Walkable Downtown Sarasota: A Meeting Planner’s Dream

It’s not uncommon for people to return from a conference and say they never left their hotel. When you plan a meeting or event in Sarasota, you’ll hear a much different post-conference story from your attendees, since many of our popular downtown hotels are within walking distance of restaurants and attractions.

Located on either side of Tamiami Trail, a main thoroughfare, The Westin Sarasota and Embassy Suites Sarasota not only look out over Sarasota Bay but also offer easy access to it. Walkers and runners can skip the treadmill and cross the nearby John Ringling Causeway, a 65-foot-high bridge that connects the mainland to Lido Key, and enjoy a workout with a view. For a less strenuous stroll, Bayfront Park has wide sidewalks and good opportunities to see dolphins. Adjacent to the park, Marina Jack is home to three restaurants, including a piano bar, and a banquet room. Your guests can also easily walk to the three-story fine dining restaurant Sage.

Almost in the heart of downtown Sarasota, Art Ovation sits on Palm Avenue just one block from Main Street. Your meeting attendees can choose from a range of restaurants within a few minutes’ walk. Next door, KOJO serves original and familiar Asian dishes, or choose from its neighboring sister restaurants Palm Avenue Deli and tiki-themed Bar Hana. Farther down the block, Clasico Italian Chophouse and Café Epicure serve up relaxed vibes with their Italian cuisine. Several local coffee shops are also in the vicinity. 

Aloft Sarasota on Ringling Boulevard is a short distance from Pineapple Avenue, which forms a border of the historic Burns Court neighborhood. There you’ll find the locally beloved Owen’s Fish Camp restaurant, with its rustic décor, fresh oysters and backyard oasis, as well as the cozy and charming Fountain Kitchen & Wine Bar, named for the decorative fountain out front. Burns Court also boasts vintage shops, an indie cinema and L. Spa, where your attendees can get pampered.

Facing Boulevard of the Arts, The Sarasota Modern and voco Sarasota are close to The Bay Park, one of Sarasota’s newest public parks, just across Tamiami Trail. Walking trails wind through the mangroves and along the waterfront, and the outdoor Nest Café has breakfast and lunch menus for a quick bite between meetings. A few blocks east of the two hotels lie a variety of locally owned restaurants with unique menus, including creative American dishes at Arts & Central, Spice Station with a pan-Asian cuisine, and the Original Wolfie's Restaurant, Deli and The Rascal House Bar.

Planning your meeting in Sarasota will be a dream for you and your guests. You won’t have to book transportation for them to explore, and they won’t have to stay trapped in the hotel—unless they want to!