Top Lakewood Ranch Venues

• Spaces for 250 Guests

Bradenton Country Club is a private sports and social club founded in 1924 on Florida's Gulf Coast. Originally established as Palma Sola Country Club — its name drawn from the "solidarity palm" that once guided ships into Palma Sola Bay — the club was renamed alongside the city itself in the early twentieth century. At its heart is an 18-hole Donald Ross golf course, which the legendary architect designed after declaring the land ideal for the game. The course has been recognized as the Best Private Golf Course in Manatee County and served as the host venue for the LPGA Drive On Championship and LPGA Founders Cup in 2024 and 2025. Beyond the course, members enjoy a full-service clubhouse with fine dining, seven tennis courts, pickleball facilities, a fitness center, and a pool complex with cabanas. The club's stately setting — mature hardwood trees, manicured fairways, and a clubhouse visible from the green — reflects a century of investment in its grounds and traditions.

• Spaces for 8-150 Guests
• 4 Restaurants

The Café Gabbiano is a venue that is 4,000 square feet in size and provides the ideal environment for your upcoming special event, whether it be a wedding, a rehearsal dinner, a club or company party, or any other type of event. We are able to host both small gatherings of four people or fewer as well as large gatherings of up to one hundred fifty people thanks to our private wine rooms as well as our outside terrace that is climate controlled. We encourage you to take use of our in-house event coordinator so that you may create a gathering that is just as memorable as you had envisioned it being. We are pleased to provide catering services for your off-site special occasion if all you require is the superb food and wine that Café Gabbiano has to offer.

• Spaces for 60-285 Guests
• 2 Outdoor Spaces
• 3 Historic Spaces
• 3 Total Spaces

Bay Preserve at Osprey is a 4.3-acre historic waterfront estate on Little Sarasota Bay, managed by Big Waters Land Trust. The property centers on the 1931 Burrows-Matson House, a Mediterranean-influenced mansion listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Sarasota County Historic Register, set against a backdrop of ancient oaks, sweeping bayfront lawns, and open water views. The preserve accommodates weddings, private parties, corporate retreats, board meetings, and community events across several distinct outdoor and indoor settings. The Great Lawn hosts tented receptions for up to 285 guests, while the Bayfront Lawn seats up to 175 for waterfront dinners. The historic house provides intimate indoor space for smaller gatherings, with a bridal suite and separate groom's cottage available to wedding parties. A performance pavilion, bayside oaks ceremony site, boathouse with observation deck, and a private dock round out the property — with boat arrival and departure available by arrangement. Michael's On East, Sarasota's exclusive on-site caterer, handles all food, beverage, and rental coordination for events at the preserve.

• Spaces for 15-250 Guests
• 2 Outdoor Spaces
• 1 Event Space
• 4 Total Spaces

Palma Sola Botanical Park is a 10-acre nonprofit botanical garden in the Old Palma Sola section of northwest Bradenton, Florida. The park traces its roots to 1990, when local citizens rallied to preserve a site that had served as the Manatee County Nursery. The Palma Sola Botanical Park Foundation, Inc. was incorporated in 1993, and the Galleria building was added in 2000 to host weddings, parties, and educational programs. A protected warm micro-climate keeps the grounds notably frost-free, allowing the park to display rare palms, exotic fruit trees, and subtropical flowering plants found few other places in the region. For private events, the park offers several rental options across its grounds. The Galleria building and its adjacent half-covered deck can seat up to 160 guests and accommodate up to 250 when the outdoor lawns and gardens are included. Wedding couples have access to the full grounds, including the grand lawn, a palm area with gazebo, the Baden Building for a bride's room with kitchenette, and the screened pavilion. The covered pavilion seats up to 50 and suits birthday parties, showers, and family gatherings. A Board Room adjacent to the park office accommodates up to 15 for small meetings. Caterers, photographers, and other vendors of the client's choice are welcome, and on-site staff manage each event from setup through closing.

A family-run wedding and event site, Wandering Oaks is situated on more than 20 acres of tranquil, undeveloped land in Myakka City, Florida. A canopy of oak trees that spans the property greets visitors as they approach the lengthy paved entrance. A rustic style pole barn, wedding and groom suites, wooden ceremony benches, and sparkling Edison lights may all be found hidden inside the wandering oaks. The Wandering Oaks family enjoys working with clients to design and inspire their ideal event. Make an appointment to see our lovely grounds by getting in touch with us right away, OR reserve your day! We are aware of how much effort goes into organizing and carrying out the particulars of a wedding or other special occasion! We strive to make things as simple and straightforward for you as we can because of this. You will not be charged extra to use our venue for the entire weekend of your event if you hire from us. This provides you plenty of time for a rehearsal and setup on Friday evening, a celebration on Saturday, and cleanup and item collecting on Sunday. Please contact us if you have any questions or to find out more.

• Spaces for 50-80 Guests
• 1 Event Space
• 1 Historic Space

The 1927 Historic Venice Train Depot is a National Register-listed Mediterranean Revival landmark in Venice, Florida, designed by the New York architectural firm Walker & Gillette and opened March 27, 1927. Restored by Sarasota County in 2002-2003, the building retains its original yellow stucco exterior, arched arcades, gently sloping red tile roof, and a 400-foot platform that once welcomed famous passenger trains including the Silver Meteor and Orange Blossom Special. Today the Depot serves as home to the Venice Area Historical Society Museum and offers three distinct rental spaces for private events: the Freight Room, the covered north-end platform, and the deck behind the historic 1974 Louisville & Nashville caboose. The campus also includes a restored 1953 Pullman Standard circus car, the Rollins W. Coakley Railroad Park, and direct access to the Legacy Trail and Venetian Waterway — an unusual setting that gives outdoor gatherings a sense of open, park-like space. Rentals are managed by Sarasota County, making the Depot an accessible and historically distinctive option for receptions, corporate events, and intimate celebrations in the heart of Venice.

• Spaces for 150 Guests
• 1 Outdoor
• 1 Event Space
• 1 Waterfront

Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1993, situated on Cunningham Key in Tierra Verde, Florida — a waterfront setting on the edge of Tampa Bay with views stretching toward Fort De Soto, Shell Key, and the Gulf of Mexico. The organization's facility, opened in 2005 as a Marine Education Center, doubles as an event venue where weddings and private celebrations support the organization's ongoing bay restoration work. The venue accommodates up to 150 guests across an indoor community room and a 1,900-square-foot covered veranda deck that wraps around the building and overlooks the bay. The interior features wall-to-wall picture windows, and the surrounding lawn provides space for ceremonies. Rental includes nine hours of event time, tables and chairs, a prep room for the wedding party, onsite parking, and a Tampa Bay Watch representative present throughout. Couples and event hosts choose their own licensed caterers with no surcharge. The location is tucked away in a private, secure setting near Fort De Soto Park, while remaining convenient to beach resorts and Tampa International Airport.

• Spaces for 60-250 Guests
• 1 Restaurant
• 1 Ballroom
• 3 Total Spaces

The Isla Del Sol Yacht & Country Club is the ideal location for your private gathering, whether it is for work or play. Visit our private beachfront to organize a beachside party for your closest guests or an intimate private wedding or vow renewal ceremony. For gatherings of 250 people or fewer, the Boca Ceiga Ballroom, which was named for the lovely waterway it overlooks, offers a charming setting for wedding receptions and social functions. Looking for a more private experience? For groups of 60 or fewer, our Private Dining Room is also accessible and provides stunning waterfront views in addition to an upscale atmosphere. Only a few steps away from our magnificent clubhouse, our 18-hole championship golf course is open seasonally for golf competitions. Whatever kind of event you're organizing, we have the venues, gourmet treats, and qualified employees to match your vision and unique occasion.

• Spaces for 150 Guests
• 1 Event Space

Akwaaba Hall at the Uhuru House is a community event space in St. Petersburg, Florida, available for rental at affordable rates. The hall is designed to serve the local community, offering a culturally enriched setting adorned with African-inspired decor, stage lighting, and a dedicated stage area with curtained backdrop. The main hall accommodates up to 150 guests and comes equipped with tables and chairs, a sound booth, multiple lighting configurations, and an adjacent staging kitchen. A registration and greeting entryway provides a welcoming arrival experience for guests. The space is wheelchair accessible and includes wireless internet, making it well suited for banquets, community gatherings, celebrations, and private events of all kinds.

• Spaces for 32-316 Guests
• 3 Museums
• 1 Outdoor
• 3 Total Spaces

The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida is one of the most architecturally distinctive event venues in the Tampa Bay area. The building itself — anchored by "The Enigma," a dramatic geodesic glass structure — provides a backdrop unlike any ballroom or banquet hall. Private events here unfold against one of the largest collections of Salvador Dalí's work outside of Europe, with exclusive after-hours gallery access included in every rental. Three event spaces serve different occasions. The Avant-garden is an outdoor garden surrounded by lush landscaping and Dalí-inspired sculptures, accommodating up to 275 guests for cocktail receptions, open-air dinners, and wedding ceremonies. The Raymond James Community Room is a contemporary indoor space suited to seated dinners, receptions, and corporate gatherings for up to 175 guests. The Foyer offers a welcoming first-floor setting for pre-event mingling and networking, holding up to 75 guests. A third-floor Bay Vista space provides panoramic views of Tampa Bay for more intimate gatherings. All venue bookings are coordinated through UDREAM EVENTS, a Tampa Bay–based production team that handles vendor coordination, site visits, and day-of execution. Events are held after museum hours, and packages include in-house tables and chairs, setup, and one hour of private gallery access.

• Spaces for 220 Guests
• 1 Restaurant
• 1 Bar
• 1 Country Club

CaddyShak Sports Bar & Grille occupies the top floor of the River Club Golf Course in Bradenton, Florida, just off I-75 exit 217 near Lakewood Ranch. The multi-functional facility offers four separate rooms for eating and drinking that can be combined to host parties of up to 220 guests, making it one of the more flexible private-event options in the area. The kitchen turns out quick, reasonably priced meals made with locally sourced ingredients alongside daily specials, with full bar service available. Whether the occasion is a golf outing reception, a milestone celebration, or a company gathering, the River Club Grille team handles catering and event coordination on-site.

• Spaces for 42-50 Guests
• 1 Hotel
• 1 Meeting Space

Hyatt Place Sarasota/Lakewood Ranch is a 122-room hotel situated in the heart of Lakewood Ranch, conveniently located off Interstate 75 at the University Parkway exit between Sarasota and Bradenton. The five-story property puts guests close to Nathan Benderson Park, The Mall at University Town Center, and a short drive from some of Florida's most recognized Gulf Coast beaches. The hotel offers 900 square feet of flexible event space suitable for business meetings, intimate receptions, and private celebrations. A dedicated events team assists with room setup, décor, and catering menus, while complimentary Wi-Fi and full audiovisual services are included throughout. In-house dining options — including breakfast and a 24/7 espresso bar — round out the event experience for planners and guests alike.

• Spaces for 200 Guests

Palm Aire Country Club is a member-owned, member-governed full-service country club in Sarasota, Florida — one of the largest and most well-equipped clubs in the greater Sarasota area. Set across 1,400 acres with two 18-hole championship golf courses, the club offers a warm, family-style atmosphere that draws members from a wide range of backgrounds. The clubhouse serves as the heart of club life, hosting wedding receptions, quinceañeras, and fundraising luncheons alongside the club's regular social calendar. The banquets and events team works directly with clients to tailor menus, décor, and event details, with the in-house culinary team handling all food and beverage. Beyond events, Palm Aire's amenities include eight Har-Tru tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, a padel court, and a full athletic center — making it a destination for members year-round.

The Sarasota Modern, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel offers event spaces for your next celebration in Sarasota, Florida.

Art Ovation Hotel, Autograph Collection offers event spaces for your next celebration in Sarasota, Florida.

• Spaces for 325 Guests

• Spaces for 200 Guests