Author: Karen Harrell

Each winter Sarasota/Bradenton and the surrounding communities swell with retirees and other cold-weather warriors seeking culture, sunshine and a sense of community.
Located between Tampa/St. Pete to the north and Ft. Myers south, this stretch of the Florida Gulf Coast is served by an international airport that quickly transports cold and winter-weary travelers to sunny south Florida.
The area is perhaps best-known as the home of the world-famous Ringling Brothers Circus. In the 1920s, John Ringling and his wife Mable made Sarasota their winter home on beautiful Sarasota Bay and completed construction on the Museum of Art in 1931. Ringling left the Museum of Art to the people of Florida upon his death in 1936 and that served as a major driver for the area’s strong cultural heritage evident today.

Home to world-class medical facilities, universities and banking, Tampa lives large but is a small city surrounded by unique communities such as Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor and Dunedin. It’s proximity to the white-sand Gulf Coast beaches make it a desirable winter home for many northern visitors.