Longboat Key


Once a quiet fishing village, the 12 long miles of Longboat Key are now lined with upscale resorts and condos. A few teeny-tiny public parking lots don't offer much access for day-trippers. Beer Can Island (aka Greer Island), at the northern tip of Longboat, is one of the area's prettiest beaches.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Florida Maritime Museum

4.23 MILES

A tidy museum dedicated to how Florida's coast has defined its past and will shape the future, including a shell collection from the Gulf of Mexico, an…

2. Ringling Museum Complex

6.28 MILES

The 66-acre winter estate of railroad, real-estate and circus baron John Ringling and his wife, Mable, is one of the Gulf Coast’s premier attractions and…

3. Mote Marine Laboratory

7.22 MILES

The Mote bills itself as a research facility and aquarium, and has a large department dedicated to the study of sharks. Exhibits include a preserved giant…

4. Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy

7.67 MILES

Dedicated to all things whimsical, this bright pink museum and its adjacent outdoor sculpture garden do not fail to inspire. Although exhibits rotate…

5. St Armands Circle

8 MILES

Conceived by John Ringling in the 1920s, St Armands Circle is an upscale outdoor mall surrounded by posh residences on St Armands Key. More so even than…

6. Anna Maria Island

8.06 MILES

The perfect antidote to party-loving Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island appears beached in a 1950s time warp, with sun-faded clapboard houses, teenagers…

7. Art Center Sarasota

8.16 MILES

This community-oriented nonprofit gallery has four exhibition spaces that mix local and out-of-town artists. Hosts frequent events, including a lecture…

8. Lido Key

8.38 MILES

Just a hop, skip and jump across from St Armands Circle, Lido Key is barely 15-minutes' drive from downtown Sarasota. Lido Beach is an excellent, wide…