Greater Venice Area

A World of Cultural Pursuits

The greater Venice area offers something for everyone. Music lovers will enjoy Venice Symphony, an outstanding professional orchestra based in an expansive, newly constructed building dedicated to the performing arts.

Venice Theatre, the third largest community theater in the U.S. (largest per capita), offers live theater performances and other forms of entertainment on its large main stage and the more intimate Pinkerton Studio. It also provides educational classes for both young and old.

Venice Art Center is the oldest and largest art center on Florida's Gulf Coast. Its large, active organization provides a gallery for talented local artists as well as classes in a wide variety of artistic techniques.

Venice also sponsors many outdoor concerts, and is home to several venues for weekly live jazz and other types of musical events.

Beautiful Beaches

Along the sun-drenched coastline of Venice, there are approximately 15 miles of beaches with excellent, modern facilities running from the North Jetty to Stump Pass State Park. Popular beach-goer spots include: Venice Beach, Service Club Park and Beach (with the Venice Fishing Pier), Brohard Beach with its Paw Park (dogs welcome), and Caspersen, Manasota, Englewood, and Stump Pass beaches, where fossil shark teeth can be readily found.

Bicycle and Hiking Trails and Local Parks

The Venice area is extremely bike-friendly. It has an extensive network of roads with bicycle lanes, plus areas dedicated to pedestrians and bicycles.

Legacy Trail is a 10-mile paved trail between Venice and Sarasota with its own pedestrian bridge over U.S. 41 and scenic bridges over waterways and inlets. This trail connects at its south end to Venetian Waterway Park. Whether you are a cycling pro or a novice, you will delight in the magnificent pairing of the beauty of nature with the exhilaration of fitness through Florida's Gulf Coast.

Venetian Waterway Park has two five-mile bicycle/walking trails, one on each side of the Intracoastal Waterway. The east trail ends in Shamrock Park and Nature Center. The west trail connects downtown Venice with Caspersen Beach Park.

Oscar Scherer State Park offers 15 miles of trails which provide opportunities for hiking, bicycling and viewing wildlife. Canoeists and kayakers can paddle along South Creek, a blackwater stream that flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Canoe and kayak rentals are available. Freshwater and saltwater fishing are available along the creek. The park has full-facility campsites and picnic areas.