Rising on a gentle hillside beside the blue waters of Sarasota Bay, bright Sarasota is both wealthy and welcoming, an intriguing combination lacking in other West Coast communities. Sarasota is one of the state’s leading cultural centres: home to numerous writers and artists, and the base of several respected performing art companies.

Downtown Sarasota is fairly lively, with cafes, bars and eateries complementing the excellent grouping of bookstores for which the place is known.  A few miles north up the Tamiami Trail; the Ringling Museum Complex is a fine diversion. And the barrier-island beaches, a couple of miles away across the bay, are the lounger’s paradise.

Restored architectural oddities, excellent theatre, and some of the best art galleries in Florida give the city a very upturn aura. Bayfront Park, aside from providing a pleasant lawn bordering the water, showcases works by local and nationally known artists in its Season of Sculpture.