In another coup for Sarasota, CNN has just ranked our city the No. 1 Best Town to Visit in the United States for 2026. This incredible distinction eclipses other notable destinations including New Haven, Connecticut; Greenville, South Carolina, and Fort Collins, Colorado.
Beyond our spectacular coastal beauty and comfortable climate, the appeal of Sarasota's world class cultural scene drove CNN's top-ranking recognition. We are perennially cited as one of the nation's best places to live for retirees and for the best beaches in the world, so it is a pleasant addition to have our incredible arts organizations welcome credit for their contributions to the favorable lifestyle that Sarasotans enjoy.
This coastal Florida town is world-class in more ways than one | Story by Terry Ward
Florida leans hard into sun, sand and surf. But Sarasota has way more more going for it than just its beautiful beaches
Sarasota County is branded as the Sunshine State’s “Cultural Coast.”
It was those cultural credentials that proved irresistible to Tammy Hauser, a 62-year-old self-described “arts person.”
Hauser was sitting at a French bakery in Sarasota enjoying a croissant when she called her daughter, back home in Minneapolis, to let her know she was moving to the Gulf Coast city.
“I said ‘I found it. I found a town that has so many interesting aspects to it. Plus, it’s beautiful, plus it’s on the water, plus it has a downtown,” recalled Hauser of the 2014 visit.
She had been looking for a town to move to with great theater, music, dance and other cultural offerings, nurtured by a supportive community. And she wanted a “smaller town with a nice central downtown Main Street area.”
There’s all of that and more in Sarasota, a mid-size city home to roughly 60,000 people, about an hour’s drive south of Tampa.
Calling Sarasota Florida’s “Cultural Coast” is no exaggeration, said Brian Hersh, CEO of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.
“I think what can surprise you is when you come down here, that there is absolutely incredible artistic excellence. Some things that you can see here, you would maybe not see anywhere else, or only see in a major metropolitan area,” said Hersh, who lived in New York City and worked at Lincoln Center before moving to Sarasota 18 years ago.
And the gorgeous beaches at Sarasota’s doorstep deliver sun, sand and surf, too.
