Top Lakewood Ranch Venues

• Spaces for 60-600 Guests
• 2 Outdoor Spaces
• 2 Gardens
• 2 Parks

The Gazebo at Phillippi Estate Park is a distinctive outdoor event venue nestled within a scenic 60-acre natural area park on the shores of Phillippi Creek, south of downtown Sarasota and east of Siesta Key. Set on the grounds of a historic estate that also includes the Edson Keith Mansion — listed on the National Register of Historic Places — the park offers a setting that blends natural beauty with architectural character. The Gazebo itself is a series of three interconnected pavilions positioned on the southwest side of the park, well-suited for intimate wedding ceremonies, private receptions, and small gatherings. Adjacent to the gazebo, the Gazebo Lawn opens up the park's open-air landscape to accommodate larger outdoor events. The park's facilities are available for a range of private occasions, including corporate gatherings, cultural events, art exhibits, and community celebrations. Rental inquiries are handled through Sarasota County Parks at 941-861-9779.

• Spaces for 120-125 Guests
• 1 Ballroom
• 1 Country Club

TPC Prestancia is a private golf, sports, and social club set on 565 acres within Palmer Ranch in Sarasota, Florida — just minutes from Siesta Key. Opened in 1985 as the third private property in the TPC Network, the club centers on a 35,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style Clubhouse with panoramic views of the surrounding golf courses and lake. The property is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and hosted fourteen years of PGA Senior Tour play, including eight Chrysler Cup Tournaments and five American Express Invitational Champions Tour events. For private events, the Clubhouse accommodates gatherings from 10 to 150 guests, with a renovated banquet room that seats up to 120 with a dance floor and a clubroom that provides an intimate, private atmosphere. The outdoor terrace overlooks the lake and can be arranged for ceremonies or cocktail receptions. An Executive Chef and culinary team provide customized catering for weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate meetings, and social celebrations.

• Spaces for 200 Guests

• Spaces for 140 Guests

Siesta Key Luxury Rental Properties offers a curated portfolio of high-end vacation homes and condos on Siesta Key, Florida — a barrier island widely recognized as home to one of America's top-ranked beaches. The company's properties range from intimate retreats to grand waterfront villas, with options suited to families, groups, and coastal getaways of all sizes. The portfolio spans pool retreats, beachfront escapes, waterfront rentals, and pet-friendly stays, giving guests access to Gulf Coast accommodations across a range of scales and settings. Properties are available for weekly, monthly, and short-term stays. Events, including weddings and private parties, may be accommodated at select properties with prior approval, event fees, event insurance, and any required local permits. Inquiries are handled directly by the Siesta Key Luxury Rental Properties team.

• Spaces for 180 Guests

Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club of Sarasota is a private country club set within the gated Palmer Ranch community on Sarasota's south side. The club's centerpiece is an 18-hole championship golf course originally designed by Arthur Hills in 1994 and modernized through a comprehensive redesign that fully reopened in January 2025. Beyond golf, the club offers a full social calendar for members — Har-Tru tennis courts, a fitness center, a heated pool, bocce courts, and an active schedule of leagues and social programming. The on-site clubhouse, led by an Executive Chef and a dedicated Food & Beverage Manager, serves lunch and dinner throughout the week. Membership is not required to host a private event. The club accommodates weddings, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, corporate meetings, holiday parties, birthday celebrations, and charity golf outings through indoor and outdoor spaces. A Food & Beverage Manager coordinates every event from initial planning through the day itself.

• Spaces for 300 Guests

• Spaces for 25-150 Guests
• 2 Restaurants
• 2 Bars
• 2 Total Spaces

The Sunset by Gulf Drive Cafe is a waterfront wedding and event venue situated at the south end of Anna Maria Island in Bradenton Beach, Florida, where the Gulf of Mexico's turquoise-emerald waters and sugar-white sands frame a spectacular backdrop of multi-colored sunsets. The venue offers several open-air spaces suited to gatherings of different sizes. The Sunset Tiki is a rustic, spacious tiki hut accommodating up to 150 guests, with white padded chairs and tables arranged around a dance floor and roll-down shutters to shield guests from the elements. The Seaside Tiki is a more intimate spot for groups of up to 30, where guests can dine alfresco at a custom 20-foot wood banquet table with their feet in the sand. All food and beverage, staffing, equipment, and linens are provided through the venue. A dedicated event coordinator supports each couple from planning through event day, and the venue books only one reception per day.

• Spaces for 100 Guests

Venetian Golf Club is a private golf and country club set within a 100-acre master-planned community in North Venice, Florida, near the Myakka River and a 70-acre nature preserve. The club was built around a Chip Powell-designed 18-hole championship course, which opened in 2003 and features nine sets of tees for players of all abilities. The 20,000-square-foot Mediterranean-inspired clubhouse serves as the social hub of the club, with a first-floor casual Grille and a second-floor dining area featuring a luxurious bar and outdoor veranda with views over the 18th green. Members and guests gather here for a full calendar of social events — from holiday parties and casual tailgate gatherings to formal dinners and private celebrations — alongside year-round golf programming including weekly games, monthly events, and major tournaments for couples, men, and women.

• Spaces for 800 Guests
• 1 Ballroom

The Venice Community Center is a 45,000-square-foot event facility operated by Sarasota County Parks, situated on Venice's Cultural Campus at 326 Nokomis Avenue South. For decades, it has hosted weddings, galas, proms, seminars, concerts, expos, and community gatherings for groups of all sizes. At the heart of the center is a 10,000-square-foot ballroom accommodating up to 800 seated guests, with a large stage, professional theatrical lighting, and a sound booth. The ballroom can be divided into smaller configurations for more intimate events. Clients also have access to a 2,000-square-foot lobby suitable for cocktail receptions and bar setups, two private dressing rooms with vanity lighting, and a commercial-grade kitchen for catered parties. Nine additional meeting rooms round out the facility, offering flexible options for smaller gatherings, breakout sessions, and ceremonies. All-inclusive event packages are available, or spaces may be rented individually.

• Spaces for 40 Guests

• Spaces for 60-850 Guests
• 1 Restaurant
• 1 Ballroom
• 6 Total Spaces

Plantation Golf & Country Club is a full-service country club event venue set within a 1,300-acre master-planned community in Venice, Florida on the state's southwest coast. With over 30 years of history in the region, the club offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor spaces suited to events of 20 to 1,000 guests, from intimate dinners to large-scale receptions and weddings. The 45,000-square-foot clubhouse anchors the event offering, housing the Manor Ballroom — a versatile space with moveable walls that can be configured for gatherings of 50 to 850 guests — alongside more intimate rooms including the Grill Room and the Hibiscus Room. Outdoors, the Manor Lawn and the oak-canopied garden provide ceremony settings backed by a pond, tree line, and the Bobcat Course. The Pool Deck extends the outdoor options to poolside receptions of up to 300 guests. The culinary team offers classic buffet, plated dinner, and hors d'oeuvres service. The club can host the full scope of a wedding event — ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower, and engagement party — as well as corporate functions, golf tournaments, fundraisers, and private celebrations of all kinds.

• Spaces for 16-600 Guests
• 1 Ballroom
• 4 Meeting Spaces

The University Student Center (USC) at USF St. Petersburg serves as the heart of campus life, offering more than 81,000 square feet of flexible event and meeting space in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. Opened in 2012 and financed through student fees, the building was initiated by students as a dedicated gathering place for the campus community and has since grown into one of the region's most versatile university event venues. The USC's signature space is its Grand Ballroom — 7,490 square feet divisible into up to three sections via automated partition walls — accommodating up to 600 guests for theater-style events or 352 for banquet-seated affairs. Smaller meetings and intimate gatherings are served by the Ocean Room, Palm Room, and Coral Room, each equipped with A/V technology and free internet access. Student Centers & Events coordinates room setups, audio-visual support, on-site catering through Chartwells, event staffing, and university police services, making the USC a turnkey option for conferences, corporate events, banquets, receptions, and non-profit functions alike.