Things to Do in Sarasota: Tours, Tickets & Boat Trips
Wondering what to do in Sarasota? The guided mangrove-tunnel kayak tour at Lido Key (about $59–65) is the most-reviewed experience on Florida’s Gulf Coast — a two-hour paddle through tunnels of red mangroves with manatees, dolphins and rays — and the LED clear-kayak night tour ($65) is its after-dark twin. Give yourself three to four days — one for Siesta Key’s quartz-white sand and the Sunday drum circle, one for the Ringling Museum of Art, Ca’ d’Zan and the Circus Museum, one for the mangroves plus St. Armands Circle and Lido Beach, one for Myakka River State Park’s alligators or a downtown food tour ($113) — and add Venice’s shark-tooth beach or Anna Maria Island if you have longer. Much is free: Siesta Key Beach, Lido Beach, Bayfront Park, the Legacy Trail and the Ringling’s art museum on Mondays cost nothing. Below you can compare every Sarasota tour and ticket by rating and price, with free cancellation on most.
190 tours · prices per person, book with partner
All experiences in Sarasota — FAQ
What are the top things to do in Sarasota?
By traveller reviews: the Lido Key mangrove-tunnel kayak tour, the mangrove and manatee eco-tour, the city sightseeing trolley, the LED clear-kayak night tour, the Taste of Downtown Sarasota food tour, the Amish experience trolley to Pinecraft, the Lido Key pedal-kayak tour, the murder-mystery and haunted trolleys, Siesta Key Beach and the Ringling Museum. Compare all of them below.
How many days do you need in Sarasota?
Three to four days. Day one: Siesta Key Beach and the Village, with the Sunday drum circle at sunset if it fits. Day two: the Ringling Museum, Ca’ d’Zan and the Circus Museum, then Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Day three: the Lido Key mangrove kayak, St. Armands Circle and Lido Beach. Day four: Myakka River State Park or Mote Marine Aquarium and a food tour. Longer stays add Venice, Anna Maria Island and the Celery Fields.
What can you do in Sarasota for free?
Siesta Key Beach — the fine white quartz sand never gets hot — and its Sunday-evening drum circle, Lido Beach and North Lido’s dunes, Bayfront Park and the Unconditional Surrender statue, the Legacy Trail for cycling, the Celery Fields for birdwatching, window-shopping at St. Armands Circle, downtown’s Saturday farmers’ market, the Ringling Museum of Art (free on Mondays) and the Bayfront’s sunset from Marina Jack. Myakka and the Selby Gardens charge modest entry fees.
Do Sarasota tours offer free cancellation?
Most experiences listed here can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before the start time; kayak and boat trips are refunded if cancelled for weather. The policy is shown on each tour before you book.