Guide to Venice vacation rentals

Venice is one of the few cities on Florida's west coast that is not separated from the Gulf by a barrier island. For the visitor wishing to spend leisure hours enjoying the sun and sand, Venice provides a good variety of public beaches. Whether your preference is a primitive beach in its natural state, or a developed beach with all of the amenities, the choice is yours.

Venice’s beaches include Casperson Beach, Service Club Park, and Venice Beach. There is also a paw park at Brohard Beach, where your dog is welcome. Venice is known as the Shark Tooth Capital of the World and this is a favored activity when at the beach. In nearby Nokomis, visit Nokomis Beach, a 22 acre beach park that houses a boat launching dock, a sprawling beach, and plentiful picnic tables and sites to set up a nice afternoon family picnic, or North Jetty Park.

Venice ensures you have plenty of recreational opportunities in addition to visiting its beaches. A great place to start your day, unwind after a long day, or just enjoy time with friends is on one of Venice's many picturesque golf courses. The city operates six public tennis courts, well-lit for evening play, in downtown Venice and two at the Pinebrook Recreation Center. Fishing and boating also vie for the visitor’s time. Venice’s pier is a popular place to drop in a line, or head out to the intracoastal waterway and “snook alley.” Fishing guides and charters, as well as boat rentals, are available so you can enjoy the waters around Venice.

Preserving the original character of Venice has been successful, as you will see as you stroll the streets of its quaint downtown. When visiting historic downtown Venice, shoppers will find a rich variety in the colorful shops along Venice, Tampa and Miami Avenues, housed in restored buildings of 1920s vintage now on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Venice has been designated as a Florida Main Street City due to its preservation of the northern Italian renaissance style of the city's original architecture.

From the seafood for which the sunshine state is famous to the best in international cuisine, the range of dining experiences in the Greater Venice Area is impressive. Steaks, seafood, barbecue, Mexican, Italian, German, English, Cuban, Indian, Chinese, deli, and down home, whatever the fare, you can find it in Venice.

The arts and culture thrive in this city. The Venice Symphony’s concert season runs from January through April. The local theater company, Venice Little Theater, entertains with full-scale musicals, one-act plays, other stage productions, and a summer children's theater, and the Venice Art Center is open year-round for exhibitions, classes and the sale of original artwork. Arts and crafts festivals are held throughout the year.

To the north is the quiet community of Nokomis. You won’t find lots of high rises and strip malls here – it’s a gem. Osprey is a diverse community with multi-million dollar homes located on the Intracoastal Waterway and mobile home parks just up the road from the same luxury homes. Parrish is another inviting small community and home to the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum.

Round out your vacation with an easy day trip to the Sarasota or Bradenton areas.