Top Story - April: Vogue Magazine calls Sarasota potentially 'Florida's best kept secret'

Sarasota’s award-winning beaches, bustling downtown and emerging fine dining scene are no secret to locals and Florida tourists alike, but an April 13 Vogue Magazine article brought attention to some of the city’s lesser-known alluring aspects.

The fashion and lifestyle magazine took a break from covering glamorous international locales in articles like Look Inside This Idyllic Tuscan Resort Owned by a Ferragamo Scion and Two Luxurious Ways to Safari in Kenya to recount several reasons why this “laid-back beach town” is worth a trip.

New York City-based freelancer Christina Pérez noted many well-known Sarasota attractions such as Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Siesta Key Beach and Sarasota Museum of Art as points of interest, but she lent more details to her descriptions of the restaurants she deemed most noteworthy — two of which are not within city limits, but short drives away.

Pérez cited “the white-washed, screen-porched” Owen’s Fish Camp as having both some of the best seafood and one of the best backyards in Sarasota, and she enticed readers with the “insider tip” of heading to Indigenous to enjoy a glass of wine in the “intimate bar in the back cottage.”

She also mentioned Jack Dusty, Shore and Lila as other must-visit Sarasota restaurants, along with Casey Key Fish House in Osprey and Star Fish Company in Cortez.

Other than restaurants, Pérez also gave a shoutout to The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota as the best place to stay; Paul Rudolph’s 1953 Umbrella House and Victor Lundy’s 1958 Lutheran Church as two of the best architectural gems and Canned Ham Vintage, Tortoise & Pearl, Goodwill and Women’s Exchange as the best places to shop for vintage treasures.