It's also a haven for big name celebrities. You never know whom you might bump into in Sarasota and around the suncoast area...otherwise known as our little slice of paradise!

With so many attractions and events from which to choose, from the annual Suncoast Offshore Racing Festival, to blazing your own trail through Myakka River State Park, you can find as much, or as little, to do as your heart desires.

Our little slice of paradise also comprises smaller towns like Bradenton, Osprey, Nokomis, Venice and their Keys, or Barrier Islands, including some of the top rated beaches in the country, if not the world.

And these little towns have some fun places to explore as well. There are so many attractions to experience around our "Sun Coast" area that you’ll be busy having fun for days.

A short Sarasota history:

Palmer quickly established the area as a fashionable place for winter retreats and tourists to visit (you can take a tour of Historic Spanish Point, the estate of Bertha Palmer).

The sheer natural beauty of our Sun Coast area also attracted another big name of the 20th Century: Ringling! The Ringling Brothers, as well as John and Mable Ringling were taken with the area and John and Mable soon developed an estate on property that had been part of the Shell Beach subdivision. They would later build a compound there on adjacent parcels that would also include the Ringling Museum of Art.

With early 20th Century names like Palmer and Ringling behind it, Sarasota was on the map!

Speaking of maps, here’s a little geography on the region: we are located on the central west coast of Florida, though some will refer to us as part of southwest Florida also. According to 2004 census figures Sarasota, the county seat, had a population of 54,349, although that number swells a bit during the winter season.

..or just take in the spectacular natural beauty all around you and much, much more. You won’t be able to squeeze it all in on your vacation, but that will just mean that you’ll find yourself coming back again and again and possibly planning to move here and buy a home, as have so many who've fallen in love with our Sun Coast.

Sarasota Beaches: Nationally Top Rated!

And, here's a little known fact: our Siesta Key is a great spring break haven; one of our best kept secrets!

Beach Kudos:

Our Siesta Key Beach, named the 2nd best beach in Florida by TV's "The Travel Channel," in May, 2009 was named the 2nd best beach in the nation in an annual ranking of America's top 10 beaches.

Venice Beach in 2008 was named one of the five best renourished beaches in the nation by The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association. This was the result of a 3 year project that extended Venice Beach another 130 feet along more than 3 miles of shoreline.

Within the area there are;

• flat beaches
  
  
• busy beaches
  
  
• private beaches
  
  
• secluded beaches
  
  
• beaches for sea shell collecting
  
  
• beaches for shark tooth hunting
  
  
• and beaches with sand dunes covered in sea oats..

..but all have one thing in common: beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico and spectacular sunsets. In case you miss one I hear there’s another one tomorrow night. I'll let the sun know you're coming!

With Palm Tree lined streets and gentle, balmy breezes blowing in off the Gulf of Mexico, even a walk through the shops and streets of downtown, the Saturday Morning Farmer's Market or through and along downtown’s Bayfront Park, taking in the scenery and boats anchored in the bay, or perhaps sighting one of the bottle-nosed dolphins that makes the bay its home, is simple, inexpensive fun and relaxation.

Are you ready to come along with me on tour now?

I’ll also point out a few places within easy driving distance that make for great road trips outside of our area. They’re easy enough to get to and back from in a day, so you won't miss out on one of those gorgeous gulf coast sunsets.

So, if you’re ready, grab your sunscreen and sun hat and let’s go and explore, together, our Playground in Paradise…Sarasota, Florida. Here's to your fun in the sun!

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