Things to Know About Sarasota, Florida

Located in Sarasota County in southwest Florida, we are blessed with the temperate Gulf of Mexico breezes from the west and life-giving summer rains from the east. Bradenton is situated in Manatee County to the north and west of Sarasota. Sarasota itself comprises two locations, downtown on the mainland, and St. Armand's Circle on the small key of the same name nestled among Long Boat Key and City Island to the north, Lido Key to the west, and Siesta Key to the south.

Mainland Sarasota has a wide range of art galleries, clothing and shoe stores, book shops, coffee shops, and tons of restaurants. The Ringling Circus museum and art gallery are nearby as are live theater, college campuses, marinas, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and many other sights and attractions.

St. Armand's has a cosmopolitan, up-scale shopping and dining atmosphere enjoyed by everyone in a mixture of locals in casual and business mode, tourist, and celebrities blending into a mishmash of restaurants such as Tommy Bahama, Hemingway's, and Colombia, glittering jewelry shops, ice cream parlors, clothes, shoes, leather goods, sea and beach treasures, books and a myriad other eclectic delights.

Explore the many links and desciptions of things to see and do. Come back often to check on the weather, tides, marine warnings, and updates on local events. If you are planning to visit our area, you will find the names and descriptions of various lodgings in the area. I hope you will enjoy your visit here.