Great Wall Finds: Instagram-Worthy Mural Art in Sarasota

If there’s one thing Sarasota is known for beyond the beaches, it’s the arts! This mural art guide gives you the scoop on where to find the coolest murals in Sarasota so your Instagram feed is bursting with pops of color, creativity and culture.

Historic Burns Court in Downtown Sarasota 

Start your Downtown Sarasota mural hunt in the Historic Burns Court District neighborhood and you won’t be disappointed.

Photos by Tara Weber of She Needs Less

Just outside Project Coffee, you can snap shots of three murals without hardly taking a step! First up is Walls of Memory by Eduardo Kobra above the parking lot of L. Spa and Boutique. This large mural gives you a peak into Sarasota’s past with a depiction of a busy downtown street in the 1950s. It’s a perfect addition for an Instagram story montage with Sarasota’s other cultural art attractions right nearby, like Selby Gardens and Sarasota Art Museum.

Once you’ve shared it with the ‘gram, turn your head to the right and you’ll see the old-school film camera of Say Cheese! by Anat Ronan on the side of Project Coffee. Didn’t know you were having your picture taken as you were snapping photos, did you?! 

Right across Pineapple Avenue, you can't miss the psychedelic Rhapsody in Purple mural by Carlos Alberto. Somehow the longer you look at it, the bigger the butterflies, bubbles and octopus appear!

To see the final mural in our Burns Court list, head south down Orange Avenue and you can stop to admire a "Block The Haters" urban street art piece on the side of Hello Tattoo Parlor before going inside to get your own art tattooed! 

Central Downtown Sarasota

Make your way to central Downtown Sarasota by car or foot to see more unique art installations. If you head north down Pineapple Avenue, you’ll see the larger-than-life Flora Urbana and Flora Urban Pineapple murals by Danny Doya on the newly finished Mark Sarasota mixed-use building.

As you're dining or shopping along Main Street, walk past the corner of Mattison’s City Grill where you’ll spot the colorful Shop and Dine Local mural by Karen Chandler. This easy-access piece is perfect for taking photos in front of with your shopping bags to mark your moment supporting local in #Sarasota.

Just two blocks north on 2nd Street, you can see the David mural by Eric Jones on BOLD Lofts Sarasota and The Sarasota Heros mural by Karen Chandler across the street on the Sugar Suites building. This symbolic mural was commissioned as a thank-you to the essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 

When you head to the bayfront to grab a drink and bite to eat at O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill, snap a shot of your frozen drink with O’Leary’s interior tropical fruits mural in the background, or stand in front of the new underwater mural of a giant wave and octopus beside the waterfront tiki hut.

Rosemary District

You don’t have to walk far in Rosemary District to stumble upon a hand-painted mural bursting with color or inside meaning!
 

Right off Central Avenue, you’ll see the Strong in Flow, Light in Heart mural alongside The Yoga Shack. And across the street, there’s a whole row of murals alive with color, like Infinito by Diske Uno, all along Central Ave.

On Boulevard of the Arts, you’ll want to have your camera ready. Right at the intersection you’ll see the DreamLarge mural by Nick Dahill and Stanislav Mehne and if you simply look to the right you’ll see the vivid Move mural by Thomas “Detour” Evans.

Head to the left and you’re in for a treat! Just across Central Avenue on Boulevard of the Arts you’ll find Parkside SRQ, a new retail compound of local businesses. Along the white-painted brick wall of the soon-to-open Origin Craft Beer & Pizza Cafe, find a retro Hello Sunshine mural by Leo Gomez. The mural encompasses Florida's iconic palm fronds and a large-scale postage stamp. Just next door, the recently opened Great Heights Creamery has a vibrantly colored abstract mural inside to take a photo of your artisan ice cream cone in front of. 

To wrap up Rosemary District murals, stop by Boo’s Ice House & Dog Bar to see the wall-to-wall exterior mural of the most adorable puppies and palm trees, plus real-life puppies when you grab a cold one inside.

Lido Key

For a picturesque day out on Lido Beach, stop by the public pavilion for a refreshment at the concession stand before heading out onto the beach to snap a photo of the historic Famous Lido Beach Casino wall mural, painted by esteemed local artist Tim Jaeger and friends as a commemoration of the former architectural landmark.

On Lido Key's St. Armand's Circle, you can have your pick of any number of IG-worthy restaurants, but for some noteworthy artwork, head to Crab & Fin Restaurant for happy hour and snap a shot of the fun blue octopus on the outdoor dining patio, or to Prohibiton-themed restaurant Speaks Clam Bar for speakeasy-inspired murals inside and out. 

Downtown Venice

On Nassau Street in Historic Downtown Venice, there’s no shortage of selfie opportunities. Take your pic in front of a colorful coral-reef mural near the Intergenerational Children's Fountain in Centennial Park that was part of a recent Venice Area Beautification Public Art initiative to further bring the city to life. 

Then walk to the corner of Nassau Street South and Venice Avenue to get a selfie with the mural that captures the collective spirit of Venice, Florida by David Lee in a "Wish You Were Here" postcard-like display.

Downtown Wellen Park 

Prepare to see bold depictions of native Florida flora and fauna at Wellen Park Boulevard where renowned Miami muralist Ivan Roque created a stunning large-scale mural of herons, flowers and butterflies on the building that houses the new Oak & Stone restaurant and Foxtail Coffee Co in North Port's Downtown Wellen Park.

Just across the Boulevard, you’ll see local artist Laura Pommier’s mural and a feel-good selfie spot sure to garner some "likes"! Her depiction of a woman in an inner tube expertly captures the vacation vibes and sensations of a carefree day in Florida's Gulf Coast waters. Once you snap a photo to post on the 'gram, bring it to life by heading straight to the water yourself for a digital detox.