February

There is quite the wide variety of attractions in Sarasota on Florida's Gulf Coast, and we've drawn up a shortlist of some our favorites.

Whether it is an afternoon on the mini golf course or an evening on a sunset cruise, there is an entertainment option for every taste, age and pace in Sarasota County.

Arts and Gardens

Art lovers will enjoy The Ringling: a 66-acre bayfront oasis that was once the estate of John Ringling and his wife Mable.

Get on the green with Lawn Bowling, Croquet, Badminton, Pickle Ball

In addition to our many diverse tennis facilities, Sarasota County is home to a many active boutique sport clubs, including lawn bowling, croquet, badminton and pickle ball. Each club utilizes and maintains its own facilities and plays an integral role in hosting regional, national and international events.

Sarasota is known as Florida’s Cultural Coast® because of its abundance of performances, galleries and more packed into a relatively small geographic area. Learn about all the cultural offerings in this beautiful beach community

Discover your artistic side with a trip to one of Sarasota’s many performing arts venues or art galleries.  There is something new to see every week in the arts and culture world of this Gulf Coast destination.

This outdoor swimming and aquatics facility features a 50 meter competition pool and additional warm-up area.

Combine exercise, fun and sightseeing in one. Whether you're a competitive cyclist or just looking for a leisurely bike ride, you'll find what you need in Sarasota.

There are many different ways to experience Sarasota County; the best way, though, is on a bicycle. Whether you're looking for bike rentals in Venice Beach, cycles on Siesta Beach, or rides through Sarasota, here's the scoop on where to get the bikes and where to take them. 

Here you will find the latest information on severe weather, beach conditions and other travel alerts that may impact your visit to Sarasota County. 

Red Tide 

Red tides have been documented along Florida's gulf coast since the 1840s.

• The Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, produces a toxin that may kill marine animals and affect humans.
• A red tide bloom is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga (plant-like organisms).

Enjoy a sampling of upcoming sporting events. See all events here.

There are many reasons why Siesta Key, an eight-mile island minutes south of Sarasota, is a favorite vacation destination for so many people in America and abroad. Here are just three of the most popular reasons to visit:

The Sarasota Baseball Classic is a tournament on the sunny shores of Sarasota County held in March 2017. For 32 years teams from the state of Florida and beyond hit the field for a tournament recognized by Baseball America as one of the premier prep tournaments in America.

Continuously named one of the best beaches to visit year after year, there isn't a better place to go than the white sands of Siesta Beach for spring break.

Spring break is the perfect time to escape the snowy cold and embrace the warm southern sun – and not much beats the crystal-quartz sand, which – get this – was carried down by ancient rivers from the Appalachian Mountains over millions of years. The quartz flowed down to west coast Florida and over time, the sand accumulated on the shores of Siesta Key.