Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Writer: Mary Boldinova
Over a century ago, a son of the Iowa farmland traded the muddy Mississippi of McGregor for the sapphire waters of the Gulf Coast, forever altering the American cultural landscape. John Ringling, a circus impresario and business tycoon, was a driving force behind Sarasota’s transformation from a quiet fishing village into a world-class destination of art and opulence. His circus elephants hauled timber for the city’s first causeway. His waterfront palazzo, Ca’ d’Zan, and the nationally renowned Ringling Museum of Art are still some of the city’s crown jewels.
While Ringling’s journey required a network of railcars, yours is much simpler. A direct Allegiant flight from DSM gets you to SRQ in three hours. At press time, flights were available on most Thursdays and Sundays through spring; most one-way tickets ranged from $90-$250, with a few outliers on both ends.
ARRIVE ON THURSDAY
Wander the gardens and pavilions
Just over a mile from the airport, the Ringling Museum is your first stop. Half-price tickets every Thursday evening grant access to 21 galleries, Asian and Contemporary art collections and the sprawling 66-acre Bayfront Gardens. Take your time to marvel at the artistry of ancient Mediterranean ceramics and jewelry or explore different periods of European history on canvas. Save time on the way out for the Glass Pavilion tucked just past the gift shop. It’s humble from the outside and mind-bending once you’re inside.
Ringling Museum of Art. Photos courtesy Visit Sarasota
Dinner in a neighborhood cafe
Sarasota’s food scene blends authentic global flavors with some of Florida’s finest seafood. Less than a mile from the museum, right off Tamiami Trail, Sunnyside Cafe is an unpretentious, family-run Hungarian restaurant where you’re likely to hear a mix of European languages at the surrounding tables, for good reason. Budapest-trained chef Tamás Benkovics cooked for royals and heads of state across Europe before he and partner Eva Katz opened Sunnyside in 2012. Everything is fresh and made from scratch. Try the house specialty, pork chop Milanese, made with Hungarian Mangalica pork — widely considered the finest-tasting pork in the world. Round out the evening with a glass from the wine list personally curated by Katz.
A FULL DAY ON FRIDAY
A morning kayak to a secret beach
Life in Tampa Bay revolves around water and boating largely due to its diverse marine life. You can spot some for yourself if you venture into the waters. Kayaking tours are spread across Lido and Siesta Keys, but head to Turtle Beach for a mangrove and hidden beach kayak tour that delivers both captivating scenery and near-guaranteed wildlife encounters. A 20-minute paddle brings you to a secluded island ringed by clear turquoise water and blanketed in seashells. As you explore, keep an eye out for shorebirds, schools of jumping fish, dolphins and the area’s beloved chunky icons — manatees.
Lunch in old Florida
The only place in Sarasota where you can still find an “old Florida” feel and fresh seafood straight from the bay is Walt’s Fish Market. Fourth-generation owner Brett Wallin keeps the family tradition alive the old-fashioned way, heading out every morning to bring in the day’s catch himself. Few other places in the city serve fish that were swimming in the Gulf the night before. The signature dish is Captain’s Platter, a generous spread of grilled red snapper, scallops and lobster tail. For something simpler, go for the buttery Florida grouper, prepared your way.
Pause to pet a shark
The newest landmark on Sarasota’s skyline, the Mote Science Education Aquarium rises three stories above Nathan Benderson Park like a grand ocean liner. While not a ship, it transports visitors to the farthest corners of the deep. The Florida Gulf Coast Gallery puts 400,000 gallons of ocean above your head. Here, sharks drift with cool indifference past darting schools of fish; rays launch off the bottom, glide up the glass, then slowly sink and do it again; and a lonely puffer fish wanders the sandy bottom. At the touch pools, carpet sharks and guitar fish are unbothered by curious hands. On your way up to the Florida Waters exhibit, peek into working marine laboratories where Mote researchers are quietly advancing ocean science. Tickets sell out most days, so book online ahead of time.
Photo: Hayley Rutger, courtesy Mote Science Education Aquarium
Grab a happy hour martini and hummus
Right across the street, Florence and the Spice Boys is the best reason to ignore every other dining option in the University Town Center. It started as a food truck in 2019 and has since grown from cult favorite to two full restaurants serving the best Israeli-inspired food in town. Start with masabacha hummus and chicken or falafel pita, and be sure to snag a $0.99 martini between 5 and 6 p.m.
Photo courtesy Florence and the Spice Boys
Dive into a drama
The Asolo Repertory Theatre has been staging world-class productions in Sarasota since 1952. The gorgeous venue is an 18th-century Italian opera house dismantled, shipped across the Atlantic and reassembled just steps from the Ringling Museum. Asolo Rep is one of the country’s leading professional theaters and the largest in the Southeast, known for its range. The 2026-2027 season runs gamut, from the beloved “Singin’ in the Rain” to George S. Kaufman’s Broadway comedy “The Royal Family” to Ken Ludwig’s “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.” The house fills up almost every night, so book ahead.
SAVOR SATURDAY
Start early with nature’s art
Begin the day in the cool shadows of century-old banyan trees at the downtown campus of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. The 15-acre urban oasis on the waters of the bay is home to more than 20,000 living plants, including the world’s most diverse collection of orchids. Stroll the Mangrove Baywalk and peek inside the Museum of Botany and the Arts located in the northwest corner of campus for a seasonal exhibition. Bring a water bottle and join the 9:30 a.m. yoga session in the gardens if you’d like a dose of tranquility, or just want to soak in the quiet before opening hours.
Shop and eat downtown
The Sarasota Farmers Market floods the Rosemary District with vendors, patrons and neatly groomed dogs every Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Get a scoop of Sarasota Sorbet served out of a shell, and if you’re looking to bring home a small souvenir, pick up a handmade coconut shell bowl. If you’re not in the mood for crowds, turn onto Palm Avenue for a self-guided tour of intimate art galleries and studios that line the sidewalk. Cross over to Main Street and sit down at Cafe Epicure for a lunch al fresco. The distinguished trattoria serves true Italian pizza and pasta — some say it’s the best in town.
Slow down with a matinee
Tucked into a quiet corner just south of the Rosemary District, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is the only professional theatre on Florida’s Gulf Coast dedicated to sharing the stories of the Black experience. The intimate 205-seat house puts you close enough to the stage that the boundary between audience and performance dissolves quickly. The productions are often visceral and transporting, triggering gasps, laughter and shivers rippling through the audience.
Taste the best of Sarasota
Duval’s Fresh Local Seafood has been Sarasota’s favorite seafood restaurant for more than a decade, and a single spoonful of the lobster bisque explains why. Rich, deeply flavored and finished just right, it makes you reconsider every bisque you’ve had before it. For the main course, try the house bouillabaisse and hold the linguine to save room for dessert. Their key lime pie is perfection.
Watch the sun dive into the Gulf
The Atlantic coast has its charms, but it has nothing on Sarasota’s powder-soft quartz beaches and sunsets over the Gulf. Drive out to North Lido Beach on Lido Key, a 2-mile barrier island just north of the famous Siesta Key. Bring a chair, sink your feet into the sand and watch pelicans plunge into soft turquoise waves as the sky turns bright pink. On your way back, loop through St. Armands Circle, a lively ring of shops, restaurants and boutiques where live music floats up into the evening.
North Lido Beach
Show Comments (0)