Swap the city for Sarasota gems
If you’re visiting the Sarasota area of Florida, then swap the city for at least a couple days and enjoy some great days out in Venice and Siesta Key.
Venice is a delightful, compact little town with tasty eateries, lots of individual shops, a theatre and a bandstand on the central green where live jazz is played on some of the sunny afternoons. A mile or so down the road is a long strip of beach overlooking clear blue waters and a little marina to the South side of the town. It’s really chilled and somewhere nice to wander - a far cry from huge impersonal shopping malls.
The village of Siesta Key has one of the the most beautiful beaches we’ve seen, with a wide stretch of sand, just like golden caster sugar, leading down to a gently sloping brilliant blue sea. There is lots of car parking at the beach but do get there early! Also take or rent a parasol at the beach - the midday sun is very intense. The village centre is a mile or so away and has lots of restaurants, bars and shops that sell everything you might need for the beach and souvenirs from home. It’s a fun, touristy place, yet some of the restaurants we tried served really good food - but don’t forget it’s fine to share portions because they can be enormous!
Tags: Florida, Florida beaches, Sarasota, Siesta Key, Venice