Venice Historical Sites

Venice is a city in Sarasota County, located on the Southwest Coast of Florida about 70 miles south of Tampa International Airport and 60 miles north of Ft. Myers International Airport.

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Venice Florida Area Historical Sites

Venice Train Depot/Coakley Railroad Park

941-486-2595

The 1927 Depot was purchased by Sarasota County in 1999. After a 2.3 million restoration, the renovated depot was dedicated in 2003. The Rollins W. Coakley Railroad Park includes scenic walkways, a restored caboose and a statue dedicated to circus great and wild animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams. Gebel-Williams, who was with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus for 20 years, died in Venice in 2001. Located at 202 E. Venice Ave in Venice. VeniceHistory.com

Venetian Waterway Park

Benches, dog clean-up stations, picnic shelters and grills, scenic ICW views and glimpses of wildlife are found along the 10-mile long, 8-foot wide linear trail for walkers, joggers and bikers. No motor vehicles allowed. You can access the park along both sides of the Intracoastal Waterway. Parking on the west side of the ICW is located on Golf Street, on the east side of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice; and at the east end of Airport Avenue, through the gates, on the dirt road, to the south side of Circus Bridge. Parking on the east side of the ICW is at Marina Park and Boat Ramp, the historic Venice Train Depot, and Shamrock Park in South Venice.

Legacy Trail

The 12.4-mile-long and 100-foot-wide corridor stretches from just over a mile south of State Road 72 (Clark Road) by Sawyer Loop Road in Sarasota to the southern terminus near Center Road in Venice. This corridor serves as a link to the rich and wonderful past of the region. In 1911, the railroad corridor was extended through the Venice area at the request of the Palmer family. The railroad line preceded any of our modern highways, and served as the way Southwest Florida was discovered by many of its early inhabitants. Among the more well-known users of the railroad line were the U.S. Army during World War II, the Kentucky Military Institute and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which wintered in Venice from 1962-1992. The railroad corridor links with the Venice Train Depot, which was built in 1927 and used for many years until the last passenger left the depot in 1971. Under a separate project, the Venice Train Depot was later purchased and rehabilitated by the county, which reopened it in 2003 to once again serve the area’s transportation needs as the south county passenger transfer facility for Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT). The depot will serve as one of the trail heads of the recreational trail. Entry points in the area include US 41 Bypass and Patriots Park, and Venetian Waterway Park in Venice, and E. Colonia St. in Nokomis.

Historic Spanish Point Osprey, FL

941-966-5214 Website

Located on the shores of Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, Historic Spanish Point is an archaeological, historical and environmental site museum. The history of the site goes back 5,000 years to Florida's first people and the shell midden built by them cover much of the 30-acre site. The site also features the historic legacy of other settlers, including John Webb and his family from New York, who established a homestead in 1867. Later Spanish Pointe became a part of the winter estate of Chicago socialite Mrs. Potter Palmer, who added her own touches to the landscape in the form of gardens and garden architecture. Located on U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) at 337 N. Tamiami Trail in Osprey.

Englewood/Placida/Boca Grande

Boca Grande/Gasparilla Island State Park

941-964-0375
Gasparilla Island State Park website
The centerpiece of Gasparilla is the restored Boca Grande Lighthouse built in 1890. Activities include swimming, snorkeling, fishing, shelling and nature study. There are two picnic areas. Located on the south end of Gasparilla Island on the Boca Grande Causeway (toll road) at CR 775 and Placida.

Sarasota

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

941-359-5700 Ringling website
Located in a 66-acre estate on Sarasota Bay, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was established in 1927as the legacy of John Ringling and his wife, Mable. Recognized as the official State Art Museum of Florida, the Museum of Art offers 21 galleries of European paintings as well as Cypriot antiquities, Asian Art, American paintings and contemporary art. The Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing hosts a variety of traveling exhibitions throughout the year. The estate also features the Ca`d'Zan ("House of John"), a waterfront mansion that was restored in 2002; two Circus Museums featuring artifacts chronicling the history of the circus; plus a rose garden and landscaped ground overlooking Sarasota Bay. Located at 5401 Bay Shore Road in Sarasota.