Sarasota Attractions
Circus Sarasota
Created to provide programs at the highest level through education, human service and the performing arts. Circus Sarasotas' purpose is to engage and encourage students through education, to improve the quality of life for individuals in institutionalized settings, and to present quality circus performances as an affordable family event.
941-355-9335
Crowley Musuem and Nature Center
Visitors can enjoy self-guided tours during our normal visiting hours. Walk leisurely through the nature preserve and pioneer history area, enjoying the sights and sounds of native Florida. Picnic tables offer a pleasant spot for a relaxed lunch. I'll be honest - I have never been here.
941-322-1000
Crowley Museum and Nature Center website
Florida Railroad Museum
The Florida Railroad Museum offers one of the most unique museum experiences in the world. There your ride the exhibits! They operates weekend excursions year-round from the train station in Parrish, Florida.
877-869-0800
Florida Railroad Museum website
G. Wiz
The hands on science museum. Gulfcoast Wonder & Imagination Zone began as the Gulf Coast World of Science (GCWS) in December 1990. In October 1991, the GCWS opened to the public with only 1,000 square feet and just ten hands-on exhibits. G.WIZ makes science relevant, technology understandable, and learning an interactive adventure.
941-309-4949
Historic Spanish Point
Discover a fascinating 30-acre historical, archaeological and environmental museum. Experience prehistory by stepping inside “A Window to the Past,” an archaeology exhibition about the gulf coast region’s earliest people.
941-966-5214
Historic Spanish Point website
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the Ringling Museum of Art. View the sculpture garden, art and heritage that created the cultural foundation of our area. The Ringlings were responsible for bringing much more than the circus to Sarasota, Florida. They created a sense of appreciation for paintings, sculpture, architecture, and performang arts.
941-359-5700
John and Mable Ringling Museum website
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a not-for-profit institution fostering understanding and appreciation of tropical plants through programs of research, conservation, education and display. It is perhaps best known for its living collection of more than 6,000 orchids. The 9.5-acre bayfront property is an open-air and under-glass museum of more than 20,000 colorful plants.
941-366-5731
Marie Selby Public Library website
Mote Marine Laboratory
Mote Marine specializes in marine life research, education, aquaculture and marine mammal and sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation. It also has an aquarium, displaying mostly native Floridian marine life from a variety of environments. My kids really love Mote Marine, especially the sharks.
941-388-4441
Mote Marine Laboratory website
Myakka River State Park
One of the oldest and largest state parks, Myakka protects one of the state´s most diverse natural areas. The Myakka River, designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River, flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands. Visitors can enjoy wildlife viewing from a boardwalk that stretches out over the Upper Myakka Lake, then take to the treetops with a stroll along the canopy walkway.
Myakka River State Park website
Sarasota Jungle Gardens
Sarasota Jungle Gardens features 10 acres of lush tropical vegetation, winding jungle trails and entertaining, educational bird and reptile shows twice daily. It is one of the oldest continuously operating attractions in the State of Florida. Open to the public in December of 1940, the “Gardens” has retained its old Florida charm and very little has changed over the past sixty-eight years.
Sarasota Jungle Gardens website
Siesta Key Public Beach
The most popular beach in Sarasota, Florida. It is consistently rated as one of the prettiest beaches in the world. The sand is quartz and has a powdery texture that feels nice and cool under your feet. On its busiest weekends you'll find more than 15,000 people there. Amenities include a concession stand, restrooms, volleyball nets, tennis courts and year-round lifeguards. Pine trees shade an area for picnicking, with grills for cooking out and a playground for the children. This sparkling white beach is also within walking distance to Siesta Village, a shopping and dining mecca with an island flair.
Sarasota Beaches
The beaches in Sarasota, Florida attract people from all over the world. Sarasota and Manatee counties offer roughly 35 miles of beach. Some of the beaches include Anna Maria Bayfront Park, Siesta Key, Lido Key, Longboat Key, Cortez, Coquina, Casperson, Manasota, Venice and Nokomis.
South Florida Museum and Bishop Planetarium
South Florida Museum is the largest natural and cultural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The museum interprets the region from the Pleistocene to the present. Highlights include fossil evidence of Florida’s earliest mammals and marine species. The Bishop Planetarium is one of the most advanced all-digital projection systems in the world, presents astronomy programs the whole family will enjoy.
941-746-4131
South Florida Museum and Bishop Planetarium website
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