Island Park at Sarasota Bayfront

This park has more names than Sarasota has gay bars. It's know as Island Park, Bayfront Park, Google Island and our personal favorite, Gayfront Park (OK we made that last one up). No matter what you call it, this fabulous waterfront park has something for everyone. It's Sarasota's version of Central Park, sans the crime and falling branches.

With beautiful views in every direction, Island Park is ideal for leisurely strolling, jogging or inline skating. The grassy areas are perfect for a picnic, sunbathing or reading a book. This is really some of the very best Sarasota has to offer. Also, be sure to check out O'Leary's Tiki Bar & Grill, which is a great place to enjoy a beer as the sun dips below the horizon.

So what's so gay about Island Park anyway? Well for starters, each year Island Park hosts Embracing Our Differences®, an international outdoor art exhibit intended to demonstrate in a positive way that diversity enriches our lives.  The mission of Embracing Our Differences® is to use art as a catalyst for creating awareness and promoting, throughout our community, the value of diversity, the benefits of inclusion and the significance of the active rejection of hatred and prejudice.

Island Park was named the number one attraction in 2007 by city officials. Sarastota bureaucrats are known for being out of touch (like when they changed the name of Ringling Bridge without telling anyone, then changed it back after public outcry), but this time they had their fingers on the pulse of Sarasota.