About Sarasota
Explore Florida
Overview
Although the curtain has fallen on The Greatest Show on Earth, The Ringling Museum still enchants visitors young and old, along with the town’s other cultural riches. The soft sandy beaches have also attracted a wide range of vacationers to its shores amid central Florida’s stunning west coast.
Here palm trees sit beside high-rises and contemporary orchestras and theatres give the region’s musicians and actors a cultural home. Brave souls can soar through the skies on a parasail adventure over Siesta Key.
There are also plenty of kayak eco-tours and windsurfing amid the area’s calmer beaches and protected waters.
Sports lovers can watch the Baltimore Orioles train in the spring at Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium, while golfers have their pick of challenging championship courses, all with a view.
The fun continues long past each miraculous sunset in the area’s lively nightclubs, comedy clubs, and festive saloons. Whoever said, “life is hardly a day at the beach,” probably never experienced the surrounding islands and majesty of Sarasota.
Weather
Sarasota's location on the Gulf Coast ensures it a pretty warm, pleasant year-round average temperature of 72?F. Most of the year's rain falls during the summer months.
When to Go
The overall best time to visit Sarasota is from March to May and between September and November when temperatures are ideal. December, January and February offer the coolest temperatures, which are still pretty warm, 50s F at night and 70s during the day, when compared to the rest of the country.
Getting Around
Sarasota County Area Transit operates cheap area buses throughout the city. The Sarasota Trolley operates two lines to main tourist destinations around town.
Parking's a snap, driving's a breeze and the streets are pretty safe.
The Sarasota-Bradenton Airport is served by several major airlines. Driving from the airport, take University Parkway west to US 41, then head south straight into downtown. Greyhound bus station in nearby Bradenton plies the route throughout Florida. The Sarasota County Area Transit operates area buses Monday to Saturday. An Amtrack shuttle bus service, runs between Main Street and the Tampa station. Highways are plentiful; Sarasota is roughly 60 miles (97km) south of Tampa and about 75 miles (121km) north of Fort Myers. Cars can be rented from the airport.
Travel Tips & Tools
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