Tallahassee to Sarasota drive: Distance, time & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Tallahassee to Sarasota drive are Gainesville, Ocala and Tampa. The distance from Tallahassee to Sarasota by car is 329 miles, with a 5h19m driving time.

Planning a Tallahassee to Sarasota road trip itinerary

The Tallahassee to Sarasota drive takes you from the capital of Florida to the west coast.

Top Tallahassee experiences include the Museum of Florida History, which tells the tale of the Sunshine State. That covers everything from prehistoric mastodons to the Spanish conquest and Disney.

The Tallahassee Museum, meanwhile, flits all over the place, from sculpture to birds of prey. For natural beauty, head to the Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park.

Good Tallahassee accommodation options include the hip Aloft Tallahassee Downtown and the often great value Four Points by Sheraton.

Sarasota is home to the Ringling Museum of Art – arguably the top art museum in Florida, with a good mix of modern and old masters. The estate is also home to a Circus Museum.

More Sarasota attractions, including the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, are linked together on the City Sightseeing trolley tour.

Other potential Sarasota experiences include a downtown food tour, jet ski adventures and kayaking through the mangrove tunnels.

Top Sarasota accommodation options with a pool include the Carlisle Inn and the Lido Beach Resort.

Tallahassee to Sarasota distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Tallahassee to Sarasota is 329 miles. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 19 minutes. The quickest route is via the I-10 and I-75.

The best stops to add to a Tallahassee to Sarasota road trip itinerary are Gainesville, Ocala and Tampa.

For more suggestions, read the guides to the individual legs of the journey:

Tallahassee to Sarasota drive: Gainesville

Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, and will be best known to college football fans as the home of the Florida Gators.

For everyone else, there’s the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Harn Museum of Art and the Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park. The latter is based around a limestone sinkhole.

Gainesville hotel prices can rise sharply based on university and football events. Hunt for bargains in advance.

Tallahassee to Sarasota road trip attractions: Ocala

Ocala is home to the Golden Gypsy Horse Farm, where visitors can meet the rare and beautiful Gypsy Vanner horses. The Appleton Museum of Art, meanwhile, mixes contemporary art with pre-Columbian artifacts and the Discovery Center does the interactive science thing.

The most important site in Ocala, however, is the Fort King National Historic Landmark. This was a major military post in the Second Seminole War, and the first inland fort in Florida.

Book ahead for Ocala hotel deals.

Best stops between Tallahassee and Sarasota: Tampa

Tampa is justifiably one of the most popular holiday destinations in Florida. It’s home to top attractions such as the Florida Aquarium, ZooTampa, the Adventure Island water park and Busch Gardens theme park.

Other great Tampa experiences include historic Ybor City food walking tours, seeing the highlights in a street legal golf cart and a Haunted Tampa tour that combines ghosts and pubs.

Also on offer are Segway tours, history cruises, dolphin-watching and celebrity homes tours.

Tampa accommodation is best booked in advance – look for deals here.