Siesta Beach(Siesta Key Beach)

Located on Siesta Key in Florida’s Sarasota County, Siesta Beach – also known as Siesta Key Beach and Siesta Key Public Beach – is a large and popular beach with white sand.  This beach was named as the best beach in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice awards in 2020.  It was also listed as the 9th best beach in the world by TripAdvisor in 2024, and it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.   

The beach is open between 6 am and 10 pm.

Siesta Beach usually has lifeguards between Memorial Day through Labor Day, between 10 am and 6:45 pm.  In addition, the beach and the area around it offer many other amenities including concession stands, barbecue sites, a walking trail, a pavilion, pickleball courts, picnic areas, restrooms, a children’s playground, tennis court, a volleyball court, and rental facilities for water sporting equipment, beach chairs, and umbrellas.  

Dogs are not allowed here. 

Siesta Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, fishing, swimming, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, volleyball, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, wakeboarding, paddleboarding, boating, jet-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.  

This beach is ideal for beginner swimmers, kayakers, canoers, and paddleboarders because the clear and shallow water here offers gentle waves – this beach is a popular swimming site in summers.  In addition, surfers also visit here on very rare occasions because the water here sometimes offers Siesta Key surfing waves.  In addition, this beach is also popular with scuba divers and snorkelers.  There is a fantastic diving and snorkeling site near the southern end of the beach – this site is called “Point of Rocks'' and you can see many kinds of aquatic animals here. 

If you like taking Siesta Beach photos with Instagram-worthy views of the Siesta Key shoreline and the Gulf of Mexico, particularly during sunset.  

If you like parties and live music, there is a nightclub near the beach named the Beach Club Siesta Key that offers amazing live music performances and a festive environment.

Siesta Beach offers a wheelchair-friendly mobility mat for visitors with disabilities – in addition, it also offers beach wheelchairs for visitors with disabilities.  The beach wheelchairs here are available at a concession stand between 9 am and 4 pm – you can contact the Sarasota County ADA Coordinator through phone at (941) 861-5000 for more information regarding using the beach wheelchairs here.

Getting to Siesta Beach is easy – the beach is located near 948 Beach Road and is easily accessible from the Tamiami Trail, which is a part of the United States Highway 41.  There is a large free parking lot near the beach.  However, we recommend visiting this beach early between January and April because the parking lot here often fills up quickly.

Geologists have stated that the sand here is millions of years old and is primarily composed of quartz.  This sand has its origins in the Appalachian Mountains – it was deposited around the beach by rivers flowing down from the mountains into the Gulf of Mexico.  In addition, this beach also hosts many fun events including an annual sand sculpting competition called Siesta Key Crystal Classic and a fun weekly event named the Siesta Key Drum Circle.  In addition, there is also a pavilion near the beach that was designed by the renowned local architect Edward John "Tim" Seibert. was designed by the renowned local architect Edward John "Tim" Seibert. 

There are many attractions near Siesta Beach within a 25-minute drive.  Phillippi Estate Park is a waterfront recreational park that has a historic mansion named Edson Keith Mansion – this park also has many amenities including bike trails, canoe launch facilities, picnic areas, restrooms, a playground, fishing piers, a gazebo, benches, and hiking trails.  Oscar Scherer State Park is a 1,381-acre state park that offers many fun activities including swimming, fishing, picnicking, biking, picnicking, hiking, wildlife watching, and camping.  This state park has many things to explore including mangrove forests, a creek, a beach named Oscar Scherer State Park Beach, and a nature center.  Red Bug Slough Preserve is a nature preserve that offers many amenities including a fishing pier, a playground, restrooms, benches, and picnic areas – this preserve has a pet-friendly area and it also offers a fun wildlife watching experience.  This preserve offers an interesting insight into the local biodiversity.  The Downtown Sarasota Campus of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is dedicated to the preservation and study of epiphyte plants including orchids and bromeliads.  The gardens’ premises also have a children’s rainforest garden, a glass-house conservatory, a plant shop, and a historic mansion named the Christy Payne Mansion.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, the Sarasota Art Museum has many interesting artistic exhibits – the museum primarily exhibits artworks from the 20th and the 21st centuries and it also offers a gift shop and a picnic area.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Siesta Beach.  Siesta Key Oyster Bar is a popular restaurant and bar that offers many amazing dishes including burgers, seafood, sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, soups, and salads – it also offers live music performances.  Ophelia’s on the Bay is a waterfront restaurant that offers amazing New American dishes with international culinary influences – it has also been praised by many publications including the Zagat Guide and Gourmet and Sarasota magazines.  Captain Curt's Crab & Oyster Bar – Siesta Key  is known for serving excellent seafood and it serves amazing clam chowder - this restaurant also offers live entertainment.  Yoder’s Restaurant and Amish Village is a 20-minute drive away and it is known for serving excellent fried chicken – it also offers amazing breakfast dishes, salads, sandwiches, seafood, and burgers and was also featured in the Travel Channel TV show Man V. Food.  The Hub Baja Grill offers amazing dishes with Latin American influences including burritos, sandwiches, tacos, wraps, chimichangas, and salads - this restaurant also offers live music performances.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Dutch Valley Restaurant serves delicious breakfast dishes, sandwiches, burgers, pork chops, steaks, seafood, and chili – in addition, the restaurant also serves excellent Greek, American, and Mexican dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Siesta Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota is 20 minutes away by car and it offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a bar, a lounge, a gym, a spa, an 18-hole golf course, a pool, a convenience store, a gift shop, and a game room.  The 4-Star The Residences on Siesta Key Beach – also unofficially called Hyatt Residence Club Sarasota Siesta Key Beach – offers many amenities including a pool with a cafe and poolside cabanas, a sun terrace, a firepit, a gym, bike loaner facilities, a hot tub, a fire pit, rental facilities for movies and video games, spa services, and barbecues grills.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Tropical Breeze Resort that offers many amenities including two pools, a garden with shaded sitting areas, barbecue areas, and rental facilities for bikes, watersports equipment, and beach chairs.  Siesta Sands Beach Resort is another amazing accommodation option that offers many amenities including two pools, multiple barbecue areas, a fitness center, and a TV room.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Siesta Key Palms offers many amenities including tiki huts, barbecue grills, fire pits, a sundeck, bike rental facilities, an activity deck, multiple pools, and a game room.  Another great accommodation option is staying in a nearby vacation rental property – a great vacation rental property here is the Siesta Sun Beach Villas.