Sarasota Packages/Deals & Travel Agents Near Me

Among the early tourists to be smitten by Sarasota, Florida, was circus magnate John Ringling in the Roaring '20s. He scooped up property all around the town, moved the circus's winter home there, and built himself a winter residence, an art museum, a circus museum and a college.

All these years later, the city of Sarasota is still the undisputed cultural center of the Gulf Coast, but with the added allure of a string of barrier islands flanking its western side. Each of the keys maintains its own identity, with superb beach access being the central unifying theme.

Lido and St. Armands are really just extensions of downtown Sarasota, connected by a causeway and fairly urban. Started as a quiet fishing village, Longboat Key is now strictly the purview of the posh, with tall resort hotels and condominiums and a glut of golf courses.

Siesta Key is much more low-rise, with a personality to match. It's relaxed and laid-back, with a high funk-factor. It's the most youthful spot on this part of the Gulf Coast. Casey Key is less of a tourist draw, mostly dotted with single-family homes.

Must See or Do

Sights—The white-sand beaches of Siesta Key; the otherworldly orchids and epiphytes at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; taking in a play at the Asolo Repertory Theater or seeing the Sarasota Opera; previewing the boys of summer during spring training of the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.

Museums—The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (one of the 20 largest museums in the country); envision yourself behind the wheel of an Edsel or Ferrari at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum; get a sense for the area's history at Bradenton's Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

Memorable Meals—Start with a one-of-a-kind pancake breakfast at Station 400; Yoder's Restaurant for to-die-for pie and Amish comfort food; Cafe L'Europe, a favorite among Sarasota locals and tourists alike, located on beautiful St. Armands Circle.

Late Night—Sit in on the Siesta Key Drum Circle on Sunday evening at the beach; hit the grooving Beach Club in Siesta Village.

Walks—The boutiques of St. Armands Circle to window-shop; Myakka River State Park for a little hiking, off-road biking or canoeing; Oscar Scherer State Park for a glimpse of the endangered Florida scrub jay or gopher tortoise in rugged flatwoods.

Especially for Kids—Hissing cockroaches and other exotic animals at Sarasota Jungle Gardens; listening to the manatees on the underwater microphone at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium; an ecotour of the bay with Sarasota Bay Explorers; zip, wing and climb like Tarzan on the daring aerial course at TreeUmph!.

Geography

This part of Florida's Gulf Coast contains numerous deep-water bays and an abundance of rivers and harbors. Thus, the fishing, boating, swimming and simple beachcombing in these parts are legendary.

Sarasota's downtown streets and roads run east-west; avenues and boulevards run north-south. The main street downtown is called, fittingly, Main Street. From downtown, go east across the John Ringling Causeway to access St. Armands Circle and Lido Key.

From there, you can continue north to Longboat Key, where there's not a lot of draw beyond swanky hotels, golf courses, a few restaurants, and slightly inconvenient beach access and parking. To reach Siesta Key, head south on Highway 41 (also called the Tamiami Trail), then take a right onto either Siesta Drive or Stickney Point Road—the former takes you to the northern, residential section of the key; Stickney takes you closer to the funky Siesta Village.

History

Although it was the first state to be settled by Europeans, Florida might be the last state to have entered fully into modernity. It remained more or less a Wild West-like frontier until the 20th century, with the first paved road not appearing until 1920.

Although Sarasota was officially founded in the 1840s, it wasn't until wealthy northerners such as circus impresario John Ringling arrived that this backwater village 60 mi/97 km south of Tampa started really jumping. Chicago socialite Bertha Palmer built a mansion there on Sarasota Bay in 1910, inviting her friends to enjoy the area's many virtues. During the 1920s, Ringling followed suit, constructing a huge winter residence, Ca d'Zan, and taking his Ringling Bros. circus to winter there.

The population in Sarasota doubled during the Florida land boom of 1924-27, but the tradition of connoisseurship established by Ringling and others was intractable. Today, Sarasotans are demanding about their arts, restaurants, shopping and other cultural allures—all a boon to the visitor. There's a robust "snow bird" community, meaning the winter population is greatly elevated (and thus parking, reservations and so forth become trickier to get).

Potpourri

Sarasota got its name from its Spanish settlers in the early 1700s, but by the late 1840s "Zara Zote" had morphed into "Sara Sota."

From the early 1940s to mid-1960s, Sarasota became the birthplace of a certain strain of American modernism called the Sarasota School of Architecture, championed by big names such as Paul Rudolph.

Sarasota was home to Florida's first golf course, built in 1905 by Sir John Hamilton Gillespie, a Scottish colonist. Thus the city is often described as the "Cradle of Golf."

The author Stephen King lives on Casey Key, AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson lives on Bird Key and indefatigable ESPN college-basketball analyst Dick Vitale lives in nearby Lakewood Ranch.

The city of Venice was once home to a clown college. Its Circus Bridge, a trapeze attraction and a monument at the Venice Train Depot remember the city's role in the Ringling Circus that wintered in the area.

Time a trip to Sarasota to catch one of the city's two world-renowned film festivals, the Sarasota Film Festival (April) and the Cine-World Film Festival (November).

The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens boasts more than 6,000 orchids and more than 20,000 other plants in 11 bay-front acres/4.5 hectares.