendly and they seem to have events throughout the month like fairy tea parties and activities around the holidays. If you're looking for something different to bring the kids to play and run around, then I would definitely check out The Children's Garden! read more

Nice natural escape with lots of learning activities if you are prepared and know how to utilize the space to its potential. Excellent for a group of kidlings for a play date. It's a bit pricey but consider it a donation. read more

The Children's Garden - Entry to garden. - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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My 2-year old son and I absolutely loved this place! We played for almost 3 hours and will absolutely be back to play again. If we were locals I would purchase the membership! My husband and I have taken our son to lots of play spaces for children both indoors and out all around the country and this is my favorite!! I feel like it really lets kids be kids. There is so much to see, do, and let your imagination run wild with pretend play. There is a pirate ship, maze, rainforest with sprinklers to cool off, fairy garden, sculptures, and colorful tires to climb, to just name a few of the areas. They have classes and other activities as well, but we just ran around and played. The garden is lush with plants and trees providing plenty of shaded areas. The only con is the Florida mosquitoes! They do have a table with bug repellent to use, but I recommend bringing your own, wearing dark colors and light weight pants and long sleeve shirt, if possible. Yes, I know pants and long sleeves in FL sounds crazy, but there are plenty of mosquitoes also enjoying the fabulous gardens and it seems the mosquitoes have forgotten to bring their lunch! Oh, that reminds me, you can also bring food and drink in which is fabulous! Back to the mosquitoes, so next time we go we are planning to wear bug repellent lotion, and bug repellent bracelets, plus pants. But, again, despite the mosquitoes, we will be back!! I highly recommend it. I think it would be great for kids 2-12. Update (6/14/18): We went again today. Another fabulous time! Spent almost 3 hours. Less mosquitoes this time. They installed a new organic mosquito repellent around the gardens. We didn't see them (hidden well)--seems to be working. We also wore pants and dark colors. If we were locals we would come at least once a week. Lots of great outdoor time for the kids. I also really enjoy running around and playing with my son. This place lets me be a kid again. If you aren't into playing there are picnic tables shaded by trees. We also went into the house/building today. Super cute, nice bathroom, and reading area with bo read more

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Happened upon this place when searching online for things to do with my grandkids for Halloween. What a unique place! The kids would have stayed all day if allowed. Inexpensive venue that offers a full day of outdoor fun. Kids can climb, jump, pretend and learn. They do seasonal events like the one we attended for Halloween. read more

The Children's Garden - Play Area - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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My grandchildren had a wonderful time here. They might've been a little older than the target age (they're 6 and almost 9), but that didn't bother them at all. They ran and played and explored and absolutely loved it. It's adorable and a great environment for children. read more

So as a self employed nanny, it's not always easy to find things to do that hold a kids interest. The Children's Garden has become a favorite spot of not only mine, but any child I've taken here. It's truly a magical place full of whimsy. They have everything from a fairy garden, giant pirate ship, hedge mazes, a huge tire mountain with a rope swing, a nice place to cool down under water misters, a vegetable garden, artwork, and the list goes on. Not to mention there's a lovely picnic table area to enjoy lunch and snacks for the kids and if you come on the right day, they even have performances on the modest outdoor stage. There's a small admission fee, but you're free to stay all day if you'd like and they also provide bug spray and sometimes sunblock. I highly recommend this place to other nannies, parents, or even if your an adult with the heart of a child. Definitely an enchanting place! read more

My kids and I had a wonderful time at the Children's Garden! Admission, snack, and gift shop prices are reasonable. The employees are very helpful. The grounds are beautiful and unique. My only recommendation would be for there to be misting fans throughout the garden... It was hot! But they did provide FREE bug spray, so I won't complain. :) The gardens feature a pirate ship, fairy garden, the three pigs' homes, a giant dragon, tire mountain, and more. With kids spending sooooo much time glued to screens these days, the gardens are a welcome respite and the perfect environment for kids to use their imaginations and PLAY! read more

The Children's Garden is an elaborate playground that any kid will love. There are plenty of fun areas and nooks to explore, and much of the garden is shaded, so parents don't have to broil away under the hot sun. The garden is enclosed by a fence, so you can just let the kids run all over without having to monitor them much, and that's nice. This is an excellent spot for children's birthday parties as there is an area with multiple picnic tables, and some other assorted tables and seating. While exploring, your kids will find a costume room, story room, hobbit huts, a pirate ship, a big sandy area ruled by an octopus, a little hedge maze, tire mountain with rope swing, etc. Small toddlers (like my two year old) need a little bit of watching, but nothing seems unsafe to me. The only downside to this place is that parents have to pay ten dollars each to get in. My husband and I have never been here together, because we don't want to pay $25 to sit around gazing blankly off into space. It's just a big playground, and I prefer to let my little one engage in free play on her own rather than have me hovering around, so basically I'm sitting there doing nothing. It's nice to come here with other friends with kids, so that we can chat a little, but on the other hand we frequent other locations that are either free or offer a little more of interest to adults. We have so many memberships around here (Mote, Ringling, Save Our Seabirds, Selby, South Florida Museum, Tampa Aquarium) that I'm currently debating whether one from The Children's Garden is worth adding to the pile. read more

To go back and review every place in Sarasota that I frequented during the seven years I lived there would take a long time. Well, maybe not since as a creature of habit I always went to the same places. The Children's Garden is one of the World's greatest hidden gems for children and this is not an exaggeration. When someone first told me about it I figured it was going to be some type of corporatized view of a place kids would like (see many imaginariums and play spots), but I was so wrong. The Children's Garden is off a random side street in an industrial part of Sarasota and when you get there you park in an unfinished grass and treed parking lot before you walk to the path leading you into nirvana. You feel like you just walked into an artist's colony mixed with a self-made horticultural center with a touch of whimsy*. There is a gift shop and then there are a bunch of little houses with things for kids to do, including a complete house of costumes. Yes, really. Costumes thrown everywhere and you can just mix and match as you like. If you go under the brush lined maze and through the door you will enter the actual garden portion where there is a shipwrecked pirate ship, a large dragon, a maze of bushes, a tree-house with a tire swing, a sand area, picnic tables, a pond and any other places to explore. This is a hub to those in the know for birthday parties and kid-friendly gatherings and in the end, this is the place that kids like to go. You don't have to worry if all the things will be broken (see imaginariums) because your children interact with nature and its amenities. If you have patience as a parent, you can easily spend two hours here and sometimes more. If you have kids and live here or are passing through and you don't know about The Children's Garden, you can thank me later. They also have a summer camp... ___________________ * I am very sorry for using the word "whimsy," but it fits. read more

Nice Garden for the kids. I wouldnt pay full price but if you can find a Groupon or other discounted deal its worth the trip.

This place was incredible. If you look at most reviews, it's consistently well-liked. If you click on the bad reviews (which I always do to see if I could live with the defects of a place assuming they're true), they are from years ago. Now, I think everything is relative and if you have the expectation that this place will be a Disney experience, you will be disappointed. However, I travel a lot with small children and one can spend an inordinate amount of time planning activities for them to have fun. Yet, at the end of the day, the activities and places that allow them to be kids on their own terms are the most beloved, provide the longest fun, and the best memories. No matter where I take kids, the playgrounds are always the biggest hit. The Children's Garden is one of these places. We expected a playground in a backyard setting and we got a secret garden full of treasures. It's not dirty; it's not poorly kept, and it will provide hours of fun for small children if caregivers just step back and let kids be kids. Absolutely check it out if you're in the area and have high-energy kids who like being outside and are adventurous (and probably don't mind getting sweaty and dirty). read more

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Love!!! A new favorite place for my son and myself. There are lots of fun things to keep everyone entertained. Nice tables to take a break and have a snack. My son was just in love in with the place and did not want to leave. The grounds are wonderful! Lots of shade so you aren't baking in the sun!! Nature, sun, shade, outdoors. Everyone we talked with was super nice and friendly. read more

Very cute garden for children to run, play make believe and have fun. Good for children that can run around and entertain themselves. Would be a great place to host birthday parties. read more

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Good, clean fun in the dirt for kids and families. A perfect, whimsical atmosphere for playing, forest bathing, or just breathing fresh air. It's the perfect antidote for the world, and a pleasant way to spend time for children of all ages. Lots of wonderful botany, butterflies, fish, birds, and nature, as well as imagination-feeding pirate ships, cozy houses, dress-up rooms, fairy bowers, and vines. They have classes for kids, and workshops, and it's the best party locale there could ever possibly be. The proprietors and pleasant and kind and thoughtful and it's a wonderful place to enjoy and celebrate the intersection of childhood and nature. read more

This was one of our favorite places we took our two year old! Such a sweet place with attention to all the very creative details. We loved taking in all the different areas and exploring. There is so many fun activities to do and with all the shade it was nice on a hot day. Worth the trip and money (which isnt much!) read more

Totally cute little garden place with kids exhibits. It kept our child happy for an hour or two when we were scheduled to do something nearby with another family and they cancelled. There are all kinds of nooks and crannies here. But bring bug spray- there are lots of mosquitoes everywhere and we got bitten up pretty badly. We loved it here, except for that. Nice installations both indoors and out. read more

What a magical place! This children's garden is every kid's dream come true! It's a wonderful world of make-believe. Dress-up clothes, performance stage, bamboo rainforest with water spritzers, Hobbitville, climbing tire tower, treehouse, Snow White's storybook house, a pirate ship, and more! So much to do and explore... Just unleash your inner child and use your imagination... Or enjoy following your little one around! It's all shaded by trees, so sunscreen isn't necessary. It gets buggy, but they have bug spray on site for free use. No food/drink service, but plenty of picnic tables to bring in your own food. Highly recommend! My kids - and I - love it here! read more

This is a really cute and unique place for kids. My two year old loved it and I can see him liking it for years to come. They also have little activities each day and we planted pumpkin seeds to take home while we were there. I agree with others that it's a little overpriced at $10 for adults since they aren't really partaking in the garden much. The kids aged 3-12 price of $5 seems like it would be a good price for everyone in my opinion. read more

I've been taking my son here since he was 18mo it's amazing! Super exciting for any age beautiful safe magical garden, totally worth the years membership. If you get a family plan you can bring another adult and three children! A hidden Jewel in Sarasota got to check it out!! read more

If your children are pretty imaginative and have creative minds, this place is a fun little hidden location to take them. I found the place to be over priced for what we experienced. It was a bit run down and didn't seem well kept. I could see that it would be best utilized as a birthday party location for a 1-6 year old. read more

I loved the idea of the garden and the pictures on the website were great. We took my one year old grandson there and found it to be dirty and run down. I hope they can put money into a renovation. read more

Unique place for kids aged 2-6. Very over priced. Kinda seemed like the kids were playing in grandmas garden. Adult price was $10...for what?...to watch my kid run around in weeds. Will not be back. Only come if you want to sit & let your kids run free, that was the benefit - I didn't have to chase them & stand over them, just let them go. read more

I would certainly pay full price and then some for this wonderful, non-profit children's dream-come-true. My daughter imagines that fairies live under the gleefully painted toadstools. The colorful bamboo forest has a misting fountain that feels refreshing on a hot day. Each time we visit we experience something new and magical. Come for the Thursday morning story time. No need to bring glitter... Miss Robin supplies it for you! read more

This place is magical , great place to take your children, while in sarasota,took my granddaughter there spent hours had a wonderful time, loved it --- can't wait to return read more