The Venice Train Station

The Venice Train Station,  built in 1927, was the last stop on the Seaboard Air Line Railway. Until passenger trains quit running, in 1971, the train station was the arrival point for people interested in buying property in the new town being developed by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; and later, the cadets of the Kentucky Military Institute, arriving around Christmas to stay until nearly Easter. The last train to use the station, belonged to Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, which made its winter home in Venice from 1960 until the train tracks were no longer usable in 1992.

For several decades, the station was abandoned, left to vagabonds, graffiti artists and deterioration from the elements. Sarasota County purchased the property from the railroad company that owned it and restored it to its original condition. The newly renovated station opened in January 2005. Tours are available.