SRQ Magazine | October 2025: Best of SRQ Winners Showcase - Discover Sarasota Tours

DISCOVER SARASOTA TOURS

PLATINUM WINNER

BEST LOCAL TOUR COMPANY

IN OCTOBER 2025, DST WILL CELEBRATE SEVEN YEARS IN BUSINESS. In these years of big changes, we have grown from offering three trolley tour themes to offering 18 unique tours plus several POP Up Experiences partnering with local businesses and arts organizations in Sarasota and Venice.

These award-winning, air-conditioned, entertaining and informative tours include themes focused on art and culture, circus history, Amish culture, things to do, city history, architecture, and the metaphysical community.

As small local company of people passionate about Sarasota and Venice, we could not be more honored and touched by receiving our 4th BEST local tour company platinum award! We are grateful to our local residents and many visitors who return time and again to try one of our 18 different tours and tell us that they find the tours a terrifically fun, unique experience and a great value!

Nighttime tours are theatre-on-wheels shows performed by talented local singers and actors. They include our interactive Murder Mystery Tour: Who Killed The Circus Queen?, Sunset Cabaret, Haunted Sarasota, The BooMobile, and our Christmas Carol Trolley: Letters To Santa show. This summer we launched Sing-Along Trolley, an extremely fun group karaoke tour experience with 70’s and 80’s music and a bar stop at 99 Bottles along the way.

In 2025, we expanded our focus area to Venice offering two tours (City Tour and Venice Circus History Tour) in partnership with Venice Florida Tours on Tuesdays leaving from the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce office.

On Mondays during Season, we will be offering a Behind-The-Scenes tour partnering with select local theaters to offer backstage tours and visits to prop and costume shops and then enjoying lunch at Classico our downtown restaurant partner. We will also be offering an Under-The-Big-Top circus-themed experience. Our popular Sip & Stroll Fiorelli Vineyard wine-tasting tour, and our Literature and Lattes tour focused on Sarasota writers from the 1950-1960’s period with partners The Reserve and Bookstore1 will also continue. Finally, we are offering Memorial Tours on the trolley as a joyful way to celebrate a loved-one’s life and all their favorite places in Sarasota.

Recently, we were recognized with the 2025 Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s Women Business Owner of the Year Award and were named as finalists for the Venice Chamber of Commerce Medium Sized Business Award.

In 2025, we were delighted to provide $10,000 in FREE trolley tour tickets to Sarasota County nonprofits for their use in fundraising efforts. In this small way we have been able to support our friends and neighbors every year since 2019.

Charlie, the trolley cottage mascot was selected as one of 25 Pets We Love by SRQ Magazine, and he is enjoying his new fame and attention!

1826 4th Street | Sarasota, FL | 941.260.9818 | https://www.discoversarasotatours.com/