The Best Things to Do in North Port

The sand here is 99% quartz carried down from the Appalachians, which means it stays cool underfoot in full Florida sun and squeaks when you walk on it. Siesta Beach lands at #28 on the World's 50 Best Beaches list, and it's easy to see why the crowds make the pilgrimage: the water is shallow and glassy, the shoreline wide, and there's no resort wall blocking the view.

The spa at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota holds a Forbes Four Star rating, which sets the tone before you've even changed into a robe. It sits inside one of those hotels that can't stop itself from offering everything, golf course, beach club, seafood restaurant, so the spa functions as the quiet room where you pretend the rest of it isn't happening. Treatments skew toward the indulgent end, and the surroundings make it easy to lose track of the afternoon.