Experiences

St. Armands Circle on nearby St. Amands Key, evokes a European ambiance with its promenade of sidewalk cafés, lush courtyards, statues, and upscale boutique shops, carrying brands like Burberry, Giorgio, Armani, Tommy Bahama, and Lilly Pulitzer. But there’s more to this barrier island destination than sophisticated outdoor dining and shopping. St. Armands Circle’s rich history tells a story of presidential ties, elephants as building aids, and an intentionally circular layout inspired by that of a circus wagon wheel.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is perhaps one of the best-known cultural attractions in Sarasota. After all, it’s more than just one mere building, but a 66-acre estate consisting of the State Art Museum of Florida, the Circus Museum, Ca’ d’Zan (a palatial mansion designed in a dazzling, Venetian Gothic style), the Bayfront Gardens, and the Asolo Repertory Theatre. But you’ll find other great museums beyond the Ringling campus, including the Sarasota Classic Car Museum, home to a 1965 sage green Mini Cooper formerly owned by Paul McCartney.
(Above) © The League Collective

They don’t call Sarasota the “Culture Coast” for nothing. And there are two distinct venues to take in renowned musical performances and spectacular theatrical shows: the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, an iconic purple building with a scalloped concrete roof known for its variety of orchestra, dance, theater, and comedy; and the Sarasota Opera House, a beautifully renovated 1,100-seat historic theater specializing in – you guessed it – powerful pieces of live opera.

You’ll find 76 courses within a 15-mile radius of Sarasota – 42 of which are public courses. Top courses open for public include The Highlands, a Francis Duane-designed 18-hole gem with generous greens, the semi-private University Park Country Club 27-hole course where water is in play on most holes, and the Serenoa Gulf Club course that plays longer than its modest 6,270-yard layout.

Between family-friendly music venues, nightclubs with deejays, and bands performing by the water, there are scores of venues that make up Sarasota’s live music scene. Sibling Opal property, Lido Beach Resort, even regularly brings in an electric violinist on Wednesday evenings, who plays selections from a 400-song-strong repertoire, covering top 40 tunes from the ’60s to present day. The best part? It takes place right on the beach.

A 135,000-gallon shark habitat, a resident beloved manatee named Buffet, and touch tanks rife with rays and reef animals. It’s hard not to get excited about what awaits you at the Mote Aquarium. An AZA-accredited facility (which means it has met rigorous, professional standards for animal care, wildlife conservation and research, education and more), the aquarium is home to more than 100 species of marine life.

Lush, tropical, and stunning Sarasota provides a natural for many public botanical gardens. Check out the horticultural haven for rare tropical plants at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Hand-feed the flock of free-roaming flamingos at the Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Or check out Mable Ringling’s 27,000-square-foot Rose Garden, located on the Ringling estate, that is flush with 1,200 roses, as well as hybrid tea roses (floribundas and grandifloras).

One of the largest drum circles in the nation, the Siesta Key Drum Circle is a free family-friendly event that takes place every Sunday year-round an hour before sunset, where dozens of people descend upon the sand, led by a plethora of percussionists, to dance the evening away. Bring your beach chair or blanket or join in on the festival-like atmosphere, which is occasionally accompanied by belly dancers.