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Caspersen BeachHave you ever wondered what Florida beaches used to be like decades ago?A Nationally recognized “Blue Wave Certification” Beach, Caspersen Beach in Venice gets my vote for the best beach in the Sarasota County area. Not only does it have sparkling clear light blue and turquoise waters, it’s far enough away from large crowds and has no residential areas of any kind; this means no homes, no hotels, no condos, no high rises. Just a beautiful, long sandy beach that has been left untouched, in its natural state and somewhat secluded. This allows you to feel that you’re standing on the end of the Earth, looking out over one of the most beautiful Gulf of Mexico beaches in Florida and into timelessness...
Natural, Unspoiled Beauty...As Sarasota Beaches go, this is the longest beach in Sarasota County and a great place to go sea shell or shark tooth hunting, as Venice beaches are known as the "Shark Tooth Capitol of the World!" It will probably be a quiet walk as you'll leave the other beach goers behind on your trek. You'll most likely only come upon shorebirds, sea shells and sharks teeth on the beach. I would venture a guess that not many people take this long walk, which could be all the better for you if you like to walk and feel as if you're the last man or woman on earth! This is definitely one stretch of deserted beach where you can be alone. Do go on your walk on this long stretch of beach prepared, however. Make sure you have plenty of sunscreen, a hat for shading your head, water and perhaps food, too, along with a towel and (depending on time of year) cool, light weight clothing to use as a cover-up in case the sun gets too hot and you start to burn, despite earlier soaking yourself in sunscreen!
Venice is also home to the annual Sharks Tooth Festival, usually held on the grounds of Venice Municipal Airport.
There's also a fairly good sized park here which you’ll find loaded with amenities just east of the main parking lot, across Caspersen Beach Bridge. There are amenities that include restrooms along with a picnic area and fishing pier...
...there's a nature trail and a 10 station outdoor fitness center/course...
..there are a couple of pavilions..
...and a nearby canoe/kayak launch. All in all it's a very nice park, with shaded pavilions and a nice covered playground for kids. Tip: Bring moist/disinfectant towelettes; The bathrooms are the portable kind.
Directions: To find Caspersen Beach from Sarasota, take Rt.41 south through Osprey and Nokomis to downtown Venice. Take Venice Avenue through the Downtown Historic District and turn left (south) on to Harbor Drive. Simply follow Harbor Drive south as far as you can go.
Because of its remoteness, natural beauty, usually smaller crowds and lack of condo and housing developments, this beach is my favorite beach in the Greater Sarasota area and, in my opinion, the best place to have a great day. Return from Caspersen Beach to Sarasota Beaches main page.
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