Planning a Trip

Getting There

You'll probably find a less-expensive airfare by flying into Tampa International Airport , an hour's drive north of Sarasota, and you can save even more since Tampa's rental-car agencies usually offer some of the best deals in Florida. If you don't rent a car, Sarasota-Tampa Express (tel. 800/326-2800 or 941/727-1344; www.stexps.com) provides bus connections for $35 for adults, $15 for children 3 to 12. Call in advance for a schedule and pickup locations.

If you fly directly here, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (tel. 941/359-2770; www.srq-airport.com), north of downtown, off University Parkway between U.S. 41 and U.S. 301, is served by Continental (tel. 800/525-0280), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525), and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322).

Alamo (tel. 800/327-9633), Avis (tel. 800/331-1212), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700), Dollar (tel. 800/800-4000), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131), and National (tel. 800/227-7368) all have car-rental offices here.

Diplomat Taxi (tel. 941/355-5155) has a monopoly on service from the airport to hotels in Sarasota and Bradenton. Look for the cabs outside baggage claim. Fares range from about $10 to downtown Sarasota to $35 to Longboat Key or Anna Maria Island.

Amtrak has bus connections to Sarasota from its Tampa station (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com).

Visitor Information

Contact the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau, 655 N. Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41), Sarasota, FL 34236 (tel. 800/522-9799 or 941/957-1877; fax 941/951-2956; www.sarasotafl.org). The bureau and its helpful visitor center are in a blue pagoda-shaped building on Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) at 6th Street. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm, Sunday from 11am to 3pm; closed holidays.

You can get a packet of advance information on Bradenton and surrounding Manatee County from the Greater Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 1000, Bradenton, FL 34206 (tel. 800/462-6283 or 941/729-9177; fax 941/729-1820; www.floridaislandbeaches.org).

If you're driving from the north via I-75, you can get off at U.S. 301 (exit 224) and head west if you want to go to the Manatee County Tourist Information Center (tel. 941/729-7040), where volunteers are on hand to answer questions and sell excellent road maps for less than you'll pay elsewhere. It's open daily from 8:30am to 5pm except Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. The office also has an information kiosk at Prime Outlets, across I-75, which is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm, and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

Getting Around

The Sarasota Trolley, operated by Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT; tel. 941/861-1234; www.sarasotatrolley.com), runs every 20 minutes from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, every 40 minutes on Saturday. The Scenic Loop Trolley operates from Island Park, Bayfront at Ringling Boulevard, through downtown Sarasota, north to the FSU Ringling Center for the Cultural Arts, and out to St. Armands and Lido keys (but not to Siesta or Longboat keys). The Main Street Trolley goes from Island Park through downtown and eastward along Main Street. Fares are $1.25 on the Scenic Loop and 50¢ on the Main Street line, or you can buy a daily pass to both lines for $3. SCAT also operates regularly scheduled bus service. The Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau distributes route maps.

Sarasota taxi companies include Diplomat Taxi (tel. 941/355-5155), Green Cab Taxi (tel. 941/922-6666), and Yellow Cab of Sarasota (tel. 941/955-3341).