Escape into Nature
Bike Longboat Key’s 10 miles of paved bike paths. Take a little side trip near the north end to spot birds at Joan Durante Park... 32 acres of wetlands and coastal hammock forest. Fall in love with beach life at the North tip of the Island, Greer (Beer Can) Island. The long white beaches of Longboat Key inspire beachcombing. There are miles of shell strewn beaches. Dolphin sightings are common. Venice beach is famous for shark teeth findings. Eco-oriented cruises are available through the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.
Kayak the shallows, charter a deep sea fishing boat with captain, or throw a line in from one of the many fishing piers. And with more than 60 public and private courses, Sarasota is a golfer’s paradise.
Shop in Sarasota
Treat yourself. Sarasota’s shopping is heavenly! There are many unique boutiques throughout Downtown and St. Armand’s Circle. Weekends often bring an open air market or art show to the area. Beach shops are great fun up on Anna Maria Island. And there are also have great malls in the area: Southgate and Westgate are in Sarasota, DeSoto Mall is on Cortez in Bradenton, and there is a huge Outlet Mall in Ellenton.
Mixon Fruit Farms offers tours of orange groves and a huge gift show. The area has its share of antique stores. And the Red Barn Flea Market is popular for bargains.
Attractions
Add the stunning Ringling Estate to your travel plans. It includes the winter residence of John and Mable Ringling called Ca d’Zan, two Circus Museums, and a Museum of Art featuring European, American and non-Western works. Don’t forget G.Wiz which is great for the kids, Mote Marine with incredible sea life, and Myakka State Park with it’s alligator tours.
Culture in Sarasota
Sarasota County is known as Florida’s Cultural Coast. It has professional theater, symphony, ballet, opera and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The theatre season is always exciting at the Asolo Theater Company. Many wait every year for the Sarasota Film Festival. This is also an art mecca, with the Ringling College of Art and Design and the Ringling Museum of Art anchoring the scene. There are over 30 small galleries on the mainland and the islands to further explore.
Golf Courses
23 public and semi-private courses in Manatee and Sarasota counties, convenient to Casa del Mar
Sarasota Kennel Club
Greyhound racing, One-eyed Jacks Poker Room - Sarasota Kennel Club has been open since 1929.
THE JOHN AND MABLE RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART
5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, Fl 34243
941-359-5700
www.ringling.org
Located on a lush 66 acre estate and home to four spectacular attractions including the official State Art Museum of Florida - the Ringling Museum of Art, the restored waterfront Ca d’Zan mansion, the Circus Museum and the Historic Asolo Theater. Parklands, gardens, restaurant, educational and cultural programs, courtyard concerts.
MARIE SELBY BOTANICAL GARDENS
811 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota, Fl 34236
941-366-5731
www.selby.org
Don"t miss this lush tropical garden. You'll feel you have discovered your own personal paradise. It holds some of the world's rarest plants. Once the bayfront estate of philanthropists Marie and William Selby.
20,000 tropical plants in a magnificent 9.5 acre bayfront setting. A world center for research, education and display of epiphytes, primarily orchids and bromeliads. Voted # 1 of Must Do’s in Sarasota by Sarasota Magazine.
MOTE MARINE LABORATORY
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota. Fl 34236
941-388-4441
www.mote.org
Marine research and education and aquarium, advancing the science of the sea.
Shark habitat feature, ray touch tank, mollusks, freshwater fish, sea turtles.
SARASOTA JUNGLE GARDENS
3701 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, Fl 34234
941-355-5305
www.sarasotajunglegardens.com
One of Florida’s oldest attractions. The area’s only zoological park. 10 acres of winding jungle trails, roaming flamingos, tropical birds and alligator shows. Old Florida charm. Family fun.
HISTORIC SPANISH POINT
337 North Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL
941-966-5214
www.historicspanishpoint.org
A 30 acre museum site, with pioneer village, nature trails, archaeological exhibition including how people lived in the region 1000 years ago. Little Sarasota Bay, Osprey.
MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK
9 miles east of I-75 at 13208 SR 72, Sarasota, FL 34241
941-361-6511
www.myakkariver.org
Go back in time to Florida’s unspoiled wilderness. Alligators, bobcats, bald eagles,
and other native animals roam this natural attraction. Florida’s largest state park.
G.WIZ MUSEUM
1001 Blvd. of the Arts, Sarasota, FL 34236
www.gwiz.org
G.Wiz is a hands-on Science Museum. Strives to make science relevant and technology understandable in an interactive adventure for people of all ages.
LONGBOAT KEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
6860 Longboat Dr. South
941-383-2345
www.lbkca.org
Classes, workshops, jazz concerts, exhibitions, right here on the island.
SOUTH FLORIDA MUSEUM
201 10TH St. West, Bradenton, FL 34205
941-746-4131
www.southfloridamuseum.org
From prehistory to present, the region is interpreted in exhibits and specimens.
Also the Bishop Planetarium. And the Manatee Aquarium.
