Located in Southwest Florida, the 12 km long island of Siesta Key in Sarasota County is connected to the mainland by two bridges. With Siesta Beach, the island in the Gulf of Mexico offers one of the top beaches in the country. The azure sea with the gently sloping beach (without stones or seaweed on the seabed) and its mostly light swell is perfect for family vacations, but also for romantic vacations for two.
The public beach area, monitored by the Baywatch from its colorful beach huts, offers not only a seemingly endless stretch of sand, but also volleyball courts, tennis courts, a shady playground and picnic areas, a beach pavilion with toilets and a beach kiosk. The entire infrastructure of this beach area was completely renewed in 2015. The Siesta Drum Circle meets here on Sundays, and yoga fans get their money’s worth on the beach. Unforgettable highlights of each day are the picturesque sunsets, to which people gather on the beach.
According to answerresume, the three main beaches on the island are Siesta Key Public Beach, Crescent Beach, and Turtle Beach. In recent years, Siesta Key Beach has been voted America’s best beach multiple times, including one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world by National Geographic Magazine and the World’s Finest, Whitest Sand by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Crescent Beach is also well known for its white sand. The somewhat remote Turtle Beach at the southern end of the island consists of coarse shell sand. It drops steeply into the sea and is particularly suitable for water sports or long, lonely walks on the beach. If you’re looking for beautiful seashells, you’ve come to the right place. Those who enjoy snorkeling can explore the island’s underwater world at Point-of-Rocks.
With its many small pubs, Siesta Key is reminiscent of Key West, but is not overcrowded with tourists, but rather tranquil. If you are looking for some entertainment, a bar or a good restaurant after a long day at the beach, you are in good hands in Siesta Key Village – in the northern part of the island. Numerous pubs offer live music. The next morning you can start the day slowly in one of the numerous breakfast restaurants (the most traditional is the family-run Village Cafe). The small boutiques, shops and souvenir shops invite you to go shopping.
The second “center” of the island is above Stickney Point Road in the southern part of the island. You will also find bars and restaurants here (“Captain Curt’s Crab & Oyster Bar” in Old Florida style is highly recommended – they have the best clam chowder and very good ribs here). Boutiques, souvenir shops and small shops invite you to browse. There is also a small supermarket. If you have moved into accommodation in this part of the island, you can reach numerous large supermarkets, drugstores, steakhouses and other restaurants in just 5 minutes by car. Both centers are well connected by the SCAT bus, so for nightlife excursions you can leave your car behind and take one of the free shuttles or the public bus.
Downtown Sarasota can be reached from Siesta Key in about 20 minutes by car and offers a wide range of cultural activities. Whether a visit to the theatre, opera, concert, cinema, museum (the Ringling Museum deserves a special mention here) or the magnificent Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, there is something for everyone here.
Siesta Key information
Location and size
Siesta Key is one of the Barrier Islands in Southwest Florida and is part of Sarasota County. The 12 km long island with its unique subtropical flair and the multiple award-winning dream beaches is located between Roberts Bay/Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico and has an area of 6.1 km².
Inhabitants
The city of Sarasota has almost 53,000 inhabitants. Siesta Key has about 6,500 residents.
Arriving by plane
- Sarasota Airport (SRQ) 18 km (travel time approx. 30 minutes)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA) 105 km (approx. 1 hour drive)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO) 222 km (travel time approx. 2 hours)
- Miami International Airport (MIA) 330 km (approx. driving time 3 hours 30 minutes)
Climate
The sun shines an average of 251 days in Siesta Key, the maximum temperature in July is 32° C and the minimum temperature in January is 11° C. The average annual rainfall is about 1,370 mm.
| Average temperatures in Siesta Key, Florida in °C | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Max | 21 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 25 | 23 |
| Min | 11 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 13 |
Siesta Key Recreational Activities
The leisure activities on the island are almost inexhaustible. Whether bicycles, scooters, kayaks, paddleboards, Segways, jet skis, motor boats, fishing equipment – you can rent the equipment you need from one of the many rental companies in each of the two centers.
A visit to the Siesta Key Crystal Classic Competition is highly recommended. Held annually in November, this sand sculpting competition sees masterful figures created out of sand. ( www.siestakeycrystalclassic.com )
A boat trip on the Intercoastal Waterway towards Venice takes you past the picturesque dream villas on the neighboring island of Casey Key. Often you can see dolphins from the boat, sometimes manatees, but in any case numerous seabirds. Take the time to stop at one of the many Old Florida-style waterfront grills and enjoy the fresh fish dishes on offer while looking out over the water.
With excursions to the nearby Myakka River State Park or Oscar Scherer State Park , you can delve even deeper into the wonderful nature of Florida.
Shopping
If you still haven’t had enough after the numerous shopping offers on Siesta Key, you can start your tour in the newly opened “Mall at University Town Center” ( www.mallatutc.com ), the “Westfield Square Mall” ( www.westfield. com/sarasota ) in Sarasota or at the Ellenton Premium Outlet ( www.premiumoutlets.com ) in Ellenton. All malls can be reached in 10 to 30 minutes by car.
