about Sarasota

Sarasota and its eight offshore islands are located on the Gulf Coast in southwest Florida between Tampa and Fort Myers. The region includes Sarasota, Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Manasota Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, Englewood, Nokomis, North Port, Osprey and Venice.

In addition to beautiful sandy beaches with breathtaking sunsets, tourist highlights include numerous cultural sites such as the Ringling Museum of Art and the Italian-style Cà d’ Zan Palace. Nature parks such as Myakka River State Park, Oscar Scherer State Park and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens are other attractions. Shopping opportunities, excellent restaurants, Old Florida style bed & breakfasts and renowned luxury hotels distinguish Sarasota as a vacation destination.

Sarasota Downtown offers a variety of entertainment as the cultural center of Florida. You will find galleries and museums as well as theaters, an opera house and a botanical garden, beautiful stores and many inviting restaurants. Nearby, a mangrove forest has been created as a charming nature park. Pure nature with fascinating flora and fauna can also be found in Myakka State Park, 15 miles away.

In Sarasota, nature lovers as well as culture enthusiasts get their money’s worth and romantics rave about the fairy-tale sunsets that can be experienced on the nearby, endless dream beaches. Golfers also get their money’s worth in Sarasota.

Sarasota, along with its neighbors to the north and south, Manatee County and Charlotte County, make up the 7th-largest market in Florida. It is also the 3rd fastest growing economic market in Florida. In the last 5 years, it has grown 4 times faster than the national average. Per capita purchasing power is nearly 20% above the national average.

You can reach Sarasota and its West Coast islands via Fort Myers, Orlando or Tampa airports. Sarasota is less than an hour’s drive from Fort Myers and Tampa, and about two hours by car from Orlando.