Venice is located in Sarasota County just south of Sarasota between Sarasota and Englewood along Hwy 41 on the banks of the Sarasota River near the Gulf of Mexico and Port Charlotte. Venice is part of the Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida metro area.

In 1925, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers engaged famous city planner John Nolen and landscape architect Prentiss French to design and build a town reminiscent of its Italian namesake. Venice was incorporated as a town at that time.

Venice became known as the City on the Gulf because it is one of the few cities on the west coast of Florida that occupies a coastal area with no barrier island.

There are also numerous public and private clubs which offer clay and hard court tennis. There are about a dozen golf courses in the area, and that number is expected to grow in the future. The Venice Fishing Pier, is an ideal place for inshore fishing.