The 100+-year-old city of Venice, Florida is a vibrant, ever-evolving town with rich cultural offerings and abundant natural beauty. From theater and music to sports and wildlife encounters, here’s a look at where to go and what to do in and around Venice this summer—and all year round.
Arts & Culture
From stage lights to gallery walls, creativity thrives here.
Venice Theatre is celebrating its 76th season with an exciting mix of performances. Though the full lineup has yet to be announced, auditions are underway for a diverse roster, including The Rocky Horror Show, The Sound of Music, and Winnie-the-Pooh. The theater’s longevity and community engagement make it a cornerstone of the city’s cultural scene.
Venice Performing Arts Center (VPAC) will also showcase a dynamic season of concerts and performances. Expect appearances from local groups like the Venice Concert Band, Sarasota Ballet’s annual The Nutcracker (performed with the Venice Symphony and sponsored by Venice City Lifestyle), and popular tribute acts honoring music legends such as Stevie Nicks, Billy Joel, Elton John, and Jimmy Buffett.
VPAC is home to one of only three mobile carillons in the Western Hemisphere—the 48-bell Andrew W. Crawford Memorial Carillon. The structure is fully visible during performances, with its largest bell (the bourdon) weighing in at a full ton. Five performances are scheduled, beginning with “Caroling with the Carillon” on December 17, 2025, and concluding April 9, 2026.
The Clyde Butcher Gallery offers a powerful visual exploration of Florida’s wild spaces through the lens of acclaimed photographer Clyde Butcher and his wife, Niki Butcher. Clyde’s dramatic black-and-white imagery captures the soul of the Everglades, Myakka River, and more.
The Venice Art Center, in service for over 65 years, hosts exhibitions year-round featuring both local and national artists. In addition to its galleries, it offers hundreds of classes and workshops, plus a range of art-themed events for the public.
Sports Stuff
Cheer, play, or watch—there’s plenty of action here.
CoolToday Park in North Port is the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves and a hub of year-round activity. Beyond baseball, the venue hosts concerts, happy hours, trivia nights, wine tastings, and movie screenings. Spring training usually runs from February to March, but the fun continues through all seasons.
Pickleball is booming in Venice and surrounding areas, with both public and private facilities offering courts, leagues, and lessons. The sport’s rapid growth has made it a favorite for all ages, and local communities have responded with major investments in new courts. Whether you're new to the game or a seasoned player, you’ll find plenty of ways to play or compete.
Natural Attractions
Where wild beauty and quiet wonder await exploration.
Oscar Scherer State Park, just a short drive from Venice, offers hiking, biking, paddling, and birdwatching across its 1,400+ acres. It’s a great spot to glimpse the endangered Florida scrub-jay, swim in Lake Osprey, or enjoy a shady picnic under oak canopies.
Myakka River State Park, one of Florida’s oldest and largest parks, spans over 37,000 acres of wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands. You can explore by foot, bike, airboat, or kayak, and the park’s treetop canopy walk offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding wilderness.
Venice Audubon Rookery Park, part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, is a renowned spot for birding and photography. Open daily, it features diverse bird species, nesting colonies, butterfly gardens, and educational displays in a serene, natural setting just minutes from downtown.
Explore the Region
Plan your adventures with these helpful links:
- Clyde Butcher Gallery – clydebutcher.com
- CoolToday Park – cooltodaypark.com
- Myakka River State Park – floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/myakka-river-state-park
- Oscar Scherer State Park – floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/oscar-scherer-state-park
- Venice Art Center – veniceartcenter.com
- Venice Audubon Rookery Park – veniceaudubon.org
- Venice Performing Arts Center – veniceperformingartscenter.com
- Venice Theatre – venicetheatre.org
The Sarasota Ballet’s 2025–2026 Season: A Year of Legacy, Innovation, and Celebration
The Sarasota Ballet’s 2025–2026 season promises a rich blend of historic tributes and bold new works, highlighted by three world premieres from choreographers Jessica Lang, Ashley Page, and Gemma Bond, and the return of the company to Jacob’s Pillow after a decade.
The season opens with a poetic mix of Romanticism and Sarasota-inspired movement, followed by Program Two’s literary elegance and musicality, including a rare Ashton ballet set to Rimbaud’s poetry. Program Three celebrates choreographic giants Balanchine and Ashton with three distinctive works full of technical brilliance and charm.
In Program Four, a new Bond premiere is paired with Tudor’s emotional Lilac Garden and Graziano’s whimsical Valsinhas. Program Five features the Martha Graham Dance Company in honor of its centennial.
Environmental themes and patriotic flair share the stage in Program Six, with Bintley’s Still Life at the Penguin Café and Balanchine’s rousing Stars & Stripes. The season concludes with a royal tribute in Program Seven, honoring Ashton, de Valois, and Peter Wright—with his radiant Summertide returning to Sarasota to celebrate his 100th birthday.
With seven programs spanning classical heritage and contemporary innovation, this season is a vibrant celebration of dance legacy and artistic evolution.
Sarasota Ballet’s The Nutcracker at VPAC is sponsored by Venice City Lifestyle.