FLORIDA PLACES AND DESTINATIONS - SARASOTA

Sarasota, Florida

From the imagination of “The Greatest Show on Earth” to the “Finest, Whitest Sands in the World,” Sarasota and Her Islands offer visitors an atmosphere of cultural indulgence and creative abundance.

From the satin-soft sands of Siesta Key to the acoustic acclaims of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, travelers enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of a beach side stay just minutes from cosmopolitan and cultural amenities that rival major metropolitan centers.

There are more than 40 unique artistic venues including theatres, art galleries, operas, a professional symphony and ballet. The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art is Florida's State Museum, and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, known for its architecture and great acoustics, seats 1,700 people and features a dazzling season of music, shows and programs for all ages.




From antique cars to a year-round spring with 87-degree waters, Sarasota has a variety of attractions appropriate for family enjoyment. Visitors to the area can stroll Towles Court, an authentic artist colony, or visit one of Florida’s oldest original attractions like Mote Marine Laboratory, G-WIZ (Gulfcoast Wonder & Imagination Zone), Historic Spanish Point, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Warm Mineral Springs, Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary, and more.

Myakka River State Park, with 28,875 acres of land, and Oscar Scherer State Park are Sarasota's destinations for bird-watching, biking, walking, camping or just communing with Florida's natural setting of swamps, palmetto brush and towering pine trees. Myakka State Park offers guided boat and train tours that include informative narration of the area's wildlife and history. Visitors can explore the mangrove tunnels of South Lido Key by kayak or traverse North America’s first canopy trail.

Known as Florida's "Cradle of Golf," Sarasota was home to the first course in the state and one of America's first golf courses built in 1905 by Sir John Hamilton Gillespie, a Scottish colonist. The nine-hole course was located in the heart of today's downtown near today's Golf, Links and Gillespie Streets. The community's early ties to golf can still be found today at Bobby Jones Golf Complex. Sarasota offers more than 1,000 holes at public, semi-private and private courses.

Fishing piers include the Englewood Public Fishing Pier, Ken Thompson Park Pier & New Pass Pier, Osprey Fishing Pier, Tony Saprito Pier, Turtle Beach Pier and Venice Fishing Pier. Choose from 15 area marinas and 12 public boat ramps.

Remaining outdoors, Osprey, just south of Sarasota has been lauded in a national camping reservation organisation annual awards for America’s Top Outdoor Locations. Osprey’s Oscar Scherer State Park is noted one of the top 100 Family Campgrounds, one of the top ten bird-watching spots and one of the top 25 hiking trails.

Accommodations in Sarasota range from the Ritz-Carlton to less expensive national brands.

A visit to Sarasota, however, is not complete without a mention of her islands – Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Manasota Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, Englewood, Nokomis, North Port, Osprey and Venice – also known as Florida’s Cultural Coast.




Photo: Visit Florida