As a Florida native, I have lived in South Florida and Central Florida. For me, the West coast is the best coast. Miami is great for a variety of fine dining restaurants, tons of cultural events, night life, beaches and... lots of traffic. Central Florida is more laid back, limited fine dining, cultural events and night life, more agriculture, but much less traffic. Southwest Florida is like the baby bear’s porridge in Goldilocks, it’s just right. It has fine dining & mom and pop restaurants, plenty of arts and cultural events, beaches, and limited traffic in off season. During season, the traffic increases but it is still less than Miami.  

     Venice is a quaint, beach town in Southwest Florida conveniently found near the highway and the coast. For additional restaurants, cultural events & night life you can jump on the highway and drive 30 minutes to Sarasota. There are many mom & pop restaurants here along with a few waterfront fine dining options. Venice offers many free, family friendly events that are not overcrowded along with outdoor activities. My kids love trick-or -treating downtown as the shop owners pass out candy. The Christmas parade is a town favorite, and the boat parade is a family tradition. There’s a farmer’s market on Saturday mornings downtown at the park. There are so many outdoor activities that you can do all year long, including fishing, golf, pickle ball, hiking, kayaking, and bicycling on the Legacy Trail. Venice has several venues for art, music and theater. The night life here includes live music at a beach bar or testing your wits at trivia.  The charming, historic downtown offers locally owned shops and restaurants to explore. There are miles of beautiful beaches in Venice, even one for dogs! You may not find buried treasure on the beaches, but you will find sharks teeth, a fun past time for everyone.  

          If you are looking for a laid-back lifestyle in a beach town with lots of charm, Venice just may be the place for you too.