Daytrip Tour of a Quaint Gulf Coast City

Venice, Florida is a Quaint Gulf Coast City on the west coast of beautiful Florida, just south of Sarasota. Venice is named after the Italian city Venice because of its similarities in architecture design. Furthermore, the downtown has beautifully landscaped boulevards that you will find throughout the historic downtown of this quaint gulf coast city.

A Quaint Historic Downtown

Venice has a very charming downtown consisting of a main street and a few smaller streets. This makes navigating downtown very easy and enjoyable. Furthermore, the main street is separated by a median that is full of large royal palm trees, creating a beautiful green space with an abundance of flowers throughout. Additionally, the downtown has a large park in the center that has a convenient parking lot. The parking lot is free of cost and open to the public and visitors during the day hours.

Please join our Facebook Group Traveling Mindfully throughout Florida and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Beautiful Parks

Centennial Park

Venice has a few beautiful parks, including the Centennial Park, which is the main park that is located across the street from the downtown shopping district. The park offers downtown Venice its main parking lot, which is free during the day. Furthermore, the park is a lovely green space that has public restrooms, a picturesque gazebo and plenty of benches to enjoy your ice cream. This park also has a splash pad for the kids to enjoy on those warm Florida days.

In addition to the splash pad, there is a beautiful gazebo that is perfect for a couple or family photo. My wife and I enjoyed a little relaxing time while taking some pictures for our family book. It was nice and quiet, which could make a great spot for reading a book. The gazebo is also a great place to sit and enjoy a snack or just relax and enjoy the beautiful and peaceful surroundings that the park offers. Most importantly, the Centennial Park is conveniently located in the heart of downtown and within walking distance to all of downtown Venice’s restaurants and shops.

Fountain Park

The Fountain Park is located in downtown on Miami Avenue and Nokomis Avenue South. The fountain was donated by the First National Bank of Venice in 1986. The statute depicts Hebe, the goddess of youth. We spent a nice half an hour relaxing on the benches that surround the fountain. My poor wife was five months pregnant and needed a break from all our walking. This made the perfect spot to rest and take in the surrounding area of Venice.

Ponce de Leon Park

The Ponce De Leon Park is another spot that we used for resting from our lengthy downtown walk. The park is named after the Spanish explorer Ponce De Leon who searched for the famous Fountain of Youth along the Gulf Coast of Florida. The park was donated to the city of Venice by the First National Bank of Venice in 1992.

Quiet Gulf Coast Beaches

The beaches in Venice are a lot different than its northern and southern neighbors. They are a lot quieter and do not have many commercial buildings near them. This really gives you that small town feel as the beach is mostly surrounded by neighborhoods and condominium complexes.

Venice Beach

Venice Beach is the main beach in Venice. The beach is located at the end of Main Street and has a small parking lot to the left of the Venice Beach sign. The parking lot fills up quickly so you might want to try and arrive early.

Despite being the main beach for the city of Venice, it is quite calm and peaceful. This gives visitors more of a scenic view of the natural environment and a chance to see the local wildlife. There are many opportunities to see dolphins and different kinds of shore birds that are a little more on the shy side.

Venice Beach does have an iconic pavilion that offers refreshments and other concessions for the beach goer. Additionally, the pavilion has public restrooms and offers a unique sail style cover for added shade from the Florida sun.

Caspersen Beach

Caspersen Beach is another great beach that has more of a natural feel as it is literally surrounded by parks. This beach also plays host to the famous Sharky’s restaurant and the Venice Fishing Pier. Of the two beaches in Venice, Caspersen Beach is the larger of the two and also features a dog park. Furthermore, it provides a much larger parking lot for guests, which is free of charge during the day.

The Venice Fishing Pier is located at the Caspersen Beach, near the parking lot and just beyond Sharky’s restaurant. The pier is a beautiful spot to see the glorious waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the fisherman can cast a line and hook one of the seasonal fish that frequent the area. Fishing from the pier is open to the public and does not require a fishing license (1).

Just before the Pier is the famous beach bar and grill, Sharky’s. Sharky’s was voted Florida’s best beach bar in 2013, 2018, and 2019 (1). Sharky’s is known for their large seafood selection on their menu (1). The restaurant features live music and has incredible real estate that gives its visitors a very nice view of the surrounding gulf water and white sand beach. This would be a fun lunchtime restaurant for the family, as it is on the beach. This is great because you would not need to travel far from your sandcastle and sunshine for burgers and drinks.

In addition to Sharky’s and the pier, Caspersen Beach also has many fun family friendly activities. Some of the activities include sand volleyball courts, and Shark tooth hunting (looking for sharks’ teeth). Venice is the Shark Tooth Capital of the World (1). You can also rent beach chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards and more. If you come in the evening, you could catch an amazing sunset.

Darling Christmas Decor

Christmas time in Venice, FL. is a special time of the year as the weather is great and the main street is glowing with holiday lights. A trip down main street will instantly transport you to a magical place of wonder. The Christmas spirit is well received in the city of Venice. My wife and I enjoyed a nice walk down main street to admire the decorations and lights as we enjoyed an ice cream cone at one of the Centennial Park benches.

The Christmas Season in Venice is filled with holiday lights that illuminate the streets. Furthermore, the people of Venice are serenaded by holiday music that is performed live by local musicians. Moreover, many restaurants in the downtown district offer food and drink specials while you enjoy the holiday décor (3).

Conclusion

Well, there you have it, what to see and do while you are visiting Venice, FL in a day. From the beautiful beaches to a picturesque downtown there is lots to see and do in Venice. Venice is a Quaint Gulf Coast City that has a charming appeal that offers a more laid back approach. The city has an abundance of wide sidewalks for perusing the many shops that line the main street. Furthermore, the city offers many benches for taking a break on throughout the downtown area. If you are looking for a peaceful and more relaxed trip, than Venice just might be your spot.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. We hope you enjoyed the post as much as we did creating the post. Please feel free to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Sources

1. Sharky’s on the Pier (2021) Waterfront Dining Venice Fl. https://www.sharkysonthepier.com/
2. Venice Beach, FL (2023) Venice, FL City on the Gulf, https://www.venicegov.com/visiting/venice-beach
3. Visit Sarasota (2023) Christmas and Other Holiday Events in South Sarasota County. https://www.visitsarasota.com/article/christmas-and-other-holiday-events-south-sarasota-county

#CHARMING #GARDEN MURAL #ITALIAN ARCHITECTURE #QUAINT #SHARKTOOTH CAPITAL #BEACH #FLORIDA

Copyright (2024) ImprovingMindfully All Rights Reserved