Casey Key

The narrow island of Casey Key is one of Sarasota’s hidden gems, an isolated and exclusive enclave just off the sleepy mainland town of Nokomis. Casey Key is a perfect destination for someone who wants to bicycle the nearby Legacy bike trail in the morning, beachcomb amid natural beauty in the afternoon and then head to an authentic waterfront fish house for dinner. The Casey Key beach, which has coarse sand and mounds of broken shells, is one of the best places to hunt for prehistoric shark teeth in the Venice area. There are miles of beach to walk, with few people beyond the public Casey Key beaches. A skinny 8-mile long barrier island between Venice and Sarasota, Casey Key has one road — a narrow twisting lane through a residential neighborhood of spectacular Gulf-front mansions. Part of what makes Casey Key appealing is what it doesn’t have: tall buildings, commercial development, lots of roads.