A Trip to the City of Sarasota in Western Florida
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Our articles about Western Florida:
♦ Trips between Sarasota and Naples - in the southern part of Western Florida
♦ Travel destinations from Sarasota to Tampa - covers the central part of Western Florida.
♦ Trips and attractions in Tallahassee, Destin, and Panama City Beach - trips in Northwest Florida.
♦ Trips in the city of Naples and its surroundings
♦ Trips in the city of Fort Myers and its surroundings
Sarasota is a small city of 52,000 residents with a sandy coastline 56 km long with wonderful beaches. In Sarasota and its surroundings, there are about 1,000 golf courses. No wonder it was selected by TIME magazine as the best small city in the US: The best small city in the U.S. Sarasota has a large artist community and is full of galleries, art shops, and is also known for its many quality restaurants. Every year about 4 million tourists visit the small city!
♦Recommended Accommodations in Sarasota
A high-quality 4-star hotel in a central and convenient location with spacious rooms including family rooms. The hotel has a gym, jacuzzis, a restaurant, and a business center. Parking is available for an additional fee. Free internet.
A recommended 4-star hotel. The hotel has a swimming pool, gym, picnic area, game room, and a mini-market. The price includes breakfast. Some rooms have a kitchenette. Free internet and parking.
The most luxurious hotel in Sarasota. A 5-star resort with spacious rooms and suites. Each room has a balcony overlooking the bay or the city. The hotel has a pool and spa, and its guests have access to an exclusive beach club including a private beach, a swimming pool facing the bay, and a jacuzzi. The hotel also has a luxury golf club with a unique design. The hotel has several quality restaurants. Internet and parking are available for an additional fee.
A recommended 3-star apartment hotel with one-bedroom and living room or two-bedroom and living room apartments with a fully equipped kitchen. Located across the road from the most beautiful beach in Western Florida: Siesta Key Beach. The hotel has two outdoor swimming pools and a garden with barbecue facilities. Free internet and parking.
Guided Tours in Sarasota
Sarasota has a variety of attractions, and you can choose and book a spot at one of the following two booking sites, which are the largest in tourism. In most cases, you can pay or cancel up to a day before the activity.
Booking guided tours and trips in Sarasota from the Viator website:
Booking trips and attractions in Sarasota from the GetYourGuide.com website:
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How to get there?
The main airport closest to Sarasota is: Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (airport code: SRQ).
The main central airport closest to Naples is the Fort Myers airport (airport code: RSW), located about 35 minutes (50 km) north of Naples.
Both these airports have direct flights from a variety of destinations throughout the US from most American airlines.
It is recommended to combine a trip to Western Florida with a trip to Orlando and/or Miami, and for nature and landscape enthusiasts, also with a visit to Key West and the road to it. Of course, it is perfect to finish a visit to Florida with a cruise to the Caribbean, departing mainly from the ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, but also from Port Canaveral (near Orlando) and Tampa (the only cruise port in Western Florida).
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Weather and When to Visit:
The weather in Southwest Florida is tropical: long hot summers, and short, pleasant, and dry winters. The wet season in the area is from May to October (with most rains falling from June to September) and the dry season is from November to April. Hurricane season is from June to early November.
In the summer, the average temperature is 33-34 degrees Celsius during the day and 22-23 at night. In the winter, the average daytime temperature is 22-23 degrees Celsius and 11-12 at night, with the coldest month being January. Spring and autumn are short and pleasant transitional seasons. Naples and its surroundings have more than 300 sunny days (rain usually falls in the afternoon).
It is recommended to visit the area from mid-November to the end of April.
Beaches in Sarasota:
Sarasota, as mentioned, has wonderful beaches with soft white sand (13 public beaches). The most recommended of them, which is chosen every year among the most beautiful beaches in the US, is Siesta Key Beach. You can dedicate most of the day to spending time at the beach if the weather is suitable.
Another recommended beach is Lido Key Beach.
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
The most popular attraction in the city is the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
The museum consists of three parts: the Circus Museum, an art museum, and a mansion named Ca d'Zan. The museum spans a vast area of about 270 dunams and includes one of the most impressive and important art and culture collections in the US. The museum is known for its collection of paintings by Rubens alongside galleries with collections from Central Asia and other permanent and rotating collections. The collection of classical sculptures in the museum gardens is very impressive.
The highlight of the Circus Museum is a perfect miniature model of a circus with 44,000 items, in addition to a collection of the glittering costumes of what was the most popular circus in the US, a collection of posters, parade wagons, and a variety of other surprising props such as the cannon that shot daring artists.
Ca' d'Zan mansion was the home of the circus king and his wife, and it is a symbol of the American dream of the 1920s. A dazzling mansion designed in the Venetian Gothic style, influenced by the splendor and romance of Italy that the Ringlings loved so much.
Additionally, the site features lovely gardens called Bayfront Gardens, full of roses, banyan trees, and sculptures, and a historical theater named the Asolo Theater.
It is worth purchasing a combined ticket for all three parts. Art lovers can spend an entire day at the site.
Classic Car Museum
For antique car enthusiasts, there is a classic car museum across the road from the Ringling Museum: Sarasota Classic Car Museum, including antique cars from the US and Europe, including unique models of Rolls Royce, Ferrari, and Lamborghini.
Sarasota also has recommended botanical gardens: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
An impressive aquarium and underwater observatory: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
And a zoo focusing mainly on "big cats" including primarily lions and tigers, but also bears, monkeys, and exotic and endangered animals. This is a non-profit institution intended to save and serve as a sanctuary for animals that cannot survive in the wild: Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary.