The Gardens have existed for more than a century, and are one of the oldest roadside tourist attractions in the United States.

By the 1920s, Turner had opened a nursery and began selling fruits, vegetables, and other plants, and visitors were paying a nickel each to stroll through the gardens.

The Gardens eventually became widely popular, and from the 1950s through the 1970s were ranked among Florida's top ten commercial attractions.

The Gardens include a large building originally known as the Sanitary Public Market, first constructed in 1926–27, and designed by architect Albert Lee Hawes.

It was a Mediterranean Revival style arcade with twin Moorish towers, cast stone trim, and a tile roof.

On June 27, 2002, the former Sanitary Public Market building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and is now the home of Great Explorations Children's Museum.

The garden atmosphere is peaceful and many of the plants are quite large (compared to typical specimens) due to their long history of protection and cultivation.

In 2016, Sunken Gardens acquired a new young flock of 20 flamingos from the San Antonio Zoo.

All twelve of the birds are rescues and were acquired after their previous owners died or could no longer provide care for them.

The gardens also allow for event rentals of weddings, private parties, seminars, luncheons, retreats, and receptions.

The book includes images and information about the history, plants, and animals at Sunken Gardens.

An estimated 1,600 third graders attending 19 local Title-1 schools were initially expected to benefit from this project.