What Ringling started, the town carried on. Sarasota became Florida's arts capital — the opera, the theaters, the Van Wezel hall, Marie Selby's bayfront gardens — a remarkable cultural density for a city its size. And just across the water lay the other half of its fame: the barrier islands, where Siesta Key's sand is almost pure quartz, so fine and white it stays cool underfoot. Arts and Gulf beach, side by side, became the Sarasota signature.
Long before the circus arrived, Sarasota was a small settlement on the bay — pioneer families farming and fishing the Gulf shore, joined by a colony of Scots in 1885. The town incorporated in 1902 and grew slowly along the waterfront. Then came the 1920s, and a circus magnate with a fortune and a vision, and everything about the place changed.
Why People Visit Sarasota Florida
- Tour The Ringling — Ca' d'Zan, the Museum of Art (the State Art Museum of Florida), and the bayfront grounds.
- Wander Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, with orchids, banyans, and bayfront walkways.
- Spend an afternoon on Siesta Key, whose fine white quartz sand is regularly ranked among the country's best.
- Browse St. Armands Circle, the 1920s Mediterranean shopping district near Lido Key.
- Catch a performance at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on the bayfront.
