Sarasota offers a wonderful and diverse selection of culture. Our area is a Mecca for the Arts offering award winning theaters, symphonies, museums, the ballet and opera. Fine arts are bountiful and within easy reach of our many communities.

ASOLO THEATRE
The word Asolo comes from Asolo, Italy where a lovely eighteenth century theatre was purchased by the estate of John Ringling and moved to Sarasota, Florida in the 1950's. This theatre, where Eleanor Duse once performed, became home to a summer theatre company founded by Florida State University in 1960. This company, known as the Asolo Theatre Festival, was warmly embraced by the Sarasota community and in 1966 became a year-round, professional L.O.R.T. Theatre.

VAN WEZEL

This beautiful facility was built in 1968 and is owned and operated by the City of Sarasota. The Van Wezel offers a mixture of theater, music and dance averaging around 140 performances a year.

RINGLING MUSEUM
Known throughout the world, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was completed in 1929. The galleries were opened to the public in 1930. Upon his death, John Ringling bequeathed his entire estate and his collection to the people of the State of Florida.

SARASOTA OPERA
Beautifully restored to its original beauty, the Sarasota Opera House is a cornerstone of Sarasota's Theater Arts District. It also offers an education wind and library.

SARASOTA BALLET
The Sarasota Ballet is able to offer their audiences a continuous dance season from April through September.

MARIE SELBY BOTANICAL GARDENS
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is located on 11 bay-front acres and offers a collection of more than 6,000 orchids, a museum, a bountiful collection of color plants and 7 greenhouses.

FLORIDA WEST COAST SYMPHONY
The Florida West Coast Symphony offers a wide range of performances from Ensembles to the Symphony to the Sarasota Music Festival, the Florida West Coast Chamber Orchestra as well as four resident chambers for your enjoyment. They also have one of the most extensive education programs of any orchestra in the country.