By the Backseat View
Tucked along Florida’s sparkling Gulf Coast, Sarasota is a vibrant blend of sugar-white beaches, cultural treasures, and laid-back coastal charm. Known for its crystal clear waters, lively arts scene, and rich circus heritage, this sun-soaked destination offers something for everyone.
Whether you’re strolling Siesta Key’s famous shoreline, exploring the Mote Aquarium, or catching a performance at the Ringling, Sarasota is the kind of place where relaxation and adventure go hand in hand.
Sarasota Travel Guide
Let’s discover why Sarasota is on the WORLD’S BEST PLACES LIST, famous for baseball, and has the BEST BEACH IN AMERICA!
Come on, Let’s EXPLORE Sarasota!
Upon arrival, I realized Sarasota is completely overlooked and underestimated. It’s four times the size of Destin, FL, and the traffic reflected that. Being an hour from Tampa, Sarasota is flying under most vacation radars. Alright, let’s drive over the impressive Sunshine Skyway Bridge and meet Sarasota.
Sarasota Beaches
1. Siesta Key Beach
Siesta Key Beach has been rated the BEST BEACH in America, and is probably why you are reading this post. The beach has the softest, whitest sand ever. Being made of 99% quartz, the sand stays cool all day. The water and sunsets are near perfect.
The city buildings are on one side of the street. Siesta Key Beach public parking is on the other side. However, we arrived on a Wednesday at 10 am in July, to find the biggest crowds. The parking lot accommodates almost 1,000 cars and was packed. People were getting off the Siesta Islander Trolley to avoid parking. Siesta Key was a big, packed beach party scene.
The Siesta Key Drum Circle happens every Sunday, all year long, about an hour before sunset. People dance, hula hoop, fire dance, and twirl sticks to celebrate the sunset.
Siesta Key Classic
The Siesta Key Crystal Classic, a sand castle competition, takes place in November with professional sand sculptors. Seeing these sand castle designs is on my bucket list.
2. Lido Beach
Lido Beach is next to Siesta Key. It’s smaller, quieter, and more conveniently located near upscale dining and shopping. However, the sand isn’t as fine or cool as Siesta Key.
Lido Key has a very popular Mangrove Tunnel Kayak Ecotour by Sea Life Kayaking. It’s a great place to see a manatee. While we are at, from The Ritz-Carlton to The Art Ovation Hotel, but I prefer beachside the beach, let’s look for lodging.
Lodging
The city has every luxury hotel imaginable, from The Ritz-Carlton to The Art Ovation Hotel. Since the Siesta Key beach is excellent, I went searching for private resort locations farther down the road.
- I discovered The Palm Bay Club, featuring condos on private beachfront in Siesta Key.
- The Island House Beach Resort is another similar option with more standalone condo options.
Lido Beach Lodging
- Cirque St. Armands Beachside is a six-story, $400/night hotel with easy access to shops, restaurants, and Lido Beach.
- If you need a house due to traveling with pets, try VRBO #2125850. If 3BD is not enough, you can add the upstairs for a fourth bedroom VRBO #2389948.
Longboat Key
Y’all know I’m not a fan of big condos and crowds, so I’ll be even farther down the road at calm and peaceful Longboat Key. There are condo VRBO options #4343742 or #193467. There’s also the luxury level of The St. Regis, The Resort at Longboat Key Club, or the moderate Zota Beach Resort with a pool and private beach.
After finding the best lodging option for your budget, let’s head to our next stop, shopping.
3. Shopping
Sarasota is poised to rise in the ranks for bachelorette parties and girls’ weekend trips, offering a big-city vibe set against a beach backdrop with unlimited shopping.
St. Armand Circle
- St. Armand Circle features over 100 boutiques in a charming area lined with restaurants. It’s really close to the beaches, too. This is THE PLACE to shop.
Siesta Key Village
- Siesta Key Village is located next to the beach. It boasts over 100 shops, bars, restaurants, and hotels. They offer a wide range of products, from handmade to upscale beachwear and memorabilia. The village is alive after sunset with tiki bars, live music, and karaoke.
Downtown Sarasota
- Downtown Sarasota, featuring Main Street and Burns Court, is home to an array of distinguished boutiques and art galleries. We enjoyed strolling around downtown after a delicious dinner at Boca.
The Mall
- The Mall at University Town Center (UTC) is a big box mall with over 150 stores and restaurants located in north Sarasota.
- The closest outlets are the Ellenton Premium Outlets.
Arcade Monsters
If you are looking to entertain your guys while you shop, try Arcade Monsters.
Arcade Monsters features arcade games, including pinball, consoles, and more. There’s a kitchen with natural slushies and drinks set in a black light theme. Decorations are Japanese anime art displays for the adult arcade environment.
Wildlife
Next stop, animals – we can’t visit a town without seeing its wildlife. For exploring Sarasota with kids, these are your stops.
4. Sarasota’s Jungle Gardens
The Jungle Gardens have been around for almost 100 years, making them a tradition in Sarasota. They offers a variety of over 200 animals, including alligators, lemurs, birds, and flamingos, as you explore the gardens. You can feed the flamingos and baby alligators. The entire place is calm and relaxing. Bring change to operate the coin food dispensers along with your $25 ticket.
5. Big Cat Habitat
The tigers, lions, bears, and lemurs draw support for the Big Cat Habitat animal sanctuary. They have over 350 animals on 20 acres, including a petting zoo. They offer a couple of entertaining animal shows in the afternoon and opportunities to feed animals. The sanctuary is closed on Monday and Tuesday. There are limited $25 tickets available during the 12 pm – 4 pm hours they are open.
Nearby, Save Our Sea Birds is a bird sanctuary that runs off donations to house over 130 birds.
The Myakka Elephant Ranch offers hands-on experiences with elephants. With advance reservations, you can feed, pet, and bathe an elephant and be educated on conservation.
6. Mote Science Education Aquarium (SEA)
Enjoy the fish, sharks, manatees, sea otters, giant squid, and turtles. The Aquarium does a good job with the messages about conservation and plastic pollution. This is the new aquarium that opened in 2025, closing the Mote Laboratory Aquarium.
Finally, Sarasota is famous for its circus attractions.
7. The Ringling Museum
This is a large campus with several different areas and buildings to explore. The John and Mable Ringling Museum is informative, featuring interactive displays, the world’s largest miniature circus, and a collection of circus artifacts. I enjoyed it for a couple of hours. However, my teenagers don’t remember circuses, so they weren’t as interested. There’s a wide array of art with over 10,000 paintings, sculptures, and photographs. The grounds are beautiful and relaxing, like a park.
Ca’d’ Zan
Their mansion, the Ca’ d’Zan, is also on the property and requires a separate $45 ticket. The mansion boasts stunning architecture that transports you to Italy, complete with breathtaking views of the bay.
8. Attend a circus event
- With Sarasota being the Circus Capital of the World, you must see a live event. The Summer Circus Spectacular at the Historic Asolo Theatre at the Ringling runs from June through August. To save time, try to schedule your museum visit with a circus event.
- Circus Sarasota is where you go to buy the circus tickets. Experience different acts like the Cirque des Voix and the Sailor Circus Academy performance options.
- If you want to BE IN A CIRCUS act, book a trapeze class at Tito Gaona’s Trapeze Academy. The classes are $45 for an hour and a half once a day, Wednesday to Saturday.
9. Performing Venues
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Robarts Arena, Sarasota Opera House, and Florida Studio Theatre are the top choices for concerts, musicals, and play events.
After experiencing the performances, let’s relax in nature.
10. Bayfront Park
Bayfront Park offers stunning views of the bay, a marina teeming with boats, and a playground area with a splash pad. You can stroll the walkway for a sunset view.
The iconic Unconditional Surrender Sculpture, a replica of the famous kissing photo from the end of WWII, is here, and it’s enormous.
11. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown
Y’all, this place made Time Magazine’s World’s Best Places list in 2024 and is constantly rated in the top botanical gardens in the US by several reports. There are two campuses, I’m talking about Sarasota’s.
The massive botanical gardens are situated on the bay, so the waterfront views enhance the stunning tropical vibes. The gardens have rotating exhibits, rare orchids, and my favorite, the banyan trees. There are over 20,000 plants, ranging from rainforest to desert, including a butterfly garden. For $12, kids love the waterfalls, swinging bridges, and the cave.
12. Legacy Trail
The scenic paved biking and walking trail stretches over 18 miles. It was formerly a railroad corridor that linked Venice to Sarasota. You will pass through state parks, playgrounds, and rest stop areas. However, there were more homeless camps than usual.
Another place people go to get their steps in is Celery Fields for bird watching.
13. Bird Key Park
Bird Key is a prestigious gated residential island known for luxury waterfront homes with boat docks and the Bird Key Yacht Club. It’s located between downtown Sarasota and St. Armand’s Circle. Bird Key Park is a great place to watch the sunset, walk your dog, fish, picnic, or launch a kayak.
14. Myakka River State Park
Myakka River State Park is the perfect choice for hiking through wildflower-covered prairies, wetlands, and pinelands. There are options to boat, fish, canoe, kayak, and bike. This is one of Florida’s oldest and largest state parks with air boat tours and canopy walks.
15. Fishing/Boating
Y’all know this is why we come to South Florida. The fishing options are endless, with key west grunts, grouper, cobia, and redfish.
A couple of fishing charter options in Sarasota include Sarasota Family Fishing Charters, which has dolphin tours, and Sarasota Offshore Fishing Charters.
Siesta Dolphin Tours offers sunset cruises and dolphin tours.
16. Sports
- Sarasota is the spring training headquarters for the Baltimore Orioles, and the Atlanta Braves are 30 minutes south in Venice.
- As a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, their spring training facility is located 30 minutes north in Bradenton at LECOM Park.
- The baseball tickets are affordable and fun, so join the unlimited minor league Orioles baseball at Ed Smith Stadium, year-round.
- Professional Soccer, Sarasota Paradise, call Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch home.
- Tampa Bay is just an hour drive with the Tampa Bay Rays (MLB), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), and Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).
17. Golfing
Sarasota is home to some of the country’s top-rated golf courses. TPC Prestancia has 36 championship holes. There are the Bobby Jones Golf Club and the Sara Bay Country Club, both featuring historic designs, along with another 50 public courses.
18. Excellent Dining Options
- Sarasota offers an abundance of memorable dining options.
- The Columbia Restaurant is over 100 years old and is a delightful Spanish restaurant. It’s a tradition for so many families, so stop in and experience it for yourself.
- Owen’s Fish Camp, where Thomas Edison gifted the banyan tree to the developer. History and food are the perfect combination.
- Duval’s is dedicated to serving fresh, local seafood.
- Boca has a great space, good vibes, and excellent food.
- Marina Jack, Dry Dock Waterfront Grill, The Old Salty Dog, Indigenous, and Walt’s Fish Market Restaurant are still on my list to visit.
19. Yoder’s
Y’all know I travel for food, and Yoder’s salted caramel ice cream is my favorite under the sun. The pies are probably the best in the world.
Yoder’s Restaurant in Sarasota is a little off the beaten path but worth every minute. This is complete heaven tasting Amish cooking and pie baking.
There’s also the Amish Der Dutchman for meals and bakery items.
20. Farmer’s Market
- The Sarasota Farmer’s Market is open year-round every Saturday in downtown. From Main Street & Lemon Avenue to First Avenue in the north and Pineapple Avenue in the south end. From food trucks to soap and succulents, there’s something for everyone.
- There’s a Siesta Key Farmer’s Market open on Sunday, year-round.
- If you don’t have time for farmers’ markets, Detwiler’s Farm Market is available in six locations and offers farm-to-table freshness.
Day Trips
- Drive an hour north to see the hundreds of manatees in their natural environment at the Tampa Electric Viewing Center.
- Visit the charming Anna Maria Island, just 30 minutes north.
- The Venice Travel Guide explores the Top 10 hidden gems of Venice. Welcome to the perfect middle-class beach town.
- Naples is where elegant and expensive meet with sunshine and saltwater. Let’s take a glimpse into the life of the ultra-wealthy in the Naples Travel Guide.
Between the best beaches and ice cream, there are a dozen other reasons to visit Sarasota. So, let’s help you plan.
Planning tips
- Three days are enough to see Sarasota. However, I could spend all week on the beach.
- The weather is near perfect year-round, and, of course, summer is hotter.
- Driving is the best way to tour the city. It’s big but not that big.
- There’s no bad time to visit. The best time to visit is spring or fall to avoid the summer and winter crowds.
- Sarasota has its own airport, but Tampa is more affordable.
Here’s a glimpse at my itinerary.
Day one is always the beach. Then, a 1 pm visit to the Big Cat Habitat with shopping at Siesta Key Village. For dinner, we headed toward Owen’s Fish Camp and ended with sunset on the beach.
Day two begins at Bayfront Park, followed by the Aquarium, and then lunch at Yoder’s. Next is the Ringling Museum, and then we explored St. Armand’s Circle at night.
Day three consisted of a few early hours on Siesta Key Beach, followed by a visit to the Botanical Gardens. After lunch at Boca, we explored downtown, ending with a circus performance. Y’all know we came to fish, so we are headed to the water for the rest of our vacation.
Same time next year, Sarasota!
Whether you’re drawn to Sarasota for its white-sand beaches or vibrant cultural and culinary scene, this Gulf Coast gem has a way of making every visit unforgettable. From mornings spent strolling the farmers market to Yodor’s ice cream ending with sunset on the beach, Sarasota captures the perfect balance of relaxation and entertainment. No matter how long you stay, you’ll find yourself planning your return before you leave.
Thank you for reading my Sarasota Travel Guide!
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