The Bijou Café , www.bijoucafe.net , (941-366-8111); Barnacle Bill’s Seafood , www.barnaclebillssea

As coastal escapes go, its snowy white sandy beaches, calm waters and gorgeous sunsets have had many Northerners and anglers hooked for years. But the more recent influx of the arts an annual international arts festival, sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista the Sarasota sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista Ballet and opera, a film festival, museums housing impressive collections has firmly placed this sparkling Gulf Coast gem on the map.
Sarasota, and its string of eight keys and islands connected by bridges and causeways, is in southwest Florida on the Gulf Coast, 60 miles south of Tampa. Beyond its mild, year round temperatures and great fishing, it rarely gets the brunt of severe seasonal tropical storms.
Siesta Key's beach is considered sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista one of America's best for its sparkling quartz sand and turquoise water. This laid-back island sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista has one-of-a-kind shopping, resorts, dining and nightlife. Lido Key is known for its flora and fauna and natural habitats. sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista It offers sunset cruises, deep-sea fishing, dolphin watching and sailing. The prominent St. Armand's Circle, on Lido Key, has hip boutiques and top-notch dining. Longboat Key has plenty of beautiful mansions, waterfront golf, fine dining and luxury resorts and is located between Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Sarasota certainly seems to have it all, a modernly fashionable and walkable downtown, exceptional dining and shopping, and a thriving culture for dance, visual arts, film and culture. On any given balmy evening, you can attend a show at a downtown venue, walk to any number of first-rate eateries then stroll the streets listening to live music spilling out from casual outdoor patio restaurants like Mattison's City Grille.
Ringling (of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum Bailey circus) and his wife, Mable, built a winter retreat for his circus performers in Sarasota in the 1920s. They designed their winter mansion, Cá d'Zan (House of John), built in 1931 on Sarasota Bay, to resemble a Venetian Gothic palace. On the property, he built a museum to house his art collection. When he died in 1936, he left his estate, including the palace and art collection, to the state of Florida paving the way for a legacy for the arts.
Before Mikhail Baryshnikov co-founded the Ringling International Arts Festival sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista as a showcase for modern dance and other art forms a few years ago in Sarasota, the city was a hub for dance with Jean Allenby-Weidner's Sarasota Ballet. For years, its world-class artistic director Robert de Warren sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista honed the company, brought in guest artists from around the globe and raised it to a new level. After de Warren left in 2007, he started the Sarasota International Dance Festival and more recently co-founded with international ballet star José Manuel Carreño, the Carreño Dance Festival.
From the outdoor Sarasota Chalk Festival held each fall to the Sarasota Music Festival to the Ringling International Arts Festival ( www.ringlingartsfestival.org ) showing modern dance, music, theater and art, there are dozens of events year round. The Carreño Dance Festival ( www.carrenodancefestival.com ) held in August showcases talented teen dancers along with current stars of ballet and modern dance.  The Sarasota Film Festival (www.sarasotafilmfestival.com) , in its 15 th year, screens 180 films including features, documentaries, shorts and kid-friendly picks. For the entire list of festivals, go to ( www.visitsarasota.org )
John Mable Ringling Museum of Art , www.ringling.org , (941-359-5700). sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista Located on the Ringling estate, it features paintings sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista and sculpture by the Old Masters including Rubens, van Dyck, Velázquez, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, El Greco and more than 600 Baroque masterpieces.  The Circus Museum and its Tibbals Learning Center, also located sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista on the Ringling estate, shows circus memorabilia, sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista exhibits celebrating its performers and an exploration of the rich history of the American circus.   Crowley Museum Nature Center , www.cmncfl.org , (941-322-1000);   G. WIZ Science Museum, www.gwiz.org , (941-309-4949);   South Florida sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista Museum , www.southfloridamuseum.org , (941-746-4131)
The historic Sarasota Opera House , www.sarasotaopera.org/about/theater (941-328-1300);  Venice Theatre , www.venicestage.com . (941-488-1115);  Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall , www.vanwezel.org , (941-953-3368);  Asolo Repertory Theatre , www.asolorep.org , (941-351-8000). Housed on the ground sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista of the Ringling estate, the 18 th century palace playhouse was originally built in Asolo, Italy and dismantled and brought to Sarasota in the 1940s. The theater stages new productions and showcases performers headed for Broadway along with award-winning actors, directors and designers.
Sarasota Orchestra , www.sarasotaorchestra.org , (941-953-4252);  Sarasota Opera , www.sarasotaopera.org sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista , (941-366-8450);   Mote Marine Aquarium , www.mote.org , (941-388-4441);  Marie Selby Botanical Gardens , www.selby.org (941-366-5731);  Historic Spanish Point , www.historicspanishpoint.org , (941-966-5214);  LeBarge sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista Tropical Cruises , www.lebargetropicalcruises.com (941-366-6116);  Myakka Wildlife Tours , www.myakkawildlife.com , (941-365-0100);  PAL Sailor Circus , www.sailorcircus.org , (941-361-6350);  Sarasota Jungle sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista Gardens , www.sarasotajunglegardens.com , (941-355-5305);  Warm Mineral Springs , www.warmmineralsprings.com , (941-426-1692).
Most major carriers fly to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, some offering non-stop service. Tampa International Airport is about an hour's drive north of Sarasota.  Courtesy Executive Sedans , www.cesedans.com , (941-954-1970), has provided affordable sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista airport transportation and car service in the greater Tampa/Sarasota area for 25 years.
Hyatt Regency Sarasota , www.sarasota.hyatt.com , (941-953-1234). Contemporary décor, excellent service and nicely appointed rooms make this top choice. Request a balcony view with an overlook of the marina sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista and bay.   Ritz Carlton Sarasota, www.ritzcarlton.com/sarasota , (941-309-2000). Connected to the city's convention sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista center, this full-service luxury hotel is top rated for a reason.
The Bijou Café , www.bijoucafe.net , (941-366-8111);  Barnacle Bill's Seafood , www.barnaclebillsseafood.com . (941-365-6800). Choose from the longest sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista list of fresh seafood anywhere and umpteen different ways they prepare it.   Maximo's , www.maximodowntown.com . (941-366-7744). Located next to the Sarasota Opera House, this is a perfect after theater spot. The menu features Italian and South African dishes including excellent water buffalo and lamb stew.  Columbia Restaurant , www.columbiarestaurant.com , (941-388-3987), St. Armand's Circle. sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista South Florida's iconic family-owned restaurant that started in Ybor City (Tampa), has been serving the best of Spanish and Cuban cuisine for nearly 100 years. Buy their cookbook and try the recipes at home.   Cha Cha Coconuts , www.chacha-coconuts.com , (941-388-3300). Located beside the Columbia (owned by the same family), sheraton safari hotel lake buena vista this casual dining favorite among locals offers seafood, sandwiches and island-style fare.  Euphemia Haye , www.euphemiahaye.com , (941-383-3633). This Longboat Key institution has been one of Sarasota's best restaurants since its 1980 opening, and it makes the top 200 most romantic restaurants list too.