About Venice Florida
Venice By the Numbers
8,436
Florida has 8,436 miles of coastline, second only to Alaska
663
There are 663 miles of beaches between both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
14
The Venice area claims 14 of those beach miles, stretching from Casey Key to Manasota Key on the Gulf Coast.
3
Venice is also one of only 3 Florida cities situated directly on the water with no barrier islands.
1.34
8% of the 16.81 square miles in the City of Venice, or 1.34 miles is water.
It comes as no surprise then that the name Venice was first suggested for “The City On The Gulf” as early as 1888 because of its likeness to the canal city in Italy.
We Have It All
From our 14 miles of pristine beaches to our 30 miles of single-track biking and hiking trails. Originally called Horse and Chaise because of the carriage-like tree formation that marked the spot for fishermen, the name Venice was first applied in 1888 because of its likeness to the canal city in Italy.
Read, discover, and explore.
Our downtown area has an established “Main Street” status through Venice Mainstreet and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• As you cruise down the Avenue, shop in one-of-a-kind
stores and dine in a variety of local restaurants.
• Take a sunset stroll on North or South Jetty; grab a hotdog and refreshing beverage on either side while taking in some of the best sunsets you will ever see.
• Bike on Venetian Waterway Park or Legacy Trail.
• Kayak or paddleboard the waters of our hidden bays and mangroves.
• While boating in the intracoastal or in the Gulf, you’ll share
the waters with dolphins and manatees at play.
• Tee up on one of over 25 public and private golf courses.
• Venice is also home to some of the best charter fishing anywhere.
If you haven’t found what you’re looking for yet,
please call us at: 941-488-2236.
Or better yet, stop in and visit us at our office:
597 Tamiami Trail South, Venice.
Shark Tooth Capital
Venice is known the world over for its over-abundance of pre-historic shark teeth. Thus, the well-deserved title of “Shark Tooth Capital Of The World”.
The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water on our planet and home to almost 50 different species of sharks. None however are as large as the extinct Megalodon. The Megalodon sharks grew up to 60 feet long and weighed up to 65 tons. They also had the largest teeth of all sharks, at over seven inches long. Megalodon, meaning “big tooth”, lived here between 2.6 million and 28 million years ago. Of all the fossilized teeth found on our beaches, the Meg’s are the largest and most treasured.
Sharks teeth unlike our teeth have no roots. Their teeth break off easily and some only last a week. However, they have new rows of teeth ready to pop up and replace lost ones. The new tooth can be in place in less than a day. A single shark might lose 30,000 teeth in its lifetime.
Florida has been submerged and raised again and again from the sea, allowing fossilization to occur all over the state. The shallower waters on the West Coast have been more conducive for both the pre-historic sharks to feed and for the creation of thick fossil beds to capture and preserve their teeth.
You can find sharks teeth on any of our Venice beaches. Prime hunting territory stretches from the beach around the Venice Fishing Pier south down to Caspersen Beach. You may want to rent or purchase a “Florida snow shovel” for best results. Use the shovel to gather sand and sediment. Then shake the sifter at the end of the pole to empty out everything but the teeth.
If you strike out on the beaches, after completing one of the Quest scavenger hunts (info on page 14), you can stop in to the Chamber for your own bag. While you’re at the Chamber have your photo taken in front of our huge oversized Megalodon Tooth Monument. The # 1 photo spot in Venice.