NEARBY ATTRACTIONS . . .
For us, the greatest feature of our Venice-area location is our proximity to Nokomis Beach.
It is a lovely quiet beach, with calm waters for swimming and lots of space to spread out. Just bring a book and a beach chair (and maybe a beach umbrella), and relax in the sun. If you walk about 15 minutes south on the beach, you will arrive at Venice's North Jetty, especially interesting at sunset when dolphin watchers join the ranks of fishermen who have spent the day.
You can drive to other nearby beaches: Caspersen Beach, the longest beach in Sarasota County, and Venice Municipal beach, which has a coral reef a quarter mile offshore. Or head north and visit Sarasota's Siesta Key, and Turtle beaches.
And when you get hungry, there's no end to your choices!
Try Sunset Grill, right across from Nokomis Beach. Or Casey Key Fish House, also nearby. Or explore dozens of other local restaurants and cuisine, from Mel's Diner, home of delicious diet-busting southern home cooking, to the famous Captain Eddie's Seafood, for some of the freshest casual seafood and friendliest service in the area.
Try the nightly specials and weekend music at the Saltwater Cafe, in Nokomis Village shopping center. Or drive over to Venice Island, whose downtown area offers a variety of charming restaurants of all types.
And don't forget to explore Sarasota, just to the north. Sarasota offers a full range of cultural attractions - theatre, opera, ballet, music concerts, galleries, fine and casual restaurants, water sports, and activities of all kinds.
Drive downtown, then cross over to nearby Lido Key, browse the shops on St. Armand's Circle, laze at the beautiful Lido Key Beach, and head back to St. Armand's Circle for a relaxing dinner and people watching at Columbia Restaurant or one of the other great restaurants on the circle. Visit famous Ringling Museum, set in John Ringling's mansion, or see a Cincinnati Reds spring training game.
TENNIS... GOLF... WATER SPORTS...
If you like to golf, there are dozens of courses in the area, many of which are open to the public.
If you prefer tennis, there are six public court locations in Venice, and there are two courts right in Nokomis at the local community center on Nippino Trail. If you like to play doubles, just go over to the public tennis center on Venice Avenue on Venice Island any morning, sign up and have a seat. When the current doubles set completes, the next four waiting players get their turn. It is a great way to meet new tennis friends!
If you're interested in water sports, nearby marinas offer charter fishing, kayak, and boat rentals.
DAY TRIPS:
You are just a couple of hours from Disney World, or visit the Busch Gardens amusement park or the Dali museum in Tampa. Or drive south a few hours and head east for a visit to the Everglades!
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