The Official Visitors Guide of Sarasota County® - 2025

Add an artistic flair to your photo collection with a Sarasota Bay sunset from a stylish hotel rooftop complete with a glistening poolscape and crafty cocktails at The Westin or the Art Ovation Hotel.

Capture cotton-candy skies over the Gulf of Mexico for a luxurious beach sunset at either The Resort at Longboat Key Club or The Ritz Carlton, Sarasota Beach Club.

For a more breezy sense of place, grab a panorama shot while walking the pedestrian-friendly span of the iconic John Ringling Bridge at sunset. The 65-foot-tall bridge connects Downtown Sarasota to the palm-lined, turquoise waters of Bird Key Park.

Or, wait for it…catch the elusive green flash of the sun’s rays setting over the Gulf of Mexico from an unbeatable vantage point on the 720-foot-long Venice Fishing Pier in Venice.

For a grounded scene, shift your lens to the intricate trunk and roots of the mighty banyan tree and wander through bayside exhibits of magnificent air plants, blooming bromeliads, orchids and native flora at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Campus—the first net-positive energy botanical garden complex in the world and recently honored in TIME’s 2024 World’s Greatest Places!

For a more rugged setting, zoom in on a 37,000-acre tropical forest from the Canopy Walkway, a 100-foot-long treetop trail in Myakka River State Park. Find winding rivers of Florida alligators, green hammocks, fields of coreopsis (the state’s wildflower) and, if you’re lucky, the unmistakable black-and-white plumage of a swallowtailed kite.

For one location with endless photo ops, visit the Ca’ d’Zan, located at All throughout Downtown Sarasota’s Main Street and Historic Burns Court District, stop to admire contemporary public art and zoom your camera out to capture a vast array of picture-perfect murals covering the facades of buildings that range from modern skyscrapers to trendy restaurants and historic bungalows.

Skip to the nearby Rosemary District, an art-focused neighborhood known for its colorful cultural scene of largescale murals around every corner and intricate wall art depicting the area’s deep history.

The day’s final frame captures a sojourn at Downtown Wellen Park, where murals adorned with birds, blooms and butterflies from Florida muralists line the walls of the waterside community of restaurants and shops.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. The 1920s Mediterranean Revival mansion boasts IG-worthy backdrops everywhere you look—from the detailed marble terrace and stunning colored glass panes to the Venetian Gothic arches and terracotta ornamental facade.

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