Our Favorites

We love Sarasota! We have compiled a list of our favorite spots (and some of our friends' favorites as well). We hope you find exactly what you are looking for. And if you don't, please ask us when you are with us and we are happy to make suggestions.

Our favorites for Dining:
(Casual) (Fine Dining) ("Beach Eats") (Drinks) (Best Bets with Kids)

Our favorite Activities:
(Beach Activities) (Best Shopping) (Cultural Institutions) (Best Bizarre Finds - and worth the drive)

Our Favorite activities with Kids:
(On Sunny Days) (On cold and rainy days) (Best Restaurants with Kids)

Casual Dining Recommendations

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill (Longboat) - with views of Sarasota Bay, Dry Dock serves up fresh local seafood in a beautiful indoor/outdoor setting.
Owen's Fish Camp (Mainland) - seafood with southern influences, cooked by ex-brooklynites - and it's delicious.
Old Salty Dog (Lido) - conveneintly located on North Lido Key - delicious fried fish, burgers and sandwiches
Shore Diner (St. Armands) - calling it a diner doesn't give it enough credit. This upscale casual restaurant serves delicious modern interpretations of diner favorites
Venezia (St. Armands) - delicious thin crust pizza and pasta.

Fine Dining Recommendations

Indigenous (Mainland) - Seasonal, sustainable, local, delicious.
Beach Bistro (Anna Maria) - A Gulf Coast Classic. Chef Sean Murphy's quest for perfection in dining.
State Street Eating House (Downtown) - once a defunct bakery, now a testament to urban cool meets green building!
Darwin's on Fourth (Downtown) - Peruvian, a brew pub, with live music.

"Beach Eats" Recommendations

Mozzarella Fella (Downtown) - hand made mozzarella. Delicious sandwiches and amazingly friendly service.
New Pass Restaurant (Lido Key) - Deliciously rustic. Eat burgers and sandwiches at picnic tables and watch the birds and boats go by.
Beachhouse (Anna Maria) - casual dining on Bradenton Beach. Fresh seafood dishes, pastas and steaks.
Daiquiri Deck (St. Armands / Siesta) - great for a local bite while at St. Armands

Best Drinks

Sarasota Vineyard and Bistro (Downtown)
Darwin's on Fourth (Downtown) - Peruvian, a brew pub, with live music.
State Street Eating House (Downtown) - once a defunct bakery, now a testament to urban cool meets green building!

Beach Activities

Kayak around Lido Key and Siesta Key
Paddleboards
Drum Circle (Siesta Key)
Jet Ski Rentals
Fishing Boat tours

Best Shopping

Ellenton Outlets (Ellenton) - outlet shopping 40 minutes away.
Women's Exchange (Mainland) - a non-profit consignment shop.
St. Armands Circle (St. Armands) - Dozens of shops restaurants, galleries and boutiques.

Best Culture

Ringling Museum (Mainland) - John Ringling's private art collection, featuring 4 Rubens paintings.
Selby Gardens (Mainland) - Beautiful gardens and a world renowned collection of orchids.
Ca d'Zan (Mainland) - John Ringling's private bayside mansion - free tours with admission to the ringling museum..

Best Bizarre Finds - and worth the trip

Solomon's Castle (Ona, FL) - artist Howard Solomon built his castle in the Florida swamp, and it is open to the public to view his home, and studio.
Weeki Watchee Mermaid Show (Weeki Watchee, FL) - a mermaid show, and an underwater theater.
Tarpon Springs (Tarpon Springs, FL) - a Greek sponge fishing village. Excellent Greek food, and a truly bizarre sponge museum.
Linger Lodge (Sarasota, FL) - a restaurant and campground featuring unusual taxidermy.

Kids Activities - Sunny Days

Smugglers Cove Mini Golf (Mainland) - mini golf with a live alligator exhibit.
Sarasota Children's Garden (Mainland) - a wonderland garden designed for children, yet whimsical enough for adults also.
Circus Playground at Payne Park (Mainland) - an amazing circus themed playground near the movie theater downtown.
Sarasota Bayfront Park Playground (Mainland) - Sprinklers and shade in the warm months
Mote Aquarium (Lido) - meet living manatees and see an amazing collection of sea creatures.
Big Cat Habitat - a large cat enclosure

Kids Activities - Rainy Days

Selby Library (Downtown) - a beautiful library with story hours, lectures and a beautiful aquarium.
Cat Depot (Mainland) - A no-kill cat shelter where visitors can interact with the cats
Bounce Down Under (Mainland) - an indoor bouncy castle activity center
Ringling Circus Museum (Mainland) - A history of John Ringling's legacy, complete with a scale model of the circus, original costumes, posters and much more.
Ellenton Ice Skating Rink (Ellenton, FL) - ice skating near the Ellenton Shopping Outlets

Dining With Kids

Old Salty Dog (Lido) - conveneintly located on North Lido Key - delicious fried fish, burgers and sandwiches
Shore Diner (St. Armands) - calling it a diner doesn't give it enough credit. This upscale casual restaurant serves delicious modern interpretations of diner favorites
Sweet Tomatoes (Mainland - south) - a salad buffet with delicious soups, breads and pastas.
Daiquiri Deck (St. Armands / Siesta) - great for a local bite while at St. Armands