Downtown Sarasota

A city teeming with live theater. An internationally-acclaimed opera house and art museum. A soul-stirring symphony and soaring ballet. Fabulous places to dine as a prelude to a night on the town. New York? Maybe. Except, throw in a challenging round of golf in the morning, a powdery white beach in the afternoon and a blazing sunset over the Gulf of Mexico to launch an evening's worth of exciting possibilities. This all adds up to Sarasota-Florida's "suncoast" and cultural capital where days begin at the water's edge and spill into downtown after dark.

Downtown Sarasota can be anything you want it to be. It's the tree-shaded esplanade of Main Street-filled with shops, restaurants, cafes, and gourmet food stores. It's the boutiques, salons and art galleries of Palm Avenue. It's the antique stores and darkened art cinemas at Burns Court, or the quaint and friendly artists' colony at Towles Court. It's a morning's jog along the bayfront, lunch beneath the banyans at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and afternoon high tea sipped in grand style at the Ritz-Carlton. It's a daylong fishing charter that glides from its bayside slip; or a sunny morning stroll amid fresh produce and other open-air delights at each Saturday's Farmers' Market.

Residential opportunities are equally eclectic, possessing the same unique blend of possibilities. From the bungalow-rich side streets of vintage neighborhoods, to opulent new bayfront condominiums, downtown Sarasota offers a walk-able lifestyle that oozes with casual tropical charm, the distinct aura of history, and the excitement of all things new.