About Sarasota

Sarasota is a true jewel in Florida. The city has long attracted residents and visitors from the rest of the world thanks to its pristine beaches, diverse cultural offerings, world-class golf courses, outdoor activities and sunny weather throughout the year.

Sarasota is today a trendy destination, endlessly generating new energy and attracting new residents of all ages. It is the second fastest growing city in the United States, according to multiple USA studies.

Sarasota Art Museum | Photo: Ryan Gamma

Much of what distinguishes Sarasota is what the media describes as “a distinct vibe compared to Florida’s relative coastal cities, due to its energizing arts and music scene, beautiful ocean and keys, combined with a varied and exciting food culture”.
While the media describes the seaside ambience and the great shopping as big draws for residents, the downtown area is defined as a destination unto itself with its wealth of distinctive accommodations, great dining options, engaging bars and rooftop lounges.

Ranked the #1 Beach in the U.S. in 2020 by TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards™, area residents and visitors quickly understand the reason why when feeling the Siesta Key quartz-crystal powdery sand, experiencing the soft waves and appreciating the abundance of sun & fun at the gorgeous Siesta Beach.

Siesta Key is well known and appreciated for its extensive vistas, calm swimming areas, large parking zones, gourmet concession stands, a free trolley to get around on the island, and the fun Siesta Key Village. Sarasota residents can plan their whole trip centered around this gorgeous Key and discover a new experience each time.

Photos and content credits: visitsarasota.com

Marina Jack offers fantastic lifestyle amenities and specializes in boat, yacht dockage and cruise club for residents and visitors who want to explore the town and the seaside destinations nearby and beyond. Residents and visitors take in some of the many attractions in a few nights or can secure one of the 316 slips on an annual basis.

The Marina includes full amenities including high quality restaurants, lifestyle shops, concierge shuttle, launderette, marine support and ship’s stores.

Photos and content credits: marinajacks.com

From its humble beginnings as a one-room Lab in a small Florida town, Mote Marine Laboratory has expanded to include a 10.5-acre campus in Sarasota, Florida, with additional locations focused on research in east Sarasota County, Summerland Key and Islamorada, along with educational outreach exhibits in Islamorada and Key West. Florida’s extensive coastline and marine and estuarine environments have enabled Mote scientists to thrive as a locally rooted, independent marine science institution with global reach.

Mote is dedicated to today’s research for tomorrow’s oceans with an emphasis on world-class science relevant to conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity.

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium leadership provided exciting updates regarding the planned expansion of the Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park. The rendering below showcases the plans for the new iconic facility, confirming significant progress and achievement of new milestones in the Oceans for All campaign in support of Mote SEA.

The Museum of Art is an extraordinary place with a spectacular collection of art. From the Rubens Galleries to Joseph’s Coat: a skyspace by James Turrell, visitors can view the permanent collection’s treasures, other fascinating exhibitions from around the world and the classical sculptures that fill its grand courtyard. Now as the State Art Museum of Florida, this facilities the cultural complex has evolved in an awe-inspiring artistic center originally built by famed circus impresario John Ringling as a legacy to the citizens of Florida.

In 1925, John Ringling decided to build an art museum, both as a legacy meant to outlast his business interests and as a memorial to his wife Mable and himself. By sharing the arts of Europe with the people of Florida, Ringling sought to educate and encourage curiosity for the wider world.

When visiting the Ringling properties, the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion provides a welcoming entrance to the Historic Asolo Theater and displays the Ringling’s collection of American and European studio glass. The Glass Pavilion is open during regular museum hours.

The Ringling’s Art of Performance program is a vibrant part of the museum’s year-round programming. The performance program’s mission is to present the most relevant and provocative time-based art across a range of performance disciplines that include dance, music, theatre, puppetry, mixed media and performance art, as well as contemporary circus arts.

Through public performances and engagement programs with artists in the historic Asolo Theater and beyond, the program integrates and reflects the museum’s values of inclusion, inspiration and excellence.

Photos and content credits: ringling.org

St. Armands Circle is a major shopping, dining and entertainment area with convenient proximity to the Bath+Racquet Residences and Club. Almost 100 years old and originally an island in Sarasota Bay, it was purchased in 1893 by Charles St. Armand for $21 for over 130 acres.

Today, it is still called St. Armands Key and is considered the “Jewel of Sarasota”. The island was separated from the mainland, but Ringling financed a bridge to connect Sarasota to St. Armands. He named it the “John Ringling Causeway” and was the first to drive across it in 1926.

During the day, “The Circle” is an outdoor shopping mecca, a place to meet friends for lunch, book a massage at a spa, or spend a day on the white sand on Lido Beach, just blocks away. In the evening, the lights twinkle in the trees, and it becomes a gathering place. It is the site for outdoor performances, a slow stroll with an ice cream cone, or a coveted sidewalk table at one of the legendary restaurants that make up the outer ring of the inner roundabout. Both during the day and at night the energy at St. Armands Circle is always magical.