Caspersen Beach
Sarasota County. 4100 Harbor Drive South in Venice. The Harbor Drive way in washed out during the 2024 storm season, and the main parking, the restrooms and the playground are closed because of it.
Open the guide →Ask 1stFlorida
Where can you find shark teeth in Florida?
Venice in Sarasota County calls itself the shark tooth capital of the world, and its beaches back it up.
The coast there sits on a fossil layer, and storms and waves carry the teeth into the shallows and up onto the sand. They are about ten million years old, most of them gray or black and between an eighth and three-quarters of an inch long, with the odd big one. Caspersen Beach is the favorite, with Venice Beach, Manasota Key and Casey Key close behind. Walk the tide line after rough weather, or wade in and sift the shallows with the long-handled screen locals call a Venice snow shovel; a kitchen strainer works too. Shark and ray teeth may be kept by anyone, no permit needed. Venice holds its Sharks Tooth Festival every April.
Where to go from here.
Venice Beach
Sarasota County. 101 The Esplanade, owned by the City of Venice and guarded during park hours. Sand volleyball, restrooms, picnic shelters and a concession. Fishing, swimming and birding. Open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Open the guide →Manasota Beach
Sarasota County. 8570 Manasota Key Road in Englewood, guarded during park hours. A boat ramp takes motorboats and paddlecraft both. Picnic shelters, grills, fishing and restrooms. Birding, swimming and wildlife viewing. Open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Open the guide →Manasota Key Beach
Charlotte County. Charlotte County's part of Manasota Key, reached by bridge over Lemon Bay from Englewood. Englewood Beach at Chadwick Park, 2100 North Beach Road, is the county's beach park there, with the restrooms, showers, pavilions and parking, and Stump Pass Beach State Park covers the south end of the key.
Open the guide →Nokomis Beach
Sarasota County. 100 Casey Key Road, guarded during park hours. Sand volleyball, a fishing pier, a playground, picnic shelters, grills, restrooms and a concession. Boat ramps for motorboats and for paddlecraft and a canoe and kayak launch; the ramp runs 24 hours while the park itself is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Open the guide →Where can you hunt for fossils in Florida?
The Peace River, which runs south through Hardee and DeSoto counties past Zolfo Springs and Arcadia, is where Florida's fossil collectors go.
Read the answer →Where is the shelling in Florida?
Sanibel Island in Lee County is the reason people fly in with a bucket.
Read the answer →Where this comes from.
- Visit Sarasota County, A guide to Venice's shark tooth capital of the world ↗ Read September 23, 2026
- Florida Museum of Natural History, Florida Fossil Permit ↗ Read September 23, 2026
More questions like this.
Where can you see bioluminescence in Florida?
On the Space Coast. The Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County, which takes in the Indian River, the Banana River and Mosquito Lagoon, is where people go to see the water light up blue-green when a paddle or a fish stirs it.
Are there bears in Florida?
Yes. The Florida black bear is the only bear in the state, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates there are about 4,050 of them.
Where can you see a Florida panther?
In the wild, rarely, and almost only in Southwest Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission puts the population at about 120 to 230 adults, and most of the breeding animals, the females especially, live south of the Caloosahatchee River.
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