Siesta Beach
No admission feeSwim and stroll on a very wide Gulf beach of fine white quartz sand that stays cool under bare feet.
Transit: reachable by public transit

Photo: Mx. Granger, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Watch alligators from the Birdwalk, cross a canopy walkway above the oaks, and paddle or bike through prairie and wetlands east of Sarasota.
13207 State Road 72, Sarasota, FL 34241 · Sarasota, FL
Myakka is one of Florida's oldest and largest state parks, over 37,000 acres along the Myakka River, the state's first designated wild and scenic river. A 6.5-mile park drive leads to the Birdwalk, a boardwalk where you can watch birds and alligators, and to a canopy walkway hung 25 feet up in the hammock with a 74-foot tower. You can rent bikes and canoes at the Myakka Outpost, hike, camp or fish. Entry is $6 per vehicle.
The closest stops to Myakka River State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
Swim and stroll on a very wide Gulf beach of fine white quartz sand that stays cool under bare feet.
Transit: reachable by public transit
15 mi awayMore like this
Hand-feed free-roaming flamingos, watch bird and reptile shows and wander 10 acres of tropical plantings at a Sarasota garden open since the 1930s.
17 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Public aquarium in Sarasota run by a nonprofit marine research laboratory, showing its scientific work to visitors.
17 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Florida's official state art museum in Sarasota, set on the former Ringling estate grounds with gardens and a circus museum nearby.
Transit: reachable by public transit
18 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Waterfront park along the Manatee River offering a riverside walking path, fishing, beach volleyball, and a skatepark.
24 mi awayMore like this
Take a boat to an island at the mouth of Tampa Bay to walk old brick roads past an 1858 lighthouse and the ruins of Fort Dade, then swim off quiet beaches.
37 mi awayMore like this