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    Bayfront Park and Marina

    4.3 (68 reviews)

    Bayfront Park and Marina Photos

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    Cindy D.

    Clean and a great addition to the area! There's a sandy area, park for the kids, seating area with a huge tv screen, walking path, and cushioned lying down area. A bridge with a beautiful view of the water and mangroves leads you from the park to Van Wezel. Bring the whole family and your dogs for a nice park day by the water.

    Jeremy J.

    This is a wonderful and beautiful park that we came across. We really liked playing here and seeing the sights and scenes. It was a great time and I would go back

    View over to Marina Jacks
    Robert C.

    Lovely waterfront park on a peninsula with walking path, benches, plenty of shaded picnic spots, small beach areas and views galore. There is also a Tiki bar and restaurant offering music on weekends Easy walk from downtown.

    Anju P.

    This park is a few minutes walk from the hotel I am staying. I wanted to come here after seeing the nice reviews in Yelp. Wow, what a beautiful park. The most part of Sarasota downtown is amazingly clean, and the park is not any different. It's beautifully maintained and is very good for taking morning/evening walks. We could get some beautiful pictures clicked too.

    John C.

    My wife and I brought our 3 little dogs here twice while staying in the area. Great place to walk with the dogs. Dog bags are provided. Plenty of shade and benches to sit on and watch the water and boats. The water fountain even had a dog bowl with a bottle filler to use. Parking is easy and the statue is a must visit. There are beach areas that the dogs can use as well. A great resting spot to just enjoy the day.

    Michelle L.

    I come to the bay front marina on Saturday mornings and on Tuesday nights for yoga. It is such a beautiful location surrounded by water, boats and grassy areas. They do day cruises out of there and there's also O'learyd tiki bar if your looking to eat and drink on the water.

    Indera H.

    We were visiting Sarasota for the weekend and while driving around saw Bayfront Park. We went on a Saturday and there was lots of free parking spaces. We also had our dog with us and decided to go for a walk since the views were beautiful and the park is definitely dog friendly. There are so many different shaded areas to sit and take in the incredible views of the water and boats. There were several families having a picnic and enjoying the afternoon. The Tiki Bar was busy with live music, and there are several other restaurants on the opposite side of the park. Definitely enjoyed our visit here.

    John B.

    This is a great place to visit and you can just walk around. Take a break from the beaches or whatever else you're doing. You can get a cocktail sit down. Find a cool spot. Watch the boats and yachts on the bay. Come in and out. Feel the breeze, the water and it's free

    Unconditional Surrender
    Stacy P.

    Fun park to explore! Enjoyed the views. Next time I'm going to stop at the restaurant. Dolphin fountain, children statue, and the Navy/Nurse statue. Look closely...little crabs by the rocks.

    Kissing Sailor..
    Adonis P.

    This spot was totally impressive. I am a "park guy". I love parks. I spend a lot of time in parks. Usually it's one of the first things I find out about a new city. After a couple months of occasionally driving by this park, we finally had time to stop and check it out. First tip: Parking is free but in GREAT DEMAND. We circled the 2 attached lots for a good 20 minutes before we gave up. It was a bit after 6p, as our plan was to watch the sunset from the park. We shot across the road into downtown and luckily found some street parking only a couple blocks away from the park. Upon walking to the park, we belatedly discovered some public parking right across the street from the park with plenty of open spaces.. Doh! The park is beautiful! Lush, green and inviting! Surrounded my both a marina and a mooring area it's a boat watchers dream. We were there Saturday evening of the holiday weekend and the noise level was surprisingly low. You could hear kids laughing and playing in the playground (really nice btw), and you could hear the music and louder convos from the cocktail bar. Yes, these a full on cocktail bar in the park! One thing that really stuck out is how clean the park is, especially considering how dog friendly it is! I must have seen 20-25 dogs there. There are free poop bag stations in case you forget yours. Lot's of benches and a couple of bench swings. Also plenty of area for you to bring your own chairs, which we did. Overall a fantastic choice for an evening stroll to watch the sunset. Or an afternoon trip for the kids. Or an early morning jog. Whatever your vibe, this park can accommodate it. If you can find a parking space that is... Bonus - don't forget to check out the giant "Kissing Sailor" statue. It's kinda cool and eerie at the same time, especially at night :)

    Marina and park!
    Nathan B.

    Sarasota has some huge buildings downtown with lots of construction and overall craziness occurring. Nestled in the heart of the craziness is this lovely little park. Lots of trees provide cool shade on a hot day. Plenty of benches provide a place to relax and reflect. There are banyan trees, picnic tables, and birds wandering around. The slight roar of the cars and the occasional squawk of a car horn reminds you that you're still in the heart of the city. Lots of people running the loop, but it doesn't seem long enough to get in a truly decent workout. But it does seem the right length for a hand-holding stroll after a dinner date. Lots of soft grassy spots where one might enjoy some yoga or HITT workouts. Lots of neat boats from all over the US to check out.

    Pleasure boat bobbing bay
    Mari M.

    Beautiful and strollable Sarasota waterfront park, where the 'Unconditional Surrender Statue,' steals the show. Great place to take photo's and grab a bite. We chose O'Leary's Tiki Bar over Marina Jacks (but will try the latter next time.) There was plenty of pay-for parking at 11.30am on a Tuesday morning; the same however, cannot be said when we left at 12.45.

    Michael R.

    This is a nice park that has a nice walking path. It is dog friendly with dog friendly restaurants scattered about. There are public bathrooms near the entrance. There are lots of boat docking all around. There are benches around the walk path. It is a nice place to rent paddle boats as a family and go out in the water. It is also a nice place for a family picnic.

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    3 years ago

    Beautiful view ,you can walk ,enjoy beautiful weather and amazing park ,trees ,sunset

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    5 years ago

    The food was super tasty, our view was amazing!! I will go again whenever I am in the area!!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Bayfront Park and Marina

    Review Highlights - Bayfront Park and Marina

    Cross the street and you are in downtown Sarasota with a multitude of restaurants and stores.

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    Payne Park

    Payne Park

    4.6(24 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    I love Payne Park…read more I do NOT like too many of the people that use it. Recently, the number of unsupervised kids that are riding their bikes, scooters, and electric do dads are inconsiderate with their use of the sidewalks, their total lack of attention to their surroundings and other people. These kids need more adult supervision and parents need to take more time teaching them manners. I also am taking exception to the growing number of pet owners that think THEIR dogs don't need to be properly trained, leashed, or picked up after. The 5 O'Clock group of owners that let their dogs off theie leads and let them just take over a section of the park is non-sense. Read the signs. That is not acceptable. On several occasions, while just walking I have been run up on by dogs showing their teeth. I stop, sayd nice doggy and then move on. But some day, if I do get bit by one of these unruly monsters, their entiled owners will owe me money they haven't even made yet. I would like to see more of a park police presence for a while to get the kids and dog owners back to being decent people. And to the people that are feeding the ducks and squirrels, STOP. Read the signs. You aren't doing the wildlife any favors by feeding them and you aren't doing the other people that use the park any favors either. Payne Park is beautiful; a great place to enjoy the out of doors and the wonderful weather in Sarasota. Kids and Pet owners don't have the right to ruin the experience for everyone else. Oh, and teenagers, we know you are smoking pot there. Move away from the popular walking areas. Your weed smell like skunk butt.

    4 stars because the bathrooms are closed currently due to a leak . But other than that this is a…read moresuper cute place to go to and bring your toddler. This park has a variety of activities / slides , tjings to climb oh and there's a skate park on the other side. Plus the trails are nice walking here.

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    Payne Park
    Payne Park
    Payne Park

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    Gillespie Park

    Gillespie Park

    4.3(3 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    This is a cool oversized neighborhood park with a good climbing area, swings, walking path, pond…read morewith water fowl, and a strange path of busts of "independence" fighters like our countries own Thomas Jefferson who apart from working lots of slaves on his properties was surely a real humanitarian.

    Has quickly become my favorite local park. Excellent neighborhood park. Very clean and looks well…read morecared for. Paved walking path throughout park. Both tennis and pickle courts. Large playground for younger kids. Exercise stations throughout park. Plenty of benches and a picnic area. Street parking. Dog friendly. Lots of waterfowl who tend to ignore pooches as long as the pooches ignore them. But don't act like you are going to feed them, you will draw a crowd! LOL The park is very well laid out with lots of natural flora and water. The old growth trees add a feeling of permanence. There is also a memorial garden with several busts of historically important individuals to the area. I love the diversity of the busts but was disappointed to not see any women represented. Either way its a charming spot. Another major plus for me is the noise level, or should I say lack of noise. This is definitely a peaceful park. No music blasting, no yelling (other than the occasional groan from the pickle courts or joyful shriek from the playground). There's even a dedicated dog park right across the street and you don't really even hear much noise from them either. It's very reflective of the neighborhood which seems to be a very peaceful, almost bohemian sort of vibe. My dog Chico and I enjoy our time there!

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    Gillespie Park
    Gillespie Park
    Gillespie Park

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    Nathan Benderson Park

    Nathan Benderson Park

    4.4(48 reviews)
    6.5 mi

    Nathan Benderson Park is beautiful, well maintained, and while there are few trees for shade,…read moreoffers great trails for walking, running, or biking. There is also a shaded playground for children, some tables and seating area, restrooms, and good parking. The water and park is also used for international rowing competitions. The trails continue around the lakes over to the Aquarium and UTC Mall. I was there at sunrise for my walking and it was beautiful.

    Watched July 3rd, 2026 fireworks here at Nathan Benderson Park. We parked by Foxtail Coffee for…read morefree, and walked over. They also had fees to park in parking lots starting at $30, but you still had to walk. The walk wasn't bad at all and luckily the rain finished and it wasn't as hot. We stayed at the part of the park before the bridge. It was a nice set up with a walking trail, grass, a few picnic tables, inside restrooms and a playground. Two or three food trucks. The other side of the park had more stuff along with the VIP area. Liked this side of the park since we could comfortably place our chairs down in the grass and be close enough to the bathrooms. The music was streamed from the other side. I didn't like it because it was orchestra and classical music the whole time. The fireworks were ok and you saw it on the distance not too far. But the music made it sleepy for me. This is just my reminder for next year. At least we had good parking, weather, seats, & clean restrooms. Line for them wasn't too bad.

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    Nathan Benderson Park
    Nathan Benderson Park
    Nathan Benderson Park - Sunrise at the park. The restrooms building is on the left. Playground and parking behind that.

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    Sunrise at the park. The restrooms building is on the left. Playground and parking behind that.

    We Rock The Spectrum - Bradenton - All padded! So many choices!

    We Rock The Spectrum - Bradenton

    5.0(4 reviews)
    10.0 mi

    We were looking for something different for my 2.5 year old son to do and came across this play…read moregym.... And it's amazing! There were children younger and older than him, all thoroughly enjoying themselves. The check in staff were very friendly. We bought a small package for while we're in town and thought the price was fair. They have lots of different areas: toddler/infants (play kitchens, small toys, blocks, etc), art (including smocks), calming room (if it's too much stimulation) and LOTS of gross motor skill activities (exercise equipment, trampoline, rock climbing wall, zip line, swings, etc). The whole gym as foam floors and there are foam pits under larger things (zip line, jungle gym, rock wall, etc). Everything seemed clean, bathrooms were clean too! There's also a large party room... what a great place for a party. They are inclusive for all kids including neuro & physical diversities.

    I am always looking for new, fun places to take my 2 1/2-year-old daughter. I am so happy to have…read morefound this play place! I am a certified school teacher, and have taught special ed in the past. I have worked with OTs for many of my students as well. It is so amazing to have all these sensory tools at your disposal at this playground. There are multiple types of swings, for toddlers and big kids alike. There is a rock climbing wall, and extremely safe, spring-less trampoline with yoga balls in it for play. There is also a zip line into a padded pit, and monkey bars with pads underneath, and tons of other activities. There is a toddler/baby area blocked off by a half wall, so they will not be overwhelmed by the activity in the main room. There are dramatic play toys there such as a kitchen, grocery store and baby dolls. My daughter surprisingly loved the car ramp! There are tons of other age appropriate toys there as well. The entire place is padded with the foam type of pads you would put underneath home workout gyms. There is a dimly lit calm down room, with a beautiful blue bubble wall, and jellyfish tent and headphones. My younger daughter is a little quieter and more cautious. She loved being there all by herself and had plenty of time to get acclimated to her surroundings. She was able to run freely around and feel confident. I would definitely recommend checking out the website to see everything that this place has to offer. You can tell that a lot of thought was put into the creation of this indoor playspace, from a very educated perspective!

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    We Rock The Spectrum - Bradenton - She usually hates swings..

    She usually hates swings..

    We Rock The Spectrum - Bradenton - Little one loves the swings

    Little one loves the swings

    We Rock The Spectrum - Bradenton - Calming room - the boys got camping stuff for Christmas so they loved this room... for a minute Lol

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    Calming room - the boys got camping stuff for Christmas so they loved this room... for a minute Lol

    Bayfront Park and Marina - parks - Updated September 2026

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