Sarasota Last updated: September 18, 2026.
Things to do in Sarasota
Sarasota punches way above its weight on culture — circus history, a world-class art museum, and botanical gardens on the bay. On a budget? Start with free things to do.
The Ringling
The former estate of circus magnate John Ringling: an art museum with Old Masters and contemporary works, the Circus Museum, the bayfront Ca' d'Zan mansion, and 66 acres of gardens. The single best rainy-day (or any-day) stop in town.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Fifteen acres of bayfront gardens in downtown Sarasota, famous for its orchid and epiphyte collections. The downtown campus pairs well with a Bayfront walk; there's also the Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey.
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
A working marine research lab with a public aquarium on City Island — manatees, sea turtles, sharks, and touch tanks. Good for kids and genuinely educational for adults.
St. Armands Circle
The open-air shopping and dining circle on Lido Key — galleries, boutiques, ice cream, and people-watching. Free to stroll; dangerous for your wallet in the best way.
visitsarasota.com — official visitor info →
Myakka River State Park
One of Florida's oldest and largest state parks, about 20 miles east of downtown. Airboat-free wilderness: alligators, wading birds, a canopy walkway, and a treetop-high observation tower. Cheap admission, big payoff.
Florida State Parks — Myakka River →
Historic Spanish Point
A 30-acre bayfront preserve in Osprey run by Selby Gardens: prehistoric middens, a pioneer homestead, and one of the prettiest sunset spots in the county. Quieter and cheaper-feeling than the big-ticket stops.
Sarasota coffee houses
Sarasota runs on independent coffee shops — no chains needed. Our coffee house guide covers 10 local favorites with notes on ambience, space, laptop-friendliness, and ratings, from downtown work-friendly spots to Southside Village's coffee-nerd bars.
Off the tourist trail
The things visitors rarely hear about — and locals love most.
Celery Fields
6799 Palmer Blvd, east of I-75. A former celery farm turned wetlands preserve, crowned by a manmade hill locals call Mount Celery — the tallest bump for miles and a legit sunset spot. Over 250 bird species have been recorded here, and volunteer naturalists from Sarasota Audubon work the boardwalks most mornings to help you ID what you're seeing. If you hear roaring from the hill, that's feeding time at Big Cat Habitat next door. Free, open 6am–9pm daily; the Audubon Nature Center sits next door at 999 Center Rd.
Sarasota Magazine — the Celery Fields →
Pinecraft
East Sarasota, around Bahia Vista & Beneva. A real Amish and Mennonite community in the middle of Sarasota — bicycles, shuffleboard, and some of the best comfort food in the county. Yoder's does the legendary fried chicken and pies; Der Dutchman runs the all-you-can-eat buffet. Nicknamed "Amish Las Vegas" because the community relaxes a little on vacation. Both serve lunch and dinner; weekday mornings are the calmest time to visit.
Sarasota Magazine — visiting Pinecraft →
Siesta Key Drum Circle
Siesta Beach, just south of the main pavilion. Every Sunday evening since 1996, drummers gather on the sand about an hour before sunset and play until dusk — dancers, hula hoopers, fire spinners, and a few hundred spectators join in. It's not a performance and there's no organizer; it's a shared ritual that just happens. Free, and the most Sarasota thing you can do on a Sunday. Parking fills up, so arrive early.
Suncoast Post — the drum circle →
Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary
7101 Palmer Blvd, east of I-75. A nonprofit rescue sanctuary founded by an 8th-generation circus performer, home to lions, tigers, ligers, bears, and 300+ animals that needed a permanent home. Daily live animal presentations, plus bookable extras like feeding a tiger. Right next door to the Celery Fields, so the two pair well in one trip. Open Wed–Sun 12–4pm; $25 adults, $10 kids; free parking.
Sarasota Ski-A-Rees
1602 Ken Thompson Pkwy, City Island (behind Mote). A youth water-ski club putting on free Sunday shows since 1957 — pyramids, barefoot skiing, ballet on skis, jump tricks. Kids as young as 6 perform alongside 70-year-olds. Pure old-Sarasota charm with a bay view. Free shows every Sunday at 2pm, February–May and October–November; donations collected at the show.
Sailor Circus
2075 Bahia Vista St. America's longest-running youth circus, founded in 1949 — student performers ages 6–18 do aerial, trapeze, high wire, and acrobatics in the Sailor Circus Arena. It's the living continuation of Sarasota's circus heritage, and the holiday show is a local institution. The 2026 holiday show "Stars, Stripes & Snowflakes" runs Dec 26–29; tickets at circusarts.org.
circusarts.org — holiday show →
Towles Court Artist Colony
1938 Adams Ln, just south of downtown. A warren of 1920s cottages turned into working art studios and galleries, where you can watch artists at work and buy directly from them. Third Friday Art Walks (4–8pm, October–May) turn the whole court into a moonlit gallery crawl. Galleries open Wed–Sat 11am–4pm in season.
Legacy Trail
Multiple trailheads; northern end at Payne Park, 2010 Adams Ln. An 18-mile paved rail trail on the old Seaboard corridor, running from downtown Sarasota to the Venice train depot — flat, car-free, and genuinely pleasant. Two overpasses carry you over Bee Ridge and Clark roads without touching traffic. Bike rentals sit right on the trail if you didn't bring wheels. Free, open sunrise–sunset year-round; 15 trailheads with free parking.
Visit Sarasota — the Legacy Trail →
Pickleball
Sarasota is a pickleball town — nearly 100 free public courts across the county, from the 12-court hub at Pompano Trailhead to beachside games at Siesta Beach. Mornings are the social window: show up around 8am, stack your paddle, and rotate in. Our sister site Dink Sarasota has the full court guide, open-play primer, rules explainers, and gear picks.
Murder Mystery Trolley
1826 4th St, Sarasota (departs from behind the Breakfast House, off Fruitville & Osprey). Discover Sarasota Tours runs an interactive murder-mystery show on a moving trolley — "Who Killed The Circus Queen?" — with a circus theme, because of course. You can take a speaking role from a script or just watch; costumes encouraged, no real acting required. Runs Thursday and Saturday nights at 7:30pm, 90 minutes, around $82–92 per adult; complimentary wine or beer at the Trolley Cottage Tiki Bar before boarding; ages 12+; arrive 30 minutes early. The same company also runs a Haunted Sarasota trolley (nightly in October), a Friday-night 70s/80s sing-along trolley, and a Tuesday Sunset Cabaret.
Visit Florida — Murder Mystery Trolley →
Sarasota Swap Meet & Flea Market
125 S Tuttle Ave (near Tuttle Ave & Ringling Blvd). The classic Saturday flea market — rows of vendors selling everything from vintage finds to tools to who-knows-what, every Saturday and Sunday 7am–5pm. Free parking, cheap admission territory, and the kind of treasure-hunt morning that eats three hours before you notice. 4.4/5 from reviewers; check the website for vendor info if you want a table yourself.
Worth the drive: day trips
Two easy escapes, both under 90 minutes each way.
Frank Lloyd Wright in Lakeland
Florida Southern College, Lakeland (visitor center: 840 Johnson Ave). The "Child of the Sun" campus holds 13 Wright-designed structures — the largest single-site Frank Lloyd Wright collection in the world and a National Historic Landmark. Docent-led walking tours cover the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, the E.T. Roux Library, and the Usonian Faculty House; the recently restored planetarium — the only one Wright ever designed — now runs public shows. Basic tour $45/person, 90 minutes, daily at 10am and 2pm (10% off AAA/AARP/military); Usonian House tour $20; planetarium shows Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun at 3:30pm, $20. Reserve ahead: 863-680-4597 or fllw@flsouthern.edu. About 1¼ hours from downtown Sarasota (roughly 80 miles via I-75/I-4).
Florida Southern — Wright tours →
Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier
Skyway Fishing Pier State Park — north pier: 11101 34th St S, St. Petersburg; south pier: 7901 US-19 S, Palmetto. The old Sunshine Skyway Bridge approaches recycled into the world's longest fishing pier — you park within a few feet of your fishing spot, and the bridge lights draw fish after dark. Common catches: snook, tarpon, grouper, mackerel, cobia, sheepshead, red snapper, pompano. Open 24 hours, 365 days; $4 per vehicle plus $4 per adult, and no fishing license needed (included with admission) — though first-timers must complete the FWC's free online angler education course and bring the certificate. Rod rentals $8/day; bait, tackle, and snacks at the pier shops. Note: the south pier is partially closed indefinitely (vehicle and foot access stops just past the bait shop); the north pier is fully open. About 35–45 minutes from downtown Sarasota.
Florida State Parks — Skyway Fishing Pier →
Retro Sarasota: restaurants & bars with history
Old-Florida rooms that earned their character the slow way.
Bahi Hut
4675 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Florida's oldest tiki bar, pouring since 1954 — a dark, Polynesian-kitsch room of bamboo, tikis, and legendary mai tais, plus a newer open-air thatched area. Named one of America's best dive bars by USA Today. Strong, classic tiki cocktails at old-school prices; open daily, typically afternoons to late night.
Pop's Sunset Grill
12306 46th Ave W, Cortez. Opened as Urbanek's Fish Camp in 1954, this waterfront spot by the Albee Road Bridge blends old-Florida fish-camp roots with a three-level tiki bar, live local music, and some of the best fresh-catch seafood in south county. Breezy Intracoastal setting — go hungry; the fresh catch and coconut rice are the move.
Herald-Tribune — legendary Sarasota restaurants →
Evie's at Spanish Point
135 Bayview Dr, Osprey. A waterfront tiki bar and restaurant on Little Sarasota Bay with roots back to 1957, when the building was a fishing village where anglers offloaded Gulf catch through the then-open Midnight Pass. It cycled through fishing-camp incarnations before becoming the Evie's tiki spot in 2016. Waterfront chickee tiki bar plus the more traditional restaurant The Point next door; sunsets over Little Sarasota Bay.
Herald-Tribune — Sarasota's oldest restaurants →
Walt's Fish Market
South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. A working fish market and restaurant that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2018 — the story starts in 1918, when Claus Wallin followed a circus train to Sarasota and became a commercial fisherman. Still family-run, still the closest thing to buying straight off the boat, with a tiki bar attached. The go-to for genuinely fresh local seafood.
Herald-Tribune — Sarasota County centennial →
Frequently asked questions
What is the single best attraction in Sarasota?
The Ringling — an art museum, the Circus Museum, the bayfront Ca' d'Zan mansion, and 66 acres of gardens. The best rainy-day (or any-day) stop in town.
What can I do in Sarasota for free?
Walk the beaches and Bayfront, stroll St. Armands Circle, and see our free things to do guide for a full free day.
Is Mote Marine Aquarium good for kids?
Yes — manatees, sea turtles, sharks, and touch tanks on City Island. It's fun for kids and genuinely educational for adults.
How can I save on Sarasota attraction tickets?
Check our coupons page — Viator and GetYourGuide often undercut walk-up prices on local tours and cruises.