Lido Beach

I’ve lived on Anna Maria Island, Perico Island, Bradenton, and Sarasota my entire life and LIDO beach is my favorite place to unwind.
I like it better than Siesta or the Bradenton Beaches. I’ve never had trouble finding parking, even on a summer Sunday.
I hang out in front of the pavilion where the food is wonderful and reasonably priced. I love the chicken fingers and they also have beer. Just watch out for the seagulls, they always try to steal your food. PLEASE DONT FEED THE BIRDS!
You can walk up to Lido Beach Resort’s Tiki hut and grab a bite to eat and they have a full bar. It’s much more expensive than the pavilion though.
Live music can be found at both the pavilion and Lido Beach Resort on select days and nights.
Lido Beach has Lifeguard towers too!
The sand is the same as Siesta and you don’t have to walk a mile to get to it :)

A nice, quiet beach at the end of St. Armand’s circle. I never knew it was there. The sand was positively soft and silky beneath my toes, and the water was cool on my skin. For this fine February afternoon, it was a very pleasant day. We got to watch a young child experience his first open waters, his first gulf visit and hopefully be embraced by a new love.

A beach in Florida that is easy to find! Not only do they have ample parking and a plethora of street-​to-​beach paths, you can actually SEE the beach as you drive up. It isn’t hidden behind hotels, motels, luxury condos, fences, palm trees, bushes, or walls. Signs point you to the beach, and then you ACTUALLY find it.
They have a generous concession stand location and restrooms. It is definitely beach/​public pool quality, nothing too fancy, but it gets the job done. There are also stand alone spray showers located along many of the paths so that once you are done with the beach you can rinse off your sandy bits and pieces.
There is an abundance of shells for the taking, but also soft white sand perfectly comfortable for a lazy day of sunbathing. I highly recommend some sort of footwear for the walk to the concessions, as the surrounding area is very shelly.
The shoreline is about 6 miles from end to end, and is relatively suitable for running, depending on tide and amount of people. There is also a sidewalk that stretches from the south end of Lido all the way into touristy St Armand’s Circle, and then beyond. It runs along the beach and while the view is obscured by the hotels and trees, it is an easier terrain to run on for those with cranky ankles.
Both chairs and umbrellas are available for rent, but bringing your own is just as smart. What makes this beach particularly great is that it seems to be far less crowded, even at peak snowbird season, than nearby Siesta Key. It is also much easier to get to and find parking.
The only down side is the problem that every beach has-​the birds. They are aggressive and some are willing to swoop down to catch your meal mid-​bite. If you bring food, keep it covered and in zipped bags until you are ready to eat it, otherwise it’s fair game for the wildlife.

No more shells! I promised myself not to pick any more shells but found 4 beautiful ones. The red flag was out and they have been red tide warnings. I felt a bit of a catch in my throat but nothing major. Their were rip tide signs as well but that didn’t some me from walking the beach. The water was just pristine as it came to shore. The best part was that there were not that many people. I really enjoyed it and it was just a great day!

Lido Beach. One of the best beaches you will find in Florida. So nice to walk around and there are a lot of things to do here. I love this beach because it’s never too crowded.

Great, beautiful beach located right off St. Armands Circle. The sunset was gorgeous and my evening stroll was much enjoyed on this clean beach.

Great beach and great area. Much smaller than the crowds at Siesta and you can actually get a parking spot. If the lot at the public beach pavilion is full you can always go to the south end park or even one of the side streets. The area is a mix of beach condos, small single family home beach community and big houses on the water. St Armand’s circle is nearby and a great place for some shopping when your not getting beach time.
The snack bar at the pavilion has some great food and people from all over the place for the lobster rolls on Sunday. There’s always live music at the pavilion on Sunday afternoons and you’ll get the chance to dance with the locals.
There’s three parks on Lido — south end where lots of families go for weekend picnics. They just built new bathrooms and there’s nature trails and good amount of parking. However bring your own food. The kayak park is on the bay side in the middle of the island. The mangrove kayak tour is a must. North end park is a little remote and a great walk almost up to new pass.
Beach bar at the Ritz beach club is probably the best on the island and closes around sunset. No parking there but only a 10 minute walk south from the public beach.
There’s also an outside bar at the Lido Beach resort that was just redone in the past year. Happy hour there every day and half price appetizers. They also have a bar up on the 8^th floor with great views of the north end of the island — is where a lot locals go.
Sandcastle Resort on the south end (old Helmsley) has a great Sunday afternoon crowd at the outside bar crowd with lots of free appetizers and live music.

Clean beach w great breezes. Concession stand and bathrooms close by. Umbrella and chair rentals. Beautiful beach with picnic areas. Highly recommend this beach.

Let me start by saying I have been visiting this beach since I was a small child. My aunt and uncle moved to the area in the early 70’s and my parents retired to the area. So my review is based on past and current knowledge.
I currently live near a beach in California and the sand and sunsets and terrain are so different.
What I love about this beach first.
The sand — ohhhh so soft, so white so beachy.
The water — warm — like bath water — it was 74 in April oh yeah — no wetsuit needed and clear 1 I mean see your nailpolish color and the sea air smell — not the dead fish bay smell but sea air.
The new lifeguard stands are great and the concessions and restrooms are clean and inviting
There is a guy that for a fee will drill I to the sand and set up an umbrella for the day and lounge chairs — this is a preferred option for me as I spent more time running after an umbrella flying down the beach.
Sunsets are so epic here and the sounds of kids laughing and the little fish in the water on a walk.
Now the things I have noticed since I was here in 2012. Why are people smoking cigarettes on the beach and in the water _​if you want to smoke in your own home fine — but I shouldn’t have to smell your smoke and then all the butts in the sand– at least pick up after yourself or are you so self absorbed that you don’t respect others around you.
Then the glass bottles on the beach– really??? Are you making your own sea glAss and are you sitting there until it forms
Very disappointed in the glass bottles and smoking enough to spend the last day at moms pool

My favorite beach o go to here in Sarasota. I like the others also however I love finding shells and sand dollars. This is the only beach where I have any luck. During the warmer weather I go once a week.

Spent a great sunset hour here from 5 – 6. The parking was plentiful, but it was later in the day. On the southern edge of the public beach, they were dredging or something, and had part of the beach blocked off.

Looking for a large public beach that’s raked daily, very clean and near shopping? If so this is a great choice. Lido is shy on shells due to the daily raking and if you need a public washroom you won’t find one on this beach. Otherwise. it’s a nice area.
Cheers.

This is a beautiful beach. It is a great spot to relax, swim, people watch, bird watch or collect shells.

This is an absolutely beautiful beach. We love it here. It is also conveniently close to plenty of shopping and places to eat. One of my favorite Gulf beaches.

One of the most beautiful places on earth. What a relaxing time away from it all. I love this beach. The sand is white and the water is crystal clear. I love being kissed by the sun and held by the breeze.

Absolutely loved it here. What’s not to love about the gulf!!!
What sets this beach apart from others in the area is that it has a concession stand and a POOL! I did not go in the pool, but I heard there is only a small fee to use the pool. What is better than the pool and the beach!
The parking lot will fill up fast, so come early.

What an amazing beach, it puts Siesta Key Beach to shame! You want the cool, white, powdery quartz sand, like the one in Siesta Key? You got it! You want to be in a private location, without large amounts of crowds? You got it! This is in fact a local’s secret. Its untouched seclusion once made for a popular «topless» destination. This beach is ideal for strolling, birding and quiet solitude. This is a great place to find interesting shells, there are shells galore, so if you’re a shell collector like I am, I recommend coming to this beach. Also, speaking of birding, if you like nature trails, these can also be found at the Ted Sperling Park and Nature Park at South Lido Beach. There are 2 paths to take, one of which leads to a fishing pier, and the other to a large body of water (probably also doubling as a kayak launch site). If you’re lucky, you may even get to see some birds or other wildlife. I got lucky and saw a beautiful bird among the trees as I made my leisurely walk.
After the nature walks on Ted Sperling, my friend and I headed to South Lido Beach. We enjoyed the powdery, fine sand, and the fact that the beach seemed pretty empty, even on this occasion, the 4^th of July. As we strolled from one end of the beach to almost the other end, we saw a stunningly beautiful sunset, reflecting on the water. The water felt nice to the touch as we walked on the shoreline. This extensive shoreline is suitable for walking/​jogging or just soaking up the rays.
There are plants growing in the sand, which provide a nice touch (and make for some amazing photos!), while making it welcoming for shorebirds, including a majestic blue heron. The wildlife just kept getting better as we continued walking. We observed starfish, Spanish dancers gracefully dancing in the water, and stingrays floating about. There were also turtle nests, protected by a small fenced-​in enclosure, but maybe if you’re lucky and stick around after dark, you will get to see them pitter-​patter to the shoreline. We felt we really lucked out seeing all these things in one location! There were children playing on the shore, and lots of docked boats. The lively people, some of which asked me to dance, were sitting at the picnic tables and grilling meats, lighting sparklers, and we enjoyed beautiful panoramic views of the fireworks from downtown Sarasota, as well as Siesta Key.
This is a great spot for seeing fireworks, highly recommended. I guess the locals knew this judging by the amount of people on the eastern side with their docked boats waiting for the dark, starry skies to fall. Do keep in mind that this area is known for swift currents and since there is no lifeguard on duty, you may want to ensure that your family stays close to the shore just to be on the safe side.

Lido Beach is one of my two favorite beaches (Sanibel Island is my other) in Florida! The pristine sand and crystal blue water make this beach very enticing. Another bonus is that it is one of the lesser crowded beaches in the area.
St. Armand’s Circle is just a small walk away if you need to take a break from the sun and fun for a quick bite.
Parking, of course, is limited, just like all other beaches. But, trust me, this beautiful beach is definitely worth the timely search for a parking spot.

Clean beach with white powdery sand that doesn’t stick to your feet, crystal clear blue water, Free parking and lots of beach area. What more can a beach lovin gal want! Oh, st Armand circle is one short block away. Bonus! I do love siesta key beach but hate the crowds! So please let’s just keep this beach a secret. Shhhhh!

Wonderful beach, only minutes away from St Armand’s.
White fine sand, peaceful waves, amazing sunsets.
Dig your toes in the sand, plop yourself right next to the water and watch flocks of birds and people walk or fly by.
I can sit here for hours listening to whispers of the waves, bird calls and watching sun dipping into horizon.
Quiet, relaxing and just beautiful.