Sarasota

Beaches are the main reason people come. Siesta Key's sand is almost pure quartz, so fine and white that it stays cool underfoot, and it slopes gently into calm, shallow Gulf water. Lido Key is a short drive across the causeway from downtown, and Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island to the north are quieter and more residential. Venice to the south is known for the fossilised shark teeth that wash up on its shore.

From May to October the sea reaches 28-31°C and feels like bathwater. In January and February it drops to about 18-20°C, which deters many swimmers even when the beach weather is fine. There are no big waves, which suits children and weaker swimmers. Red tide blooms sometimes close beaches or make the air irritating, so it is worth checking conditions before a beach day.

Eating here is pleasant rather than memorable. Gulf seafood is the local strength: grouper sandwiches, stone crab claws in season and fish shacks by the water on the keys. Downtown Main Street and St Armands Circle have most of the bistros, wine bars and more ambitious dining rooms, many of them aimed at affluent winter visitors.

The one real surprise is Pinecraft, a winter colony of Amish and Mennonite visitors on the east side, where family restaurants serve hearty cooking and pie. There are farmers' markets and good brunch places, but little street food and no distinctive local cuisine, and most visitors will be happy without ever planning a trip around a meal.

The Ringling is the cultural anchor and worth a full day. The circus magnate John Ringling left behind a large art museum built around Baroque paintings, including a major group of Rubens canvases, along with Ca' d'Zan, his Venetian Gothic mansion on the bay, and a museum of circus history with a huge model of a travelling circus.

Beyond that the city is modest in sights. Architecture enthusiasts seek out the Sarasota School of Architecture, a mid-century modernist movement whose light, airy houses and schools are scattered around town, and the small Burns Court district has Mediterranean Revival buildings from the 1920s. The city is young, though, and there is no old quarter to wander.

Nights out are mostly relaxed. Downtown Main Street has wine bars, a few cocktail bars and pubs, and Siesta Key Village has open-air beach bars where people gather for sunset and stay for a few drinks. The crowd leans older, especially in the winter season, and most places are quiet well before the small hours. There is little club scene, and anyone looking for a big night out drives up to Tampa or St Petersburg.

The land is flat, but the wildlife is the strength. Myakka River State Park, about half an hour inland, is one of Florida's oldest and largest parks, with wide prairies, a canopy walkway through the oak and palm treetops and alligators sunning on the riverbanks. On the coast you can kayak through the mangrove tunnels off Lido Key, paddle Sarasota Bay where dolphins and manatees are common, and go fishing, sailing or paddleboarding almost any day of the year.

The Gulf coast is lovely for walking and birdwatching, with herons, ibises and ospreys everywhere. There are no hills, though, and from June to September heat, humidity and afternoon thunderstorms push outdoor plans to early morning. The best season for being outside is November to April.

The best day out is St Petersburg, about an hour north across the Sunshine Skyway bridge, with its Dalí Museum and lively waterfront. Tampa beyond it has the cigar-making district of Ybor City, with its Cuban and Spanish heritage. Tarpon Springs, a Greek sponge-diving town, is a little further.

Closer to home, Anna Maria Island has an old-Florida village feel, and Venice to the south is a small planned town from the 1920s. Fort Myers, a little over an hour south, has the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. It is a reasonable list, but the theme parks of Orlando are well beyond an easy day trip.

Families come mainly for the sea, and the calm, shallow water off Siesta Key and Lido Key is about as gentle as a beach gets for small children. Mote Marine Laboratory's aquarium is the main attraction made for children, with sharks, sea turtles and manatees and real marine research behind it. The circus museum at the Ringling, with its huge model of a travelling circus, also goes down well with children.

The town is safe, easy and relaxed, and vacation rentals with pools are common. There is no theme park nearby, though. Busch Gardens in Tampa is the closest big one, about an hour and a quarter away by car, and you will need a car for nearly everything. Summer heat and storms make midday outings hard work with young children.

This is car country. Downtown, St Armands Circle and Siesta Key Village are each pleasant to walk, and a free trolley runs along Siesta Key, but the local buses are infrequent and slow. Distances between the keys, the museums and the state parks are short by car. Most visitors hire one, though, and traffic on the bridges to the keys can back up badly in the winter season. Cycling works on the keys and along the bayfront, but not much beyond them.

Shopping is a gentle resort pastime. St Armands Circle, a ring of shops and cafés on Lido Key, is the place to browse: resort wear, jewellery, art galleries and gifts. Downtown Main Street and nearby Palm Avenue have independent boutiques and galleries, and Burns Court has a few small shops. A large regional mall covers the chain brands. There is a downtown Saturday farmers' market, but no real crafts tradition or luxury depth, and few visitors make shopping a reason to come.

Sarasota is an expensive place to stay. Beachfront hotels and rentals on Siesta Key and Longboat Key cost the most from January to April, when winter visitors fill the area, and eating out comes at full US resort prices once tax and tipping are added. Hiring a car adds to the bill. Summer and early autumn are noticeably cheaper, and staying inland or on the mainland rather than on the keys helps. Public beaches are free and the state parks charge little to get in.

For a small city the performing arts are strong, a legacy of wealthy winter residents and the Ringling heritage. Sarasota Opera performs in a restored 1920s theatre downtown, the Sarasota Ballet is well known for its Frederick Ashton repertoire, and the Sarasota Orchestra gives a full classical season. The Asolo Repertory Theatre, on the Ringling grounds, is one of the larger regional theatres in the country, and Florida Studio Theatre focuses on new plays. The purple Van Wezel hall on the bay hosts touring shows.

Most of this happens between autumn and spring, and the programme thins out in summer. Jazz and live music turn up in bars and at outdoor concerts, but there is no deep club circuit.

The pace is the main draw: Sarasota is unhurried, and long, slow days are what most visitors are after. Resort and day spas on Longboat Key and Lido Key offer massages and treatments, and yoga classes are easy to find, sometimes held on the sand at sunrise.

There is no local bathing culture to speak of. The one real exception is Warm Mineral Springs near North Port, about forty minutes south, a natural spring-fed pool that stays warm all year and has drawn bathers for its mineral water for generations. Winter crowds and traffic on the keys can take some of the calm out of a stay at the height of the season.