Tips for Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota, Florida, was once a fishing village, is located on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico on Florida's west coast. Therefore, it was no question that we wanted to visit Sarasota on our two-week Florida road trip.

Unfortunately, the Sunshine State isn't treating us well today: it's raining, thundering, and lightning like crazy when I open my eyes in the morning. However, there are plenty of alternatives for rainy days like this in Sarasota.

Located just 90 miles from Tampa and 120 miles from Fort Myers, Sarasota County offers a wide range of culture with museums, art galleries, and nature with mangroves, mineral springs, dreamy beaches, and beautiful sunsets.

Sarasota is a city with about 52,000 residents and a very popular vacation destination. Especially due to its six barrier islands: Siesta Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Manasota Key, Casey Key, and Longboat Key, with their stunning white sandy beaches, thousands of tourists flock to the west coast each year to relax.

The Keys are all connected by bridges, allowing you to quickly drive from beach to beach. Besides the fantastic beaches - Siesta Key has been repeatedly voted the best beach in the USA - there are also numerous other sites and attractions.

Yes, we were unlucky: torrential rain showers, flooded streets and beaches, and thunderstorms with flashes of lightning and thunder. Rain is rare here, but when it does rain, it's heavy. The rain was forecasted in the Everglades during our Florida road trip, but it really only hit us overnight in Sarasota.

On a road trip, there's no point in complaining; a rainy day itinerary was necessary. So here are my highlights in Sarasota not just for sunny days:

Siesta Key Beach, located on a barrier island off Sarasota, has been named the best beach in America multiple times by "Dr. Beach." Even ahead of beaches in Hawaii. The residents are particularly proud of this, and I must admit that I really liked it here.

The white quartz sand is very fine, and the beach is truly beautiful. Powdery soft sand, very expansive, and the water is turquoise. Unfortunately, during our visit, it rained so heavily that even the beach was "underwater."

Just with more people and fewer palm trees. Still a dream if it weren't raining torrentially, which, to be fair, is very rare in the Sunshine State.

We still enjoyed strolling along the beach and listening to the sound of the waves. With a bit of luck, you can spot dolphins here or find shark teeth in the sand.

Circus has a tradition in Sarasota. John M. Ringling was one of the greatest circus pioneers and once had his winter headquarters in Sarasota. The wonderful Ringling Museum Complex is worth a visit, not just on rainy days: The former residence of the Ringlings, with the impressive Cà d'Zan, styled like a Venetian Palazzo, can be toured.

The circus museum is a highlight for the whole family and offers young and old insights into the everyday life of acrobats and performers. Old animal wagons decorated with carvings, fairground organs, elaborate costumes of the artists and animals, vintage circus posters, and an incredible 1:12 scale model that represents the size of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus are all on display.

At the back of the complex is Cà d'Zan (which means John's House), the winter palace of the Ringlings.

The museum was built on the grounds where Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus wintered in Sarasota in the 1920s and 30s. Over time, an art collection and an impressive residence with a mansion and park were added.

The Ringling Estate is the most visited attraction in Sarasota, and rightly so in my opinion. The Ringling Complex is vast and beautifully landscaped like a park. The area includes the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the Ca' d'Zan mansion, and the circus museum. We mainly visited the circus museum.

Right at the beginning of the museum, Ernest Hemingway is quoted:

"The Circus is the only spectacle I know that, while you watch it, it gives the quality of a happy dream."

In the circus museum, I feel transported back to my childhood. Originally built as a winter quarters, the area has been converted into a museum. Here you can see old circus wagons that the Ringling family traveled with, antique circus posters and tickets, original costumes and props on display.

For children, it's quite exciting that you can try out some things. You can also admire the world's largest miniature model of the circus as it once was.

For more information about the Ringling Estate, check the official website, and you can download a map of the grounds with all buildings.

Opening hours of the Circus Museum: Daily 10 AM - 5 PM and Thursdays until 8 PM.

Tickets cost $25 for adults, children under 6 are free, and teenagers up to 18 pay $5 for admission. The tickets include access to all buildings of the Ringling Complex. You only have to pay an additional $10 for the Ca' d'Zan Tour.

The aquarium on Longboat Key came at just the right time as a tip for us since it continued to rain heavily after our visit to the circus museum. I didn't want to get wet again a third time that day.

The MOTE Aquarium is associated with a research station where marine biologists and scientists bring nature and wildlife closer to you. They're happy to explain things if you have questions. Originally, MOTE was built to explore marine life. Today, the aquarium is a globally recognized research station.

Here, for example, you can observe baby seahorses that are collected and brought to MOTE for protection and raising. Outside the research center, sea turtle nests are also monitored on the beaches until they hatch. Unfortunately, these animals are at risk of extinction.

Sick or injured animals are rehabilitated at MOTE until they are healthy enough to return to the sea. I'm not sure if that's 100 percent accurate.

In the touch tank, you can pet stingrays. I'm not a fan of that and prefer to meet the animals in the open sea (like on my Belize Barrier Reef snorkeling tour). Why do we always have to touch animals? The shark tank is more interesting, featuring reef sharks, nurse sharks, tiger sharks, rays, groupers, barracudas, and tarpon. Sea turtles, manatees, and otters can also be seen.

We did not find the dolphins or the rescued giant manatee mentioned in the Lonely Planet Florida (likely outdated information).

Tickets for $19.75 can be purchased in advance on the MOTE Aquarium website: mote.org

On St. Armands Key, there is St. Armands Circle. An area around St. Armands Circle with restaurants, bars, cafes, and unique little shops, such as the chili store "Pepper Palace," where you can buy dozens of different chili sauces and powders.

Here, we strolled around the circle before heading to dinner at Venezia (more dining tips further down in the article).

Unfortunately, my time was limited. Therefore, I have listed additional places that I would have liked to visit. Ultimately, the rain was too heavy and the time too short. You can see that one can spend much longer than just 2-3 days in Sarasota:

Venice Beach is also known as the 'Shark Tooth Capital of the World.' Here you can find shark teeth of all sizes on the beach. The Shark Tooth Festival takes place annually in Venice Beach in April. Unfortunately, we just missed it.

More tips for finding shark teeth can be found from Antje at meehr-erleben.de

Myakka River State Park is one of the oldest state parks in Florida. Nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty to enjoy here: hiking, biking, or even camping is possible. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit Myakka River State Park.

The Sarasota area is famous for its great food, especially its stone crabs. From October to May is the best time to eat these crabs.

Culinarily speaking, Sarasota County is the best place in Florida. Here, there are more awarded (by the renowned restaurant guide Zagat) restaurants than anywhere else in Florida.

The food at Michael's on East is top-notch. For nearly 20 years, this location has been among the best restaurants in all of Florida. We had lunch here. However, it's difficult to get a table without a reservation.

Special lunch recommendation: Mikey's Grilled Grouper Sandwich. The locals I dined with praised their recommendation: the sandwich is delicious! Dessert tip: Old Fashioned Poppycock. This is popcorn with chocolate, pecans, walnuts, and cashews.

At Venezia, we ended up when we wanted to explore St. Armands Circle in the evening. The pizza was simply enticing and looked "Italian" instead of "American" pizza with a thick crust. We were lucky to get a table. We shared a gigantic pizza as it was enormous. We also had appetizer salads and enjoyed a delicious glass of wine.

Anyone in Florida craving good pizza is in the right place at Venezia.

The Aloft Sarasota opened just before my trip to Sarasota. It's well-located in the city center. Also practical for a road trip: You can park your car, and upon request, valet parking is available.

The best part of the Aloft Hotel: You get fantastic beach cruisers to use during your stay. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option for us due to the rain.

Sarasota is a year-round destination. It's pleasantly warm throughout the year. In winter, temperatures never drop below 15 degrees Celsius (59°F). Summer is humid with temperatures ranging from 22 - 35 degrees Celsius (72 - 95°F).

Thanks to the constant breeze from the sea, these temperatures are quite bearable. Winter is mild with temperatures between 11 - 23 degrees Celsius (52 - 73°F), and autumn with 18 - 29 degrees Celsius (64 - 84°F) is very pleasant. In spring, temperatures of 15 - 28 degrees Celsius (59 - 82°F) are also very pleasant with plenty of sunshine.

More about the climate in Florida