Best Florida Beach City: Sarasota
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By Maria Norton
Whether you are a winter visitor, vacationer or full-time resident, Florida's 1,200 miles of coastline is yours to enjoy and we're going to help you by giving you all of the details on the best Florida Beach City: Sarasota. Sarasota is in a county of the same name: Sarasota County and is home to other favorite small towns including Venice, Englewood, and Longboat Key. Beautiful Sarasota Bay separates the county's barrier islands from the mainland. With its 40 miles of beaches, Sarasota County is one of America's most desirable places to live and to vacation.
Sarasota accommodations are varied and many and you can choose from a quaint Sarasota inn, to a Sarasota resort and even a Sarasota motel or two. You can find Sarasota vacation rentals in Siesta Key condos, Sarasota condominiums and Sarasota villas. Sarasota Restaurants throughout the County are many and palate pleasing! In Venice, Café Venice Restaurant & Wine Bar is the place to go. Cork on St. Armand's Circle on Lido Key was named "Best New Restaurant." It's a pretty exciting place with exciting food! Ophelia's on the Bay offers beautiful alfresco dining overlooking Sarasota Bay and Euphemia Haye on Longboat Key is legendary. Gift certificates to all of these well known and great restaurants are available in The Florida Beach Book. Try them all!
On to the beaches!
Turtle Beach
Location: south end of Siesta Key
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: parking lots are free and plentiful
Amenities: ½ mile beach, free Wi-Fi at the Campground, boat ramps, canoe/kayak launch area, horsehoes, picnic shelters with grills, playground, restrooms, volleyball courts, campground, restaurants within walking distance
Activities: camping, boating, swimming, fishing, surfing, snorkeling, volleyball, sunbathing, walking
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: Turtle Beach is named for the turtles that like to nest in the soft, mounded sand here. YOU can also nest here as Turtle Beach Campground offers one of the few remaining opportunities to park a recreational vehicle (RV) or pitch a tent near the Gulf of Mexico and wake up the next morning under the Florida sun. The Campground features 40 sites for camping, with areas for both RVs and tents. Electricity and cable TV hookups are available.
Crescent Beach
Location: Siesta Key. Beach Access #12 - Stickney Point Road & Access #13 - Point O’ Rocks Road
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: limited, roadside
Amenities: none
Activities: swimming, sunbathing, fishing, scuba, snorkeling, walking, surfing
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: Offers the best scuba diving and snorkeling at Point of Rocks on the off shore formation
Siesta Key Beach
Location: 948 Beach Road, south end of Beach Road, Siesta Key
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free lot
Amenities: .4 mile beach, lifeguards, restrooms, showers, picnic tables and grills, concessions, volleyball courts, handicapped accessible and handicapped wheelchair, soccer field, tennis courts, safety building, ball fields.
Activities: swimming, sunbathing, volleyball, fishing, snorkeling, parasailing. Special events throughout the year including: Kids’ Summer Fun Run Series, Sand Sculpturing Contest, Sandy Claws Arts and Crafts Festival, Sandy Claws Beach Run, “Say I Do Again.”
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: Siesta Beach is known as one of the most beautiful beaches found anywhere. At the “Great International White Sand Beach Challenge”, Siesta Beach was recognized as having the, “whitest and finest sand in the world.” Shallow water depth in the near shore areas together with year round lifeguard protection, make this one of the safest, most popular beaches in the County. The sand on Siesta Key is 99% pure quartz and exceptionally soft and white. Combine that with turquoise blue water and you have a winning combination! Rated #2 in the Country by Dr. Beach in 2009.
Siesta Key (Accesses)
Location: There are 10 beach access points on the north side of Siesta Key:
Beach Access #1 - Shell Road
Siesta Drive, west to Higel, west on Shell Road
No Swimming
Beach Access #2 - Avenida Messina
Ocean Boulevard, west on Avenida Messina
No Swimming
Beach Access #5 - Ocean Boulevard
Ocean Boulevard and Beach Road Intersection
Beach Access #7 - Calle de la Siesta
Beach Road and Calle de la Siesta
Beach Access # 8 - Plaza de las Palmas 1
Off of Beach Road, north of Siesta Beach
Beach Access # 9 - Plaza de las Palmas 2
Off of Beach Road, north of Siesta Beach
Beach Access # 10 - Calle del Invierno
Beach Road, north of Siesta Beach
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free, limited on street
Amenities: none
Activities: swimming unless otherwise indicated, sunbathing, walking, fishing, shelling
Pets: no
South Lido Beach (Park)
Location: south end of Ben Franklin Drive at the southern tip of Lido Key
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free lot
Amenities: 640 feet of gulf beach, 3500 ft on the Bay, seasonal lifeguards, picnic tables and grills, jogging trail, multi-purpose field, nature trails, playground, self-guided canoeing trail, restrooms, volleyball courts, observation tower and decks, showers
Activities: swimming, fishing, sunbathing, canoeing, volleyball, sunbathing, shelling, volleyball, hiking
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: The 100 acre park interacts with four significant bodies of water; The Gulf of Mexico, Big Pass, Sarasota Bay and Brushy Bayou. The southern, beach portion of the park offers expansive views of the emerging skyline of downtown Sarasota and the Gulf of Mexico. It also has a great picnic area that is shaded by towering Australian Pines. A separate facility at the north end of the park offers its own nature trail which includes scenic overlooks and boardwalks. Also, at the northern portion of the park are rest room facilities, a picnic area, a canoe launch, and a self guided canoe trail.
Lido Beach
Location: 400 Ben Franklin Drive, one half mile southwest of St. Armand’s Circle, Lido Key
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free lot
Amenities: 3100 feet of beach, 15 acres, lifeguards, handicapped access and handicapped wheelchair, concessions, gift shop, observation decks, playground, recreation building, restrooms, showers, picnic tables, 25 meter swimming pool
Activities: swimming, sunbathing, fishing, surfing, volleyball, walking
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: great beach for small children and very active
North Lido Beach
Location: 400 Bean Franklin Drive, one quarter mile northwest of St. Armand’s Circle, off John Ringling Blvd., Lido Key
Hours: sunrise to sunset
Parking: free, small lot
Amenities: 77 acres, nature trail, handicapped accessible
Activities: sunbathing, walking, fishing
Pets: no
Of Special Interest: The beach is easy to get to, yet visitors experience privacy. Caution must be used when swimming at this beach as the currents are very strong.
The Best Florida Beach City - Sarasota, welcomes you for a day, a week, or for the rest of your life. Now what are you waiting for? Get swimming!
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