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Happy Town: Sarasota
Sarasota is one of the top ten “America’s Happiest Seaside Towns 2017.” Learn about what makes this location such a great place to enjoy.
UPDATE: voting conlcuded on Saturday, October 29!
The city of Sarasota has been named one of the top 10 “America’s Happiest Seaside Towns 2017” by Coastal Living! Now it’s our turn to rally support and vote to become the happiest seaside town in America!
Vote here daily until midnight, Oct. 17. The winning town will be announced Jan. 11, 2017 and will be featured in the May 2017 issue of Coastal Living and the top towns will be featured in an online gallery.
Why have we been chosen?
The jubilation created from big circus fun never really left the city of Sarasota, even after the Ringling Bros. Circus moved elsewhere.
But maybe the seaside breeze, the white sand and the coastal blue green waters are more to blame. Maybe the “circus” fun never left — after all there is a large circus heritage and tradition that remains in Sarasota to this day. Or maybe the enormous catalogue of arts, dining, attractions and eco amenities have helped to contribute to the “at ease” sensation of vacationing in this Florida Gulf Coast destination!
Sarasota could be considered the definitive happy town. It’s smaller than major metropolitan cities: you can land on the tarmac of the Sarasota-Bradenton International airport and be looking out to the Gulf of Mexico on Lido Beach in a matter of minutes. It’s more cultural than any other city of its scale: with multiple professional theatres, a ballet, an orchestra, an opera and countless galleries and museums. There are more parks and acres of untouched Florida wilderness than you can imagine, not far outside the city limits. Finally, the local chefs come from all over the world and serve dishes that may be considered works of art themselves, often using ingredients from nearby local farms. What else could you ask for in a city our size?
Share your happy town photo! Get on instagram and post your photo using the hashtag #CLHappyTownSarasota and #CLHappyTown
Visit Sarasota County is proud to partner with The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the City of Sarasota to promote Sarasota as one of the "happiest seaside towns" in America!