Best Scenic Drives Around Sarasota in an Exotic Car

Sarasota has plenty of pretty roads, but only a handful are actually worth driving in something with real horsepower under the hood. Here are the three routes we point renters toward most, based on what we hear back after the fact.

Ben Franklin Drive, Siesta Key

The stretch of Ben Franklin Drive running along Siesta Key Beach and down through Crescent Beach is slow by design — narrow, beach traffic, a lot of pedestrians — which is exactly why it works with a convertible. Top down, low speed, the point is the drive itself and the view, not the number on the speedometer. Early morning or just before sunset avoids the worst of the beach-day traffic.

Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key

Longboat Key's Gulf of Mexico Drive is the opposite mood — longer, straighter, lined with resort properties, golf courses and private estates rather than beach crowds. It's the drive we'd recommend if the car itself is doing more of the talking: a Rolls-Royce Dawn or a Cullinan feels right at home here, gliding past the Longboat Key Club rather than fighting for parking.

Tamiami Trail South to Venice

If you've got a half-day and want an actual drive rather than a loop, Tamiami Trail (US-41) south from Sarasota through Osprey and Nokomis into downtown Venice is a solid pick. Less beach traffic than Siesta Key, a proper destination at the end (Venice Island's downtown is walkable and has good lunch options), and enough open road in between to actually feel a V10 or twin-turbo V8 stretch its legs within the speed limit.

Whichever route you pick, we deliver the car to wherever you're starting from — hotel, rental house, or straight off a flight into SRQ — so the drive can start the moment you're ready.