Tell me about Venice, Florida

Venice, Florida, is a resort city on the Gulf of Mexico, with a population of only 25,000. Most of the city is located on Venice Island, across one of three drawbridges from the mainland. 

Venice’s sandy beaches lie just a 15 minutes’ walk from the theatre. You’ll stroll along Venice Avenue—lined with palm trees and banyan trees—to one of Florida’s most beautiful beaches. While the weather is hot in the summer, you’ll enjoy the cool Gulf breeze as you stroll.

Dozens of restaurants, bars, and shops await you. The shops are as eclectic as the restaurants, and they all look forward to serving you!

Venice is also called The Sharks Tooth Capital of the World. Due to the gulfstream and its oddities, most of the world’s fossilized sharks’ teeth wash up onto the Venice area beaches. A popular low-tide pastime is hunting and collecting a wide variety of them, and making them into ornamental items such as necklaces and bracelets.

Sarasota County is consistently hailed as one of the nation’s top-five cities for the arts. There is always a wide variety of local theatre, Broadway tours, ballet and symphony performances, art galleries, and local flavor (such as the world-famous Selby Botanical Gardens and Historic Spanish Point) to enjoy.

Old Florida rivers and creeks lie just a few miles away; you can take a boat ride down the Myakka River. Travellers often encounter alligators and manatees along their way.

Like to golf? There are 23 courses in the Venice area alone, including the championship Plantation G&CC courses, where the Ladies PGA Q-school tournament is held.

Deep-sea fishing, parasailing, canoeing, kayaking, and bird-watching are also popular pastimes in this paradise on the gulf.

Trust us: you’ll find plenty to do.

Nearby

• The Ringling Museum, with a huge collection of classic masterpieces—as well as the world’s largest collection of circus art -- only 35 minutes away.
• Tampa Bay Rays major league baseball games, just one hour away
• Busch Gardens Amusement Park and Zoological Gardens, just 75 minutes away.
• Walt Disney World, just two hours away
• Universal Studios and SeaWorld, just over two hours away
• Florida Everglades airboat rides, just two hours away
• Kennedy Space Center, just three hours away
• and much, much more. Come early, and stay a few days after. Enjoy all of Florida.

For more details about the local area, enjoy browsing these Web sites.

Venice Main Street, Inc.

Venice Area Chamber of Commerce

Sarasota and her Islands Convention and Visitors Bureau