Tampa International Airport 50 min
DeSoto National Memorial Park (27 min)
Nod to the famed explorer's landing site with living-history camp, exhibits, shore & nature trails. Tibbals Learning Center at The Ringling (26 min)
Ringling Circus archives, with historical documents, costume drawings & art (by appointment). Sarasota Classic Car Museum (25 min)
Venerable site showing 90+ classic, exotic & muscle cars, plus antique music boxes & phonographs. Nathan Benderson Park (17 min)
600-acre park on a lake with rowing facilities, including a boathouse & regatta center. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (25 min)
State art museum founded by the circus magnate with 31 galleries in a pink Renaissance-style palace. Mixon Fruit Farms (13 min)
Citrus grove with a play park, alligator encounters & a store serving orange flavored ice cream. Sarasota Bay (38 min)
Named an estuary of national significance, this subtropical, coastal lagoon is popular for kayaking. The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature (16 min)
A planetarium, aquarium & history museum under 1 roof with dioramas & films. Florida Railroad Museum (15 min)
Transport history told in interactive exhibits & a 13-mile weekend ride, plus locomotive rentals. Lake Manatee State Park (14 min)
This waterfront park offers freshwater boating & fishing, plus camping (though no actual manatees). Gamble Plantation Historic State Park (10 min)
Florida's only surviving plantation home, circa 1840, set on lush grounds & open for guided tours. Sarasota Jungle Gardens (27 min)
Historic attraction featuring more than 150 animals & shows in a tropical setting. Big Cat Habitat Gulf Coast Sanctuary (21 min)
Animal sanctuary home to big cats & other wild species offering animal encounters & seasonal hours. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown Sarasota campus (29 min)
Showcase for thousands of tropical plants, plus a conservatory & garden museum, in a historic space. Ca' d'Zan (28 min)
Once home to the Ringlings, this circa-1924 mansion draws inspiration from the palazzos of Venice. | 
