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Historic Downtown Venice FloridaTake a step back in time...Venice Florida is known as the Shark Tooth Capital of the World and Historic Downtown Venice is one of those quaint, “step back in time” areas that you must visit while you’re in the Sarasota, Florida area.
This few block area of downtown; Tampa, Venice, and Miami Avenues, officially known as “The Venice Downtown Historic District,” with architecture modeled after Northern Italy, is filled with boutiques, gift shops, specialty shops, outdoor cafés and restaurants as well as numerous art galleries.
Some of the shops have been here “forever,” so you can experience that little taste of old Florida just by walking in and browsing! From hand-written signs, to antique-looking store fixtures, you’ll definitely feel like you’ve stepped back to the 1960's in some of the shops. Talk about "atmosphere!" And that’s the delight of it all and the reason to visit Downtown Historic Venice Florida.
But there are more than shops and restaurants to see. There’s Centennial Park, a great place for a picnic, by the way, complete with a Gazebo and a children’s water-fountain park and the Venice Little Theater at the corner of Tampa Avenue and Business Rt. 41.
As a City, Venice became a reality when The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers came in 1925 and began to build a retirement community for its members. Designed by well known city planner John Nolen, the original plan included wide paved boulevards with planted medians, small parks throughout the community, a golf course, a beach front amphitheater and lots reserved for schools and hotels as well as an agricultural area known as Venice Farms.
You can make a fun day of it in downtown Venice, meandering through the shops or grabbing a bite for lunch or dinner at an outdoor café.
Directions: To get to Venice Florida and its Downtown Historic District: From Sarasota, head south on Rt. 41 and then follow business Rt. 41 over the Venice bridge into historic downtown Venice. There’s a free parking lot in the center of downtown between Tampa and Venice Avenues. Return from Venice Florida to the Sarasota Florida Attractions page.
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