Rainy day in Sarasota? Or maybe it’s August and stepping outside feels like walking into a sauna. Either way, sometimes you just need a good indoor plan.
The good news is we’ve got plenty of options around here. Museums, arcades, escape rooms, art-house cinemas, taprooms, and a few spots you might not have thought of.
Here’s my rundown of the best indoor activities across the Sarasota area.
Explore a Museum (or Aquarium)
Museums are the classic rainy-day move, and ours are genuinely good.
The Ringling is the heavyweight. It’s a 66-acre estate with a major art museum, the gilded Ca’ d’Zan mansion, and a circus museum with an enormous miniature circus model. Parts of the estate are outdoors, but the indoor galleries alone can fill an entire afternoon.
Over at UTC, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium recently opened a brand new three-story aquarium. It’s fully indoor, with sharks, sea turtles, and interactive exhibits built by actual marine scientists.
If you want something quieter, the Sarasota Art Museum shows rotating contemporary exhibitions in a beautifully converted old high school. There’s a solid bistro for lunch, and admission is free on second Sundays.
Lastly, don’t sleep on The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in downtown Bradenton. It’s the largest natural history museum on the Gulf Coast, with a 50-foot planetarium dome and a rehabilitation habitat where you can watch rescued manatees. Just note they’re closed on Mondays.
Catch a Show
It’s a great way to spend an evening indoors, and we’re spoiled for choice here.
The Van Wezel seats 1,700 and hosts Broadway tours, touring concerts, and high-profile acts. Asolo Rep stages classics, new works, and musicals over on the Ringling campus.
Florida Studio Theatre is another favorite. They spread new plays, cabaret, and improv across five intimate downtown stages. The cabaret shows with table seating are a fun change of pace.
The Sarasota Opera House is worth a night out for the restored 1926 building alone. And if you’d rather laugh than clap politely, McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre brings touring national headliners to an intimate showroom with a full bar.
Hit the Arcade (or the Lanes)
Big, loud, air-conditioned, and endlessly entertaining.
Arcade Monsters is the standout. It’s a retro arcade bar with 100+ free-play games, pinball, and craft beer. Works equally well as a date night or a rainy afternoon with the kids.
Bowlero Gulf Gate covers the bowling side with 40 lanes, plus an arcade, a sports bar, and weekly specials. And Livingston’s Amusements is the old-school family option with arcade games, mini golf, go-karts, bumper boats, and batting cages.
For a throwback night, Astro Skate in Bradenton has been rolling since 1984. It’s a classic roller rink with an arcade, bounce houses, and a cafe. Lace up for a public skate session and you’ll feel like a kid again.
Get Active Indoors
If you’d rather burn some energy while you’re stuck inside, you’ve got options.
Hexrock is the big new arrival. Sarasota’s first true climbing gym opened this summer with 14,000 square feet of climbing surface, from bouldering to lead climbing, plus yoga classes, a sauna, and a coffee bar.
Sky Zone covers the trampoline park category with dodgeball courts, a ninja course, and a zip line. The kids will sleep well that night.
And yes, you can even ice skate in Florida. Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex up by the outlet mall has two NHL-size rinks with public skate sessions.
Play a Round of Indoor Golf
Too hot (or too wet) for 18 holes? Sarasota’s indoor golf scene has quietly gotten good.
Golf Therapy Club in east Sarasota is a seriously nice setup. The simulator bays are roomy, and the lounge seating between them makes it easy to settle in for a session with friends. Members pay $19.99 a month for 24/7 access and cheaper hourly rates, while non-members can book during staffed hours at a higher rate.
NXGEN Golf is another option with Trackman studios in two spots, one on Bee Ridge and one out by Lakewood Ranch, for practice sessions, lessons, and virtual rounds.
Turn the Kids Loose at a Play Center
Parents, these are for you. When it’s pouring and the kids are bouncing off the walls, let them bounce off someone else’s.
Kids Empire in Bradenton is a giant indoor playground with a multi-level maze, winding slides, and a dedicated toddler zone. The Flock SRQ takes the opposite approach: a cozy playhouse and social club in Sarasota designed for ages 4 and under, with sensory classes and a strong parent community.
Jump Jump Multiverse in Sarasota covers ages 1 to 9 with themed play zones, a family chillout area, and famously over-the-top birthday packages. Yes, that includes glamping sleepovers.
And Lakewood Ranch Play Cafe nails the formula: an indoor playground for the kids and a real coffee shop for you. It opened this year and reservations are recommended.
Book an Escape Room
An escape room is a perfect 60-90 minute outing. Long enough to feel like a real activity, short enough to pair with dinner afterwards.
Evasive Escape Rooms is the local standout. Their rooms are story-driven and immersive, and their horror experience even earned an award nomination. Mysterium mixes traditional escape rooms with multiplayer VR games and an arcade bar, which helps when your group can’t agree on one thing.
Escapology (a national chain with a Kids Mode) and Escape Room Sarasota (the area’s longest-running venue) round out the field.
Catch a Movie
For mainstream releases, CMX CineBistro near Siesta Key lets you order dinner right to your seat. Regal Hollywood downtown is your standard multiplex.
If indie or foreign films are more your thing, the Sarasota Film Society runs two cinemas: the small, beloved Burns Court Cinemas downtown and Lakewood Ranch Cinemas out east.
Get Creative
Want to actually make something with your indoor day?
The Candle Pour on Main Street lets you blend a custom scent from over 100 fragrances and pour your own candle. Sarasota Clay Company offers wheel throwing and handbuilding classes, including date-night sessions. And The Makery is the beginner-friendly option, with classes in everything from pottery wheel to macrame.
Shop 'Til You Drop
For a day of genuinely indoor shopping, The Mall at UTC is the go-to. Two levels, full air conditioning, a food court, sit-down restaurants, and a mix of national brands and local stores.
It’s also the only enclosed mall in the area, which is why you’ll find half of Sarasota strolling laps there in August.
Grab a Pint
Our brewery scene keeps growing, and the taprooms double as social hubs.
Big Top Brewing has a spacious taproom with regular trivia nights and live music. Sun King Brewing brought its Indiana-based craft beer here in 2022 and keeps a lively rotation on tap. And Calusa Brewing is a local favorite with a modern taproom and hop-forward beers.
Linger Over a Coffee
Sometimes a rainy day just calls for a slow morning at a coffee shop.
Of Kors Cafe is a cozy European-style café. Perq Coffee Bar is a specialty coffee mainstay on Hillview. And Breaking Wave Coffee is a local favorite for quality coffee in a relaxed setting.
Sip Cocktails in a Hotel Lobby
This one’s a bit of a local secret. Our upscale hotels have bars and lounges that are open to the public, and they’re a step up from your typical restaurant bar.
The St. Regis Bar at the St. Regis Longboat Key is the showpiece. It’s arguably the most upscale resort in the area, and they keep up the St. Regis tradition of sabering a champagne bottle nightly at 6pm.
The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota also has a polished lobby bar with bayfront views. And The Resort at Longboat Key Club offers waterfront cocktail lounges with a quieter, resort feel.
Treat Yourself to a Spa Day
If you’d rather escape the weather entirely and come out feeling better than when you went in, there are options at every price point.
Spa Experience Siesta Key offers a full menu of massages, facials, and body treatments. Evolve Wellness Spa focuses on wellness treatments from massage to infrared sauna. And if you’re going all out, The Ritz-Carlton Spa is a full-service resort spa with a relaxation lounge.
Hit the Library
Our libraries aren’t just for books. They’re genuinely nice public spaces with free WiFi, events, and kids’ programming.
Selby Public Library downtown is the flagship, complete with a maker space. The Gulf Gate and Fruitville branches run weekly storytimes and a full calendar of community events. And the Lakewood Ranch Library covers the east side with LEGO clubs, craft workshops, and summer reading programs.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Whatever the weather’s doing out there, you’ve got options.
And if you want to know what’s happening around town this week, check out our events calendar or subscribe to the newsletter below. We’ll keep you in the loop.