South Venice Lemon Bay Preserve
Managed by Sarasota County Parks & Recreation
237 acres7.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in South Venice
14% of South Venice’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 11 miles of mapped trail cross South Venice, 1.8 per square mile of land. 14% of South Venice’s land is conserved, about 516 acres.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #9 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
516 acres · of 6.0 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
515 ac
29 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
10 mi lanes · 2.7 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is South Venice?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Venice have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Venice is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #9 of 638 in Florida. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Venice’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land29 acres of park per 1,000 residents (515 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)#9 of 638
Water is 6% of South Venice’s area (0 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 13%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is South Venice Lemon Bay Preserve, with 7.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shamrock Park & Nature Center
Managed by Sarasota County
42 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
516 conserved acres
14% of South Venice’s land. Water is left out: South Venice has 6.0 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages South Venice’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County517 ac
Local Conservation Area · 227 acLocal Park · 193 acLocal Recreation Area · 98 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Venice Lemon Bay Preserve Local Conservation Area | County | 227 | Open |
| Shamrock Park and Nature Center Local Recreation Area | County | 98 | Open |
| South Venice Park Local Park | County | 62 | Open |
| Shamrock Park Submerged Local Park | County | 52 | Open |
| South Venice Park 34 Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| Tarpon Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Skip Stasko Park Local Park | County | 8 | Open |
| Shamrock Park Addition Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| South Venice Park 29 Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Nightingale Park Local Park | County | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
3 places to go in South Venice
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in South Venice
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in South Venice
South Venice Beach Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
10 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Tennis
3Basketball
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in South Venice
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.6 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.5 | 13.8 | 13.7 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.5 | 10.8 | 10.4 |
| High (°F) | 73 | 76 | 79 | 84 | 88 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 86 | 80 | 76 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 9.1 | 7.6 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
November is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 9.1 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in South Venice →
Next door
South Venice and its neighbors
South Venice has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Venice | 14% | 1.8 | 29 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Venice Gardens | 2% | under 0.1 | 4 | 92% | C |
| Englewood | 8% | 1.1 | 49 | 71% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Venice
Where can I hike in South Venice?
The longest trail networks: South Venice Lemon Bay Preserve, 7.5 miles; Shamrock Park & Nature Center, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Venice is conserved land?
14% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on South Venice’s trails?
South Venice Lemon Bay Preserve and Shamrock Park & Nature Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Venice?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of painted or protected lanes and 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near South Venice?
37,906 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Venice or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 515 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Venice have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 of 638 in Florida. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from South Venice neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →