Longboat Key
Longboat Key, Florida Longboat Key, Florida stretches eleven miles along the coast of Sarasota, flanked on one side by the gorgeous blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and on the other by beautiful Sarasota Bay. As much an international destination as it is a beloved favorite among visitors and residents from all over the U.S., Longboat Key's span crosses through both Sarasota and Manatee Counties.
Southern access to the island is from the bridge at Lido Key, and northern access is at Bradenton Beach in Manatee County.
This magnificent length of shoreline got its first road courtesy of circus magnate John Ringling in 1925. Originally, it extended only from New Pass at the southernmost tip to the Manatee County line, but Ringling envisioned a beautifully landscaped boulevard that would run the full length of the barrier island. Today's Gulf of Mexico Drive is the magnificently landscaped thoroughfare that Ringling had imagined to run the full length of Longboat Key. It winds past splendid homes and condominiums, lush greenways and parks, hidden driveways and side streets, yacht basins and captivating stretches of the Gulf of Mexico.
Home to approximately 8,000 residents, Longboat Key offers all the amenities Sarasota is known for - beaches, boating, golf, tennis and fine dining.
Tennis and golf enthusiasts will appreciate first class facilities on the island. Longboat Key is the only barrier island in the Sarasota area with a golf course. The Longboat Key Club is a private club consisting of tennis and 45 holes of golf.
