LARGERTHANLIFE 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 large-scale murals around every corner and intricate wall art depicting the area’s deep history. The day’s fi nal frame captures a sojourn at Downtown Wellen Park , where murals adorned with birds, blooms and butterfl ies from Florida muralists line the walls of the waterside community of restaurants and shops. Pineapple Avenue, Historic Burns Court For a grounded scene, shift your lens to the intricate trunk and roots of the mighty banyan tree and wander through bayside exhibits of magnifi cent air plants, blooming bromeliads, orchids and native fl ora 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! ENDLESS Ph O 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 wildfl ower) and, if you’re lucky, the unmistakable black-and-white plumage of a swallow-tailed kite. For one location with endless photo ops, visit the Ca’ d’Zan , located at Ca’ d’Zan The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art . The 1920s Mediterranean Revival mansion boasts IG-worthy backdrops everywhere you look—from VisitSarasota the detailed marble terrace and stunning colored glass panes to the Venetian Gothic arches and terracotta ornamental facade. #MySarasota VisitSarasotaCounty VisitSarasotaCounty VisitSarasota.com 7
The Official Visitors Guide of Sarasota County® 2025: Page 7
