Most people are aware of Historic Downtown Venice, FL, for its beautiful scenery and high-end shopping. Historic Downtown is also a popular place to live, with many locals calling this area home. Historic Downtown offers a variety of shops and restaurants to choose from and many boutique hotels that will make you feel like royalty. For those who love being outdoors, Historic Downtown has plenty of parks and walking trails to explore. Learn more here.
The most notable landmark in Historic Downtown is undoubtedly its courthouse built all the way back in 1912 when it replaced a previous courthouse building from 1891. As you walk down Main Street, you’ll notice many old buildings such as Union Depot (1914), which served as an important shipping hub to transport goods between trains coming into town and trucks going out or vice versa, depending on what items were being shipped that day, Dog House Saloon (1907) that has one of the best jukeboxes in Historic Downtown, and The Venice Theatre (circa 1974), which is still open for movie-going audiences. Learn more about Venice, FL’s Jelks Preserve: Nature and Entrepreneur.
The Historic Downtown also features a few street art murals that are worth checking out as you explore this little slice of Florida’s history. Overall, Historic Downtown offers an interesting glimpse into what life may have been like before the economic downturn if it weren’t for so many vacant buildings waiting to be restored or renovated.