Sarasota, Florida, is the perfect beach getaway in the US! Located on the gulf side of Florida and nearby other beach hotspots such as Siesta Key and Clearwater, Sarasota offers both beautiful beaches and fun activities perfect for anyone. If you’re looking to create your perfect Sarasota itinerary, here’s some of my favorite things to do in Sarasota, Florida! You can also check out Viator for some guided tours and activities. Now, let’s get to some of my Sarasota favorites!
1. Hit the Beach
Obviously when you’re visiting Florida you’re going to head to the beach! Sarasota is home to a number of beaches, so you have plenty of options. Some Sarasota beaches include Siesta Key Beach, Lido Key Beach, Longboat Key Beach, and Manasota Key beach. Siesta Key beach is probably the most popular, as it’s been regularly named as one of the best beaches in the world. It’s renowned for it’s extremely clear waters and soft white sand. If you’re looking for a less-crowded beach in Sarasota, I highly recommend Lido Key beach. It’s located within easy walking distance of St. Armands Circle and it was incredibly easy to find a spot without too many people around. It’s quieter here and less people in the water as well, which we really enjoyed.
2. Shopping at St. Armands Circle
Speaking of St. Armand’s Circle, you can’t miss it on your Sarasota itinerary! Located just 10 minutes outside of the Sarasota city center, St. Armands Circle is perfect spot for shopping, food, and drinks. It’s also in close proximity to Lido Key Beach and Longboat Key Beach- you can easily pair a beach day with dinner and happy hour if you want to! As far as shopping goes, St. Armands Circle is a bit pricey and typically has more high-end, ‘luxury’ stores. However, they still have some great finds for any budget. I managed to find the cutest and softest Lido Beach sweatshirt at one of the stores!
The food at St. Armands Circle is also pretty good, and with lots of options. I highly recommend Cha Cha Coconuts and the Blue Dolphin Cafe (especially if you’re looking for breakfast here). My fiance’s favorite was Venezia, a really tasty Italian restaurant. For Happy Hour, you won’t want to miss Daquiri Deck for their half-priced daquiris and draft beers, and Cha Cha Coconuts also has a great Happy Hour Menu. Overall, definitely make St. Armands Circle a stop in your Sarasota travel guide!
3. Visit the Ringling Museum + Ca D’Zan
One of fiance and I’s favorite things to do in Sarasota was to visit the Ringling Museum and Ca’ D’Zan Mansion! Sarasota was home to John Ringling of the Ringling Brothers, one of the most famous names in the Circus industry. Now you can visit the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and it’s multiple offerings. You’ll be able to visit two circus museums showing the history of the Circus, primarily in America. You’ll even be able to see cool artifacts such as John and Mable Ringling’s train car and PT Barnum’s socks and General Tom Thumb’s boots! It’s a great place to go if you’re wondering about things to do in Sarasota when it rains (which is what we did!).
Be sure to stop by Ca’D’Zan when you’re visiting the Ringling Museum. It’s a stunning, Venetian-inspired mansion that sits right on the water and was once home to John and Mable Ringling themselves. You can tour both the beautiful interior and the gorgeous exterior and you’ll definitely feel like you’re in Europe while you’re there! We loved our stop at the Ringling in Sarasota and would highly recommend it for your Sarasota itinerary.
4. Siesta Key Rum Distillery
Another favorite Sarasota activity? The Siesta Key Rum Distillery! We stumbled upon this whilst looking for rainy day activities in Sarasota and we’re so happy we did. Siesta Key Rum is distilled locally in Sarasota- and you’ll probably notice it behind the bars of many local restaurants (like we did!). Pop in for a free 45 minute distillery tour in which you’ll learn about the history of Siesta Key Rum and how it’s made. You’ll even get to taste all of their rums (included in the tour!). They have a silver rum (unflavored, it’s their base for all other rums), a spiced rum (my favorite!), toasted coconut rum (my fiance’s favorite!), and a coffee rum. Before or after your tour, be sure to stop by their tiki bar to have some incredible Siesta Key Rum cocktails. They had classics like the Mai Tai (my favorite!) and the Pina Colada, but also some signatures such as Butterbeer (they infuse their silver rum with butterscotch candy and mix it with cream soda!) and a jalapeno cucumber cocktail.
The staff here were so friendly and knowledgeable. We learned so much about rum and really enjoyed getting to try it in samples and in their cocktails. A must-do in Sarasota!
5. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a must for any nature lover! With over 15 acres and thousands of diverse plant species, a walk through Sarasota’s botanical gardens is a great way to spend your day learning and enjoying nature.
You’ll see gorgeous tropical plants and a gorgeous Koi pond, and have the chance to learn more in the Garden and Art museum. It’s definitely worth a visit!
6. Sunset Dinner Cruise
You could probably find a sunset dinner cruise anywhere there’s a city with water, but honestly? There’s a reason for that. There’s just something about watching the sun go down with a nice view on the water with dinner or drinks. Sarasota offers many sunset cruises and dinner cruises- the most popular being the Marina Jack Sunset Dinner Cruise. More on the upscale end, Marina Jack Sunset Dinner Cruise offers fine dining options buffet-style while you enjoy the views during your cruise. We personally didn’t do this one, but it was recommended to us by family.
We ended up doing the Lebarge Sunset Cruise at the last minute. It’s not necessarily a ‘dinner’ cruise, but they do offer concession-like food on board as well as a bar offering some draft beers and select cocktails. You’ll want to get there early if you want to be on the open-top of the boat rather than stuck inside where it’s not as fun. The drinks were good and live music was played during the 2 hour tour. It was beautiful, but we did ours during a wedding party so it was definitely a little crowded and noisy.
7. Bayfront Park
Bayfront Park is one of the perfect things to do in Sarasota Florida! As the name suggests, Bayfront Park sits on the Bay and offers a variety of things. You could stop by the famous ‘Unconditional Surrender’ statue (a smaller version than the famous one in Pearl Harbor), celebrating the end of World War II. You could stroll through the park and enjoy the scenery, or you could stop by O’Leary’s Tiki Bar and Grill for Happy Hour drinks and food. I highly recommend the mojito!
Overall, Bayfront Park is a great place to visit in Sarasota. Drinks, food, and a park with a beautiful view is definitely hard to beat.
Things To Do In Sarasota Florida
There are so many awesome things to do in Sarasota Florida- and I hope this list has helped you put together your perfect Sarasota itinerary. Let me know what you think of these Sarasota activities or if you’ve ever done any of them before. I’d also love to hear your Sarasota recommendations! For more Sarasota recs, check out these activities and tours! Looking for travel recs outside of the US? Check out this post!
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