Florida's arts coast — Siesta Key's quartz sand, Ringling's circus legacy, and the best Gulf sunsets in the state
Sarasota is Florida's anomaly: a Gulf Coast city with a genuine arts scene, a world-class museum, and a beach — Siesta Key — whose sand is pure quartz that stays cool underfoot even in July. The Ringling Museum of Art is Florida's state art museum, housed in John Ringling's Venetian Gothic villa with a collection spanning Rubens, Velázquez, and an astonishing circus history exhibit. The downtown arts corridor punches well above the city's size, making Sarasota consistently the most culturally active small city in Florida.
Sarasota's character was shaped by John Ringling, co-owner of the Ringling Bros. Circus, who chose the city as his winter headquarters and winter quarters for the circus in the 1920s. He built Ca' d'Zan — his Venetian Gothic bayfront mansion — and assembled an extraordinary art collection that he gave to the state upon his death in 1936. The circus wintered here until 1960, and a generation of acrobats, clowns, and aerial performers retired to Sarasota, creating a distinctive circus arts community that continues today.