Warm weather, stunning beaches, and exciting destinations are some of the reasons why Sarasota appeals to those looking to retire. If you’re searching for a great place to spend your golden years in Florida, Sarasota is a top choice. What are the best Sarasota Retirement Communities?
The Oaks Club is a premier retirement community that offers a distinctive coastal lifestyle. Artistry Sarasota features modern architecture, while Whispering Sands combines beachside experience with low-maintenance living.
Learn why Sarasota is a favorite retirement destination, including the best neighborhoods. We also grouped the communities based on ambiance, style, and sceneries.
Why Retire in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, a Florida Gulf Coast city, embodies the Spanish origin of its name – a place for dancing. With its inviting beaches and energetic arts scene, the city has been a potent magnet for people looking to retire.
However, the city that hugs the Gulf of Mexico offers more than a fantastic backdrop.
Ranked Number 1
According to US News and World Report, Sarasota is the best place to retire in the US for 2020 and 2021.
Factors that earned the city the top spot include healthcare, housing affordability, tax rate, and the overall happiness of residents.
Award-Winning Beaches
Sarasota’s 35-mile coastline has six keys with soft sand and spectacular sunsets.
- Lido Key has three beaches offering distinct experiences, both secluded and lively.
- Venice Beach is atop a fossil layer of ancient relics waiting for you to explore.
- Manasota Key’s four beaches have dunes and lush mangroves.
- Longboat Key is in a quaint downtown district.
- Siesta Key’s three beaches are among the best in the US.
- Casey Key is home to Sarasota’s oldest public beach, Nokomis.
Great Schools
Earning thumbs up from US News and World Report Best Schools in America, many Sarasota County Schools have made their marks in education.
Pine View High School is the second-best across Florida. Bay Haven Elementary is rated as an ‘A’ school by the Florida Department of Education.
Home to Millionaires
About 17,000 millionaires live in Sarasota, including Stephen King, Rosie O’Donnell, and Terry Bradshaw.
Florida’s First Golf Course
J. H. Gillespie, the Father of Sarasota, built the city’s first roads and jumpstarted its tourism industry. In 1886, he also constructed two golf holes, then opened Florida’s first golf course in 1906.
What Is The Best Part of Sarasota To Live In?
Sarasota’s famous white and sandy beaches have attracted retirees and tourists alike to this part of Florida.
If you’re looking to experience Florida’s eclectic culture mixed with refined urban living, here are some best neighborhoods in Sarasota.
Laurel Park
Laurel Park is among the most walkable neighborhoods in Sarasota. This downtown Sarasota neighborhood has bungalows and multi-unit apartments in Mission, Colonial, and Mediterranean revival styles.
Lakewood Ranch
Spanning over 17,500 acres, half of this neighborhood is designated as recreation areas and open spaces. It has a world-class polo club, an acclaimed golf course, plus walking and biking trails.
Lakewood Ranch offers an average purchasing price of $380,000. The rent average is less than $2,200.
Indian Beach Sapphire Shores
This neighborhood of historic mansions and single-family homes is located near the Ringling estate in the greater Sarasota area.
It’s home to Ringling College of Art Design and New College of Florida, with an average purchase price of $315,000.
12 Best Sarasota Retirement Communities
Our top choices for the best retirement communities in Sarasota, Florida, are as follows:
- Bahia Vista Estates
- The Oaks Club
- LakeRidge Falls
- Artistry Sarasota
- Strathmore Riverside Villas
- Cascades
- Whispering Sands
- Woodside Terrace
- Arietta
- Siesta Harbor
- Aviva Senior Living
- The Fountains at Lake Pointe Woods
The following retirement communities in Sarasota ensure that you make the most of your retirement. We categorized the neighborhoods and highlighted each community’s perks.
Luxurious Communities
1. Bahia Vista Estates
Bahia Vista is among the best-manufactured home communities on Florida’s west coast.
You can host events or attend community activities at the clubhouse, tee at golf courses, or do some aqua aerobics on the on-site heated swimming pool.
Residents have easy access to educational and cultural venues like the Mote Marine Laboratory and the Ringling Museum of Art.
2-bedroom homes range from 550 square feet to about a thousand, costing $40,000 to $95,000.
2. The Oaks Club
One of the premier retirement communities in Sarasota, The Oaks Club offers enhanced club amenities and a distinctive coastal lifestyle while retiring in southwest Florida.
Its refined outdoor space blends natural distancing with delightful social connections. The clubhouse has two outdoor terraces highlighting the amenity’s front and back lawns.
Apart from a new croquet court and four pickleball courts, the community has 36 golf holes enjoyed by residents of diverse playing skills.
Giving you a refined dining experience is Executive Chef James Pampinella, recipient of America’s Healthiest Clubs’ Most Influential award for his organic club garden.
Gated Neighborhoods
3. LakeRidge Falls
This gated community is among Sarasota’s hidden gems tucked north of University Park on Tuttle Avenue.
Across its 170 acres are a preserve area, 16 scenic lakes, and wide paved walking paths shared by three different neighborhoods.
Stirling Falls has 151 detached single-family homes, Victoria Falls has 110 duplex villas, and Sandstone Falls with 138 garden villas styled into quads and 6-plex units.
Apart from a recently renovated clubhouse, LakeRidge Falls’ grand salon can accommodate large events, with a pass-through window from the kitchen.
Wi-Fi access is free at the pool annex building, which houses a library, computer stations, and billiard tables.
There’s a heated resort-style pool, a spa, and its own lakeside beach. You’re also just 15 minutes away from Lido and Siesta Keys beaches. At LakeRidge, you’re also close to popular attractions like Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Selby Botanical Gardens.
4. Artistry Sarasota
Among the best retirement communities in Sarasota is this gated neighborhood that focuses on fitness and relationships.
Its spacious homes feature modern architecture with scenic water views, giving you a blend of city convenience with small-town living.
The clubhouse has a resort-style pool, yoga (view on Amazon) studio, and a multi-purpose sports court, surrounded by miles of walkways through natural preserves.
There are 13 unique floorplans at Artistry Sarasota. Ranging from 2 to 5-bedroom open-concept designs, you can personalize your home with Kolter Homes’ Flex Options and on-site Design Gallery.
Condo Living
5. Strathmore Riverside Villas
This vibrant neighborhood is among the best retirement communities in Sarasota that offer a plethora of amenities for its senior residents.
The geothermally heated pool is a favorite, and there’s a wide selection of books at the clubhouse library. Dock your boat at the marina and easily access the intra-coastal waterway.
This community is at the intersection of Clarke and Swift roads, so you’re near downtown Sarasota and necessities like groceries, hardware, and pharmacy.
There are over 300 single-story, duplex-style condominiums at Strathmore Riverside Villas.
Single-Family Homes
6. Cascades
The Cascades has a 25,000-square-foot clubhouse where you can engage in full-time activities while mingling with other active adults. Apart from a fitness center, pools, and sports courts, It also has an arts and crafts studio with two kilns.
In support of your active lifestyle, the Cascades has a full-time tennis director and social clubs that cater to interests like pottery, dancing, travel, and karaoke.
Beachfront
7. Whispering Sands
One of the best Sarasota, Florida, retirement communities, Whispering Sands, combines beachside living experience with low-maintenance homes.
Situated along the 900-foot stretch of Siesta Beach’s white sands, this neighborhood offers leisure beach walks, basking under the sun, or swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Along the beach are tiki huts and outdoor grills where you can mingle with other residents.
Whispering Sands maintain a tropical landscape with a large natural lagoon, outdoor heated pools, and community clubhouses.
Almost 300 resale homes in this community range from 1,200 to 2,800 square feet.
8. Woodside Terrace
Woodside Terrace is among the Sarasota Retirement Communities that lets you live in a city but are still close to beaches.
It’s a friendly and social neighborhood close to the Siesta Key amidst state parks, shops, and cultural destinations.
Woodside Terrace promotes a low-maintenance lifestyle, with a community clubhouse to host your events, meetings, and social gatherings.
There are over 50 condominiums and attached villas in Woodside Terrace.
Resort-Style
9. Arietta
The Arietta lifestyle promises independent living as you embark on new adventures in your senior years.
The resort-like amenities encourage you to live life with passion, with homes that cater to the lifestyle and comfort that you desire.
This community has expansive sun decks, a coffee bar and lounge area, and a meditation room. There are poolside grilling stations by the sparkling pool and a demonstration kitchen that serves continental breakfast.
Harmony, Crescendo, and Symphony floorplans range from 900 to 1,500 square feet, with one to two bedrooms or a den.
10. Siesta Harbor
Siesta Harbor is among the Sarasota, Florida, Retirement Communities that offer its residents resort-style living while having beach access.
There are deep-water boating docks and a fishing pier, plus the Siesta Key Intracoastal Waterway is within your backyard.
The community’s clubhouse has an aerobics studio with cardiovascular equipment. The kitchen caters to community events, and there’s a multi-purpose room for social gatherings.
Outdoors, you can do laps in the pool, soak in the spa, or lounge on the patio. There also are three sports courts and a barbecue area.
Continuing Care
11. Aviva Senior Living
Among the Sarasota Retirement Communities, Aviva Senior Living is the only single-site, non-profit senior residential community that offers continuing care.
Its park-like campus is an intimate environment that offers enriching activities like watercolor painting, Thai Chi exercise classes, and strolls along protected natural walking paths.
Your housing options include studio apartments, 1-bedroom, or 2-bedroom apartments with companion suites.
Aviva Senior Living offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care cost packages.
12. The Fountains at Lake Pointe Woods
This community at Lake Pointe Boulevard has 53 acres of tropically landscaped grounds that feature a heated outdoor pool, a fishing lake, and a gardening area.
Choose among 1 to 3-bedroom apartments, cottages, or brand new Villas. Your meals are served restaurant-style with optional wine service.
It offers course schedules for body-toning and mind-expanding at WaterMark University, plus skilled nursing services at The Springs, operated by Summit Care, a Florida firm. It focuses on personalized quality care for residents.
Conclusion: 12 Best Sarasota Retirement Communities
To review, here are excellent choices for Sarasota retirement communities:
- Bahia Vista Estates
- The Oaks Club
- LakeRidge Falls
- Artistry Sarasota
- Strathmore Riverside Villas
- Cascades
- Whispering Sands
- Woodside Terrace
- Arietta
- Siesta Harbor
- Aviva Senior Living
- The Fountains at Lake Pointe Woods
Sarasota is on several ‘best’ lists because it’s a fantastic place to work, play, and raise a family. More importantly, the local government recognizes and values the needs of its retirees, consequently making Sarasota the Best Place to Retire in the US for two years in a row.
From the city’s beautiful beaches and year-round warm temperatures to its array of choices for dining, shopping, or exploring interests, it’s a magical experience that can turn any vacation into a desire to set down roots at Sarasota during your retirement years.