The Legacy Trail's Sarasota End Got Its Upgrades This Spring. Fall Is When They Get Used.
On the Friends of The Legacy Trail map, Payne Park sits at mile 18.1. It's the last stop before the trail ends at Fruitville Road, half a mile farther north. For years the Sarasota end felt like the trail's tail, the place you finished a ride from Venice. Two projects opened there in spring 2026, and both changed that end of the trail rather than the Venice end.
If you live in South Poinsettia Park, that matters. The South Poinsettia Park Neighborhood Association describes the neighborhood as Hyde Park Street to Jasmine Drive, with the Tamiami Trail on the east and Osprey Avenue on the west. Its northern edge sits just south of Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The trail's Sarasota trailhead is a short trip north. This fall and winter is the first busy season with both new pieces in place.
The City of Sarasota held the grand opening of the Alderman MURT connector this spring and announced it on April 2, 2026. It's a little over 0.2 miles long. In the City's words, it lets you "safely travel between neighborhoods and downtown – and approximately 20 miles to Venice via The Legacy Trail."
The Sarasota News Leader described the route. The connector joins the Legacy Trail at School Avenue on the south side of Payne Park. It follows the park's southern edge to South East Avenue and continues along the north side of Alderman Street.
The extras make it more than a short strip of pavement. The City lists a shaded rest area with a drinking fountain, benches and tables, a bike repair station, and new landscaping. The City funded it with a $400,000 federal Recreational Trails Program grant, administered in Florida by the Department of Environmental Protection. According to the Sarasota News Leader, the City also had to put up a $375,000 match, drawn from Multi Modal Transportation Impact Fees. A bike repair station at the north end means a loose chain or a soft tire can be fixed before you head south.
The second project is a Sarasota County job on the Legacy Trail Extension, the stretch that runs out of the city. On March 31, 2026, the County cut the ribbon on a new segment of about a mile and a half. A 6-foot asphalt pedestrian path now runs beside the main trail, with a strip of sod between them. The County's project page places Phase 1 between Shade Avenue and Beneva Road. Its April 30 update says construction is complete.
Here are the two projects side by side:
| Alderman MURT connector | Bifurcated trail segment | |
|---|---|---|
| Built by | City of Sarasota | Sarasota County |
| Opened | Grand opening announced April 2, 2026 | Ribbon cutting March 31, 2026 |
| Length | Just over 0.2 miles | About 1.5 miles |
| Where | South edge of Payne Park, School Avenue to South East Avenue, then along Alderman Street | Shade Avenue to Beneva Road |
| What it adds | Rest area, drinking fountain, benches, tables, bike repair station | A separate 6-foot path for pedestrians |
| Paid for by | $400,000 federal Recreational Trails Program grant plus a $375,000 City match | North County Park Impact Fees, Recreational Trails Program grant, private donation |
The County credits Friends of The Legacy Trail with helping fund the segment. That same group runs most of the season's trail calendar, below.
The connector and the separate path both send you through Payne Park, so the park's hours shape any outing. The City's park directory lists the park at 2010 Adams Lane. It has parking, bike racks, a drinking fountain with a bottle filler, and restrooms open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sarasota County's Legacy Trail page gives different hours. The trail itself is open year-round from 6 a.m. to sunset, and Payne Park as an access point is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. On early-morning rides, the restrooms open two hours after the trail does.
Payne Park has more than the trailhead. The directory lists an amphitheater, disc golf, a playground, a skatepark, a walking path, picnic tables, a café and a tennis center. On Friday, Oct. 30, the Payne Park Tennis Center hosts Trick-or-Triples, a Halloween tennis tournament from 6 to 9 p.m., according to the City's October parks and recreation schedule.
The biggest test of the Sarasota end comes Sunday, Nov. 22. Friends of The Legacy Trail lists the 5th Annual Legacy Trail Ultra, a free 60K sponsored by the Manasota Track Club. It starts at Payne Park, runs 18.6 miles south on the trail to Legacy Park in Venice, and comes back to Sarasota.
The race organizer's registration page sets the start at 7 a.m. and gives runners 10 hours to finish. It also says there will be no road closures, aid stations will be limited, and the trail stays open to the public. The Friends event listing runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. So if you go out that Sunday, you'll be sharing the trail with runners all day. The organizer asks trail users to call out before passing, keep right, and keep the path clear.
The rest of the season's trail calendar runs south toward Osprey, Nokomis and Venice. Here it is from the week this post goes up through March, in date order:
The Taco Tuesday dates in the winter months follow the County's second-Tuesday schedule. Nokomis Community Park is at the far end of an outing that starts at mile 18.1. Our Nokomis neighborhood page covers that end of the trail.
You don't need to go far for bike service. Village Bikes lists its Sarasota store at 3898 South Osprey Avenue and offers bicycle sales and service. If guests visiting for the holidays want to ride, Voltaire Cycles rents bikes and e-bikes. Rentals are only available at its Osprey store, 15 S. Tamiami Trail. For a quick fix mid-ride, there's the repair station at the Alderman connector's rest area.
If you'd rather walk somewhere closer to home, our guide to what's worth the walk from Poinsettia Park covers the Southside Village blocks on the neighborhood's west side.
Some of my favorite conversations with clients start with the outdoor routines they hope to keep after a move, and the Legacy Trail comes up often. If you'd like to talk through life near the trail, from Payne Park to Venice, Kelly Pankiw would love to hear from you. Let's Connect.
With over 20 years of marketing and sales expertise, Kelly Pankiw delivers a refined real estate experience built on integrity, market knowledge, and exceptional client care. From first-time buyers to luxury home sellers, she combines local insight with global marketing power to help clients achieve their real estate goals with confidence.
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