8 Best Places to Go Shopping in Sarasota

St. Armand's Circle is just 12 minutes west over a bridge from downtown and offers upscale, exclusive shops, galleries, and boutiques for the art lover and fashionista in you. The circle is close to the beach, so you'll see other vacationers, but the 130 stores and vendors offer a wide range of shopping experiences. One of the main attractions here is the St. Armand's Statue Walk, which showcases 33 statues from John Ringley dating to the 1920s.

Major brands represented here include Soma, White House Black Market, and Lilly Pulitzer. Between shopping and visiting art galleries, be sure to check out some of the area's best restaurants, nestled within the shops.

Sarasota Square Mall in the heart of Sarasota offers 26 stores and services, showcasing the biggest brand names all in one spot for your big box shopping needs. This mall on the Tamiami Trail puts you within minutes of popular beaches and visitor attractions and offers everything from Journey's to Bath and Body Works, Hot Topic to Costco, JCPenney and others. This is your central source for value and convenience.

Aside from shops, an onsite movie theater offers the latest Hollywood blockbusters, while the food court sets you up for meals on the go. If you're looking for a full-featured shopping mall to spend the day wandering familiar stores and relaxing, Sarasota Square Mall may fit the bill.

The Mall at University Town Center offers more than 100 stores and restaurants spread over 880,000 square feet of retail space with all the premier brands represented. This mall is so vast that it spans two major shopping districts: District East and District West. It's about 17 minutes from the center of downtown and features stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Anthropologie, Neiman Marcus, Apple Store, Old Navy, Best Buy, and Super Target.

It only starts with shopping here, however. You can also choose from a number of fantastic restaurants from takeaway food to sit-down dining. At the onsite theater, you can also take in the latest blockbuster hit movies.

The Sarasota Farmers Market is a simpler shopping experience held weekly in downtown Sarasota where you'll explore 70-plus vendors offering tons of local wares. This is a place to buy fresh produce from local farmers and find arts and crafts from local artisans. The market is known as the granddaddy of local farmers markets and has been serving Sarasota for 35 years. If you're a fan of farmers markets, this one is a good choice to grab your prepared foods, local wares, and just soak up local culture.

This one is only open on Saturdays, and it gets crowded in the late morning and early afternoons. For the best experience, get here early.

The Crossings at Siesta Key, just 13 minutes west of downtown, is the place to go for a posh, upscale, and truly luxurious shopping experience with heavy-hitter brands. Here you'll find shops like Saks's Fifth Avenue, Dillard's, Macy's, and similar upscale brands. If you're into chic and haute couture, this is the big brand spot for those outfits to fill that gap in your closet. It's not only clothing here, though, you can also find brands like Coach, MAC, and other brands that are ideal to accessorize your latest purchase.

This mall also offers dining, entertainment, fitness facilities, even a gourmet dinner movie theater. It's an entire day's worth of entertainment in a luxurious surrounding.

The Shoppes at University Center is the place to go if you're a savvy shopper who knows how to look for bargains and deals in comfortable and welcoming surroundings. This outdoor shopping center offers brand names like Old Navy, Target, and Ulta as well as bargain department store offerings like Marshall's. It's a fine way to grab all the great deals and brand names you want without the hustle and bustle of heading to an enclosed shopping mall.

The Shoppes are located just about 20 minutes northeast of central downtown, an easy jaunt. While you're here, you'll also find a variety of restaurants to grab a meal. All in all, the Shoppes have over 70 stores, restaurants, and services.

The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime is an independent indoor market offering over 40 local artisans and vendors, plus live entertainment, a food truck, and other events. This is a place where you can shop for handcrafted souvenirs sold by local artisans, where you can catch local musical acts performing, and where you can take a wide range of classes that change all the time. When it comes to shopping, you'll find everything from collectibles and rarities to secondhand vintage clothing, handmade jewelry, and even live plants.

The Bazaar is located directly in the heart of downtown Sarasota. It's the place to go to find great deals, specialty goods, and just have a great time.

Carlisle Gifts Sarasota is the place to go if you're looking for hard-to-find items you can't get other places, from handmade jewelry to vintage clothes, antiques, collectibles, and more. You can also enjoy great food at restaurants just steps away. This market offers tons of local and independent brands like the Naked Bee, Woodstock Chimes, Greenleaf Scents, Mud Pie, Periwinkle Jewelry, and others. It's located in the Dutchman Hospitality complex that offers eateries, shops, and inns where you can even stay the night.

Carlisle Gifts is located in the heart of downtown Sarasota for easy access. It's a unique and fun place to shop for indie and unusual goods.