Trolley Rides from Downtown to the Beach

Ding, ding—that shiny white trolley you may have spotted cruising around town is here to provide an enjoyable experience that reduces travel time and congestion —making getting around town, and out to the beach, all the easier. This means you and your companions can forget the hassle of “how do we get there?” or the worry of “where do we park?”. The free The Bay Runner Trolley service allows you to jump onboard with plenty of space for your beach gear so you and your beachgoing company can simply sit back, relax and soak up the sights and sounds.

The Bay Runner's starting point (at Main St. and School Ave.) will take you down the length of Main Street of downtown Sarasota, so at any point feel free to jump off at any point if the feeling moves you to check out a restaurant or shop before heading out to the beach for the day. Rides are free and service runs consistently throughout the day—making it easy to hop back on and continue on the route. From downtown, you'll venture across the picturesque Ringing Bridge into Bird Key then Lido Key, where the trolley will take you around the famous St. Armand's Circle. So feel free, again, to jump off and grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants or grab some snacks/refreshments to bring with you to eat on the beach before being picked back up by the next trolley and dropped curbside at the Lido Beach Public Pavillion or further south at Ted Sperling Park—both just steps from the beautiful white-soft sands. It doesn't get much more convenient than that! 

Trolley Route Map courtesy of Sarasota Bay Runner

Visitors and locals alike can now download The Bay Runner App in the App Store or Google Play. This way, the schedule's always in your pocket and you'll always have a convenient way to track the trolley's current whereabouts, plan a trip and know exactly where and when a stop near you is. 

Click here for more information about parking options downtown and on the island to catch the trolley at one of its stops.