Around Town
These organizations are listed as helpful resources for residents and visitors to Sarasota. The City of Sarasota provides this list for information purposes and does not formally endorse any specific group.
Visit Sarasota
Visit Sarasota County is the official provider of visitor information for Sarasota County where tourism is a top industry. Visit Sarasota County operates the official Sarasota Visitor Information Center at 1945 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34236 and also operates a visitor information kiosk out at The Mall at University Town Center.
Sarasota Film Festival
The mission of the Sarasota Film Festival is to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-long programs for the economic, educational and cultural benefit of our community. The Festival supports and encourages the filmmaker by supplying indispensable networking opportunities and open dialogue with knowledgeable, creative and inquisitive consumers of film.
Sarasota Farmers Market
The Sarasota Farmers Market was established in 1979. The Market continues its tradition of serving the community with local produce, plants, prepared foods and artisans. The Market currently has 70+ vendors and covers 5000 sq. ft. of produce and plants.
The Bay
The Bay is a signature public park along Sarasota Bay. Designed to be “One Park for All,” The Bay is open and accessible, free and welcoming to the full and rich diversity of the community, now and for generations to come. The Bay provides a sustainable bayfront gathering place for the community to experience and enjoy a wide range of park uses, free programs and events.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens provides 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history. Established by forward-thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens is composed of the 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus and the 30-acre Historic Spanish Point campus in the Osprey area of Sarasota County, Florida. The Downtown Sarasota campus on Sarasota Bay is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants.
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
Visit the aquarium's 135,000-gallon shark habitat. Meet the resident sea turtles, otters, seahorses and gracefully drifting sea jellies. Explore coral reefs and other displays highlighting the real ecosystems studied by scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory. Peek into working labs that drive our science and conservation mission. Experience Mote Aquarium: Where Science is the Attraction!