March 2027 on the Gulf Coast: Spring Training, St. Patrick's Day, and the Season's Best

March is the month the Gulf Coast shows off, and the 2027 calendar is full: spring training baseball at two nearby stadiums, St. Patrick's Day on March 17, the Sarasota County Fair, and a city celebrating 100 years of circus history. If you are visiting to house-hunt, or just enjoying your first spring as a resident, here is how I would spend the month.

Spring Training: Baseball Within Twenty Minutes

Few things say spring in Florida like Grapefruit League baseball, and the Sarasota area has two big-league stadiums close by. The Baltimore Orioles play 15 home games at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, opening their 2027 schedule at home on February 19 against the Braves, with home dates running through mid-March before the team wraps up in Baltimore. The Atlanta Braves call CoolToday Park in North Port home, and while the ballpark carries a Venice mailing address, the drive from Venice and Wellen Park is easy. The Braves play 15 home games, including a March 2 matchup with the Mets that sells out fast. Tickets for both parks are family-friendly and far more relaxed than a regular-season game, which makes them perfect for bringing kids along on a house-hunting trip.

St. Patrick's Day: March 17 in Downtown Sarasota

St. Patrick's Day falls on Wednesday, March 17, 2027, and Sarasota celebrates with an annual downtown street party on Lemon Avenue. The city traditionally holds the celebration on the Saturday before the holiday, so watch for the official date to land around mid-March. On the day itself, downtown pubs like The Gator Club fill up early, Siesta Key Village has its own laid-back scene, and Molly Malone's in Gulf Gate is a long-standing favorite for Irish music and a proper pint. There is no big downtown parade, which keeps the day friendly and walkable: put on some green, wander the bayfront, and let the evening find you.

The Sarasota County Fair

Running about ten days in March, the Sarasota County Fair at the fairgrounds is the classic family outing: rides, live entertainment, food vendors, and agricultural contests. For buyers with children, it is a low-cost, high-fun way to see the community's down-to-earth side, and it pairs perfectly with a spring training afternoon.

A Hundred Years of Circus in Sarasota

2027 marks the centennial of circus in Sarasota, the year John Ringling moved the Ringling Bros. winter quarters here in 1927. The city is celebrating all season long, with Circus Sarasota's big top at University Town Center and the WonderGround Gallery among the highlights. If you are new to the area, the story of how a Midwest showman chose this stretch of coast is a great introduction to why Sarasota became the cultural town it is today. It is also a reminder that this community has been reinventing itself for a century.

Music and Festivals to Close the Month

The month also brings the Sarasota Jazz Festival, with performances at venues around the city, and the Venice Blues, Rock, Reggae & BBQ Festival at the Venice Airport Festival Grounds, three days of two-stage music, a BBQ cook-off, and food trucks. And if you are planning further ahead, the Sarasota Film Festival returns April 9 through 18, so an early-spring visit can line up with world-class cinema and the peak of the arts season.

Why March Is the Month to See This Place

I tell out-of-state buyers that the best time to visit is the week they can imagine living here, and March delivers: perfect weather, baseball in the afternoon, festivals on the weekend, and the Gulf Coast at its liveliest. If your house-hunting trip lands this month, even better, you will see exactly why people fall for this area.

Let's Plan Your March Visit

Whether you are coming for the baseball, the festivals, or a first look at waterfront homes, I would love to help you line up the trip. Tell me your dates and I will schedule showings around the best of the month, with dinner reservations to match. Thanks so much, and warmly, Julie.