Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Sarasota (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and Ed Smith Stadium. Also, be sure to include Ca' d'Zan in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Sarasota (Florida).
Table of Contents
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Museum in Sarasota, Florida. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State University assumed governance of the museum in 2000.
The institution offers 21 galleries of European paintings as well as Cypriot antiquities and Asian, American, and contemporary art. The museum's art collection currently consists of more than 10,000 objects that include a variety of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs, and decorative arts from ancient through contemporary periods and from around the world. The most celebrated items in the museum are 16th–20th-century European paintings, including a world-renowned collection of Peter Paul Rubens paintings. Other artists represented include Benjamin West, Marcel Duchamp, Mark Kostabi, Diego Velázquez, Paolo Veronese, Rosa Bonheur, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Giuliano Finelli, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Frans Hals, Nicolas Poussin, Joseph Wright of Derby, Thomas Gainsborough, Eugène Boudin, and Benedetto Pagni.
In all, more than 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) have been added to the campus, which includes the art museum, circus museum, and Ca' d'Zan, the Ringlings' mansion, which has been restored, along with the historic Asolo Theater. New additions to the campus include the McKay Visitor's Pavilion, the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion exhibiting studio glass art, the Johnson-Blalock Education Building housing The Ringling Art Library and Cuneo Conservation Lab, the Tibbals Learning Center complete with a miniature circus, the Searing Wing, a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) gallery for special exhibitions attached to the art museum, the Chao Center for Asian Art, and the Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art.[1]
Address: 5401 Bay Shore Rd, 34243 Sarasota (Indian Beach-Sapphire Shores)
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Botanical garden in Sarasota, Florida. The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a 15-acre botanical garden located at 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The Gardens are located on the grounds of the former home of Marie and William Selby.[2]
Address: 811 S Palm Ave, 34236 Sarasota
Ed Smith Stadium
Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. Ed Smith Stadium is a baseball field located in Sarasota, Florida. Since 2010, it has been the spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles.[3]
Address: 2700 12th St, 34237 Sarasota (Park East)
Ca' d'Zan
Former home of a circus king. Ca' d'Zan is a Mediterranean revival style residence in Sarasota, Florida, adjacent to Sarasota Bay. The winter residence of circus mogul, capitalist, entrepreneur and art collector John Ringling and his wife Mable has been admired as an architectural gem since it was completed in 1926.[4]
Address: 5401 Bay Shore Rd, 34243 Sarasota (Indian Beach-Sapphire Shores)
Chidsey Library
The Chidsey Library or Chidsey Building is a historic building located in Sarasota, Florida at 701 North Tamiami Trail. The building was home to the city's first public library from 1941 to 1976.[5]
Address: 601 Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Nathan Benderson Park
Sports venue in Sarasota County, Florida. Nathan Benderson Park, previously known as North Metro Park and Cooper Creek Park, is a 600-acre park in the U.S. state of Florida, owned by Sarasota County. It incorporates a 400-acre artificial lake in northern Sarasota County, directly south of the Manatee County county line, west of Interstate 75. The lake is a rowing venue and hosted the 2017 World Rowing Championships.[6]
Address: 2500 Honore Ave, 34235 Sarasota
Mote Marine Laboratory
Aquarium starring stingrays and sharks. Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit, marine research organization based on City Island in Sarasota, Florida, with additional campuses in eastern Sarasota County, Boca Grande, Florida, and the Florida Keys. Founded in 1955 by Eugenie Clark in Placida, Florida, it was known as the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory until 1967. The laboratory aims to advance marine science and education, supporting conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. A public aquarium and associated education program interpret its research for the public.[7]
Address: 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, 34236 Sarasota
St. Armands Key, Florida
St. Armands Key is an island in Sarasota Bay off the west coast of Florida in the United States. It is part of the city of Sarasota, Florida. The island is connected to the mainland by the John Ringling Causeway.[8]
Sarasota Classic Car Museum
Museum in Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota Classic Car Museum is located at 5500 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida, United States. It houses about 100 vintage cars of all types in a 60,000-square-foot facility with constantly rotating collection. The museum displays rare cars and ones owned by famous people.
The museum has an Italian Car Collection which includes cars from Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Rivolta.[9]
Address: 5500 N Tamiami Trl, 34243 Sarasota
Sarasota Art Museum
Museum in Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota Art Museum on the Ringling College Museum Campus officially opened to the public on December 14, 2019. Its location in the Old Sarasota High School building represents the renewal of a long-standing Sarasota historic landmark.
Built in 1927, the Late Gothic Revival, brick and terra cotta structure was once the city's main high school. It was designed by architect M. Leo Elliott in 1926 with the intention of setting itself apart from every other architectural feat in the city. Its exterior features brick pier buttresses and glazed terra cotta cluster columns while the interior includes Gothic Revival motifs: coats of arms, quatrefoils, and arched ceilings. The school was completed in 1927 and the first senior class graduated in 1928. The building was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
An addition to the school was added in 1960 by local architect Paul Randolph. Randolph was a well-known member of the Sarasota School of Architecture.
After closing to students in 1996, the building (by then known locally as the Elliott building) was shuttered for many years and left neglected. There were rumors of toxic asbestos and public uproar always followed any attempt to demolish the building. In 2003, plans began to repurpose the Elliott and Randolph buildings for use as an art museum.
The SAM was founded in partnership with Ringling College of Art and Design with the agreement that the college's Continuing Studies Program would share space with the museum's own educational efforts. Design modifications and construction was undertaken by Lawson Group Architects and architectural firm Keenan/Riley.
The SAM officially opened to the public on December 14, 2019. It is a member of the American Alliance of Museums but not yet officially accredited. The museum's current executive director is Virginia Shearer.[10]
Address: 1001 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Sarasota Opera House
Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota Opera House is an historic theatre, now opera house, located at 61 North Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The building was the vision of A.B. Edwards, the first mayor of Sarasota. It opened on April 10, 1926, with a three-story entrance containing eight shops on the ground floor, 12 offices on the second floor, and 12 furnished apartments on the third. The theatre's auditorium contained an orchestral pipe organ. As noted on the Sarasota Opera's website, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune hailed Edwards for "having admitted Sarasota into a fairyland of costly decoration, rich furnishings and never to be forgotten artistry."
The building was designed by Roy A. Benjamin in the Mediterranean Revival Style Architecture and constructed by the GA Miller Construction Company.
The theatre is the home of the Sarasota Opera Association, Inc. which owns the building. The Association is the parent body that runs the Sarasota Opera. The house contains 1,119 seats.[11]
Address: Sarasota, 61 North Pineapple Avenue
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Theater in Sarasota, Florida. The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is a performing arts venue located at 777 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida neighboring the Sarasota Bay. The main theater of the 80,000 square feet facility contains 1,741 seats.[12]
Address: Sarasota, 777 N Tamiami Trail
Asolo Repertory Theatre
Performing arts theater in Sarasota, Florida. The Asolo Repertory Theatre or Asolo Rep is a professional theater in Sarasota, Florida. It is the largest Equity theatre in Florida, and the largest Repertory theatre in the Southeastern United States. Asolo Rep is a resident regional theatre company which also invites in guest artists. It works in conjunction with Florida State University's MFA Acting program, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. It is currently housed in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts, which is a multi-theater complex, located on the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art property. The 2008–2009 season marked Asolo Rep's 50th anniversary.[13]
Address: Sarasota, 5555 N Tamiami Trail
Jane Bancroft Cook Library
University library in Sarasota, Florida. The Jane Bancroft Library is a joint-use library shared by the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee and the New College of Florida. The library is currently located on the NCF campus along US 41 Tamiami Trail right next door to the Ringling Museum. In addition to serving USFSM and NCF, this facility also accommodates to the community by allowing modest borrowing privileges and Wi-Fi usage.[14]
John Ringling Causeway
Bridge in Sarasota, Florida. John Ringling Causeway is a bridge that extends past the Sarasota Bay, from Sarasota to St. Armands Key and Lido Key. The 65-foot-tall bridge, built in 2003, is a segmental box girder bridge named after John Ringling, one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus and resident of the Sarasota area.[15]
Sarasota Jungle Gardens
Garden, Zoo, Park, Outdoor activities
Address: 3701 Bay Shore Rd, 34234 Sarasota (Indian Beach-Sapphire Shores)
Sarasota National Cemetery
Cemetery. Sarasota National Cemetery is a 295-acre United States National Cemetery located in Sarasota County, Florida. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it is the sixth national cemetery developed in Florida.[16]
Address: Route 72, Sarasota
Selby Public Library
Public library in Sarasota, Florida. The Selby Public Library was the first library in Sarasota County, Florida and was established in 1907. The current building is the largest public library in Sarasota County and serves the downtown district of Sarasota, Florida.[17]
Address: 1331 1st St, 34236-5702 Sarasota (Downtown Sarasota)
Art Center Sarasota
Art gallery in Sarasota, Florida. Art Center Sarasota is the community art center in Sarasota, Florida. The Center includes four rotating exhibition galleries and a sculpture garden. It is member-funded and offers adult and youth classes, workshops, and programs.
The Center was established in 1926 as the Sarasota Art Association.[18]
Address: 707 N Tamiami Trl, 34236-4050 Sarasota
Siesta Beach
Public beach on Siesta Key, Florida. Siesta Beach is a beach located on Siesta Key in the U.S. state of Florida.
Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of pulverized coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz, most of which comes from the Appalachian Mountains. Over time the feldspar and mica have been removed from the rock, leaving almost pure quartz. Even on the hottest days, the sand is so reflective that it feels cool underfoot. According to Harvard University geologists, it's estimated that the sand on Siesta Beach and Crescent Beach on Siesta Key is millions of years old, having its origin in the Appalachians and flowing down the rivers from the mountains until it eventually was deposited on the shores of Siesta Key.
The southern portion of Siesta Beach is alternatively called Crescent Beach, which extends to the sea wall and Point of Rocks, an area with coral and active marine life.
Siesta Beach is not only long, but also expansively wide, especially around the Siesta Key Beach Pavilion section. The beach is so wide the city installed walking mats to help beachgoers get to the shore, where they can then walk on firmer wet sand.[19]
Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club
Convention center in Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, listed in the National Register as Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club, is a historic multi-purpose facility built-in 1938. It is located at 801 Tamiami Trail North and is owned/operated by the municipal government of Sarasota, Florida. The auditorium has 10,000 square feet of exhibit space on its main floor and also contains an Art Deco style stage measuring 1,500 square feet.
The auditorium has been used for many community functions and recreational activities. It has also been known as the Sarasota Exhibition Hall and the Sarasota Civic Center Exhibition Hall. The auditorium is located on a large parcel of public land that is reserved for civic, the government uses. On February 24, 1995, the complex was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.[20]
Address: Sarasota, 801 Tamiami Trail North
American National Bank Building
Building in Sarasota, Florida. The American National Bank Building at 1330 Main Street in Sarasota, Florida, United States is a historic bank. It was also a Hotel and Retirement Home. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[21]
Rosemary Cemetery
Cemetery in Sarasota, Florida. The Rosemary Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Sarasota, Florida. The cemetery is located at the northwest corner of the original plat of the town of Sarasota.[22]
Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary
Nature and wildlife, Zoo, Park, Outdoor activities
Address: 7101 Palmer Blvd, 34240 Sarasota
Caples–Ringling Estates Historic District
The Caples–Ringling Estates Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in Sarasota, Florida. The district is bounded by the Sarasota Bay, US 41, Parkview and North Shore Avenue. It contains 18 historic buildings and 5 structures.[23]
Florida Studio Theatre
Theater, Concerts and shows
Address: 1241 N Palm Ave, 34236 Sarasota (Downtown Sarasota)
Sarasota Woman's Club
Theater in Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota Woman's Club is a historic woman's club in Sarasota, Florida. It is located at 1241 North Palm Avenue. It was founded in 1913 and on January 18, 1985, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The clubhouse is now home to the Keating Theater, the mainstage of Florida Studio Theatre.[24]
Palm Avenue Fine Art
Museum, Gift shop, Art gallery, Antiques, Shopping
Address: Palm Avenue, 34236 Sarasota (Downtown Sarasota)
Worth's Block
Building. Worth's Block, also known as the Gator Club, is a historic building in Sarasota, Florida. It is located at 1490 Main Street. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
It is a two-story 25 feet (7.6 m) by 100 feet (30 m) masonry commercial building built in 1912 and modified at different times, including in 1928. Its ground floor was designed for commercial purposes and its second floor was for a residence. As of 1998 its front (north) facade had been restored to its 1912 appearance, with a storefront plus, on the second story, "two sets of paired windows set in segmental arch brick surrounds."[25]
Sarasota Ski-A-Rees Water Ski Show Team
Concerts and shows, Watersports, Arenas and stadiums, Water ski
Address: 1602 Ken Thompson Pkwy, 34236-1004 Sarasota
Towles Court Artist Colony
Museum, Art gallery, Shopping
Address: 238 S Links Ave, 34236 Sarasota
Sarasota School of Glass
Museum, Classes and workshops
Address: 5704 Lawton Dr, 34233-2418 Sarasota
Sarasota Herald Building
Building in Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota Herald Building is a historic structure located at 539 South Orange Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The building served as the headquarters for Sarasota Herald-Tribune from 1925 to 1969.[26]
Scott Commercial Building
The Scott Commercial Building is a historic building located in Sarasota, Florida at 261 South Orange Avenue.[27]
House at 507 Jackson Drive
The House at 507 Jackson Drive is a historic home in Sarasota, Florida, United States. It is located at 507 Jackson Drive. On February 5, 1998, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1926, it is a private residence of the Mediterranean Revival architecture style.[28]