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RANKED #1 FAMILY BEACH
DESTINATION
This one fact speaks
volumes about the ageless appeal of the Sarasota area; It
was ranked as the number one family beach destination by
Family Fun & Attractions magazine.
Albritton Fruit Trolley
Tour
5947 Clark Center Avenue
925-7155
Join us for a trolley tour of 1,000 acres of citrus groves and a
packing facility, and learn how fruit is picked fresh from the
tree and processed for gift giving. While touring the groves, you
may even spot some native wildlife as you learn about one of
Florida. s oldest and largest industries. After the tour you will
have the opportunity to visit the original grove store
established in 1948. Tours at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Mondays only.
Call for reservations.
Circus Sarasota
P.O. Box 18636
924-7054
Continuing the circus heritage established by John Ringling, a
partner in the famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Circus, the Circus School. s mission is to educate and encourage
students to achieve professionalism and excellence in the circus
arts while embracing all performing arts. Professional
performances are held throughout the year. Call for location,
dates and show times.
Florida House Learning
Center
4600 Beneva Road South
(941) 316-1200
The Florida House Learning Center is located on SCTI campus at
the NW corner of Beneva and Proctor. Environmentally friendly
model home and landscape teachs energy and water conservation,
recycled products, healthy house concepts and florida friendly
landscaping.
G-WIZ
Gulfcoast Wonder & Imagination Zone
1001 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota
(941) 906-1851
Imagine a place of wonder, excitement, discovery and learning.
Imagine a place filled with new ideas and experiences, a world
where science comes alive. Do you want to dig for fossils? Stand
inside a giant bubble? Freeze your shadow? Imagine the mysteries
of the world unfolding before your very eyes at the Gulfcoast
Wonder & Imagination Zone.
Historic Spanish Point
P.O. Box 846
337 North Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41), Osprey
966-5214
Explore and experience over 4,000 years of history at a 30-acre
site on Little Sarasota Bay. Discover a prehistoric community
with archaeological exhibits, the pioneer era with a
turn-of-the-century homestead, citrus-packing house, chapel and
pioneer cemetery and formal gardens from the winter estate of
Mrs. Potter Palmer as well as nature trails. Only 2.2 miles south
of Sarasota Square Mall.
The
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
5401 Bay Shore Road
359-5700 or 351-1660
Art lovers and circus buffs won. t want to miss the opportunity
to meander about the lushly landscaped grounds where circus
magnate John Ringling and his wife Mable lived in the 1920s.
Wander through Ca d. Zan, the 30-room Ringling winter residence
built on the beautiful waters of Sarasota Bay. The Art Museum,
housed in a pink Italian Renaissance villa, contains over 500
years of European and American art and the world. s most
significant collection of 17th-century Baroque
paintings. Experience life under the "big top" in the
Museum of the Circus, where circus memorabilia including parade
wagons, calliopes, costumes and a scale model of the circus
grounds are on display.
Museum of Asian Art
640 S, Washington Blvd
Sarasota, FL. - 34236
(941) 954-7117
The Museum of Asian Art Inc., of Sarasota FL. os dedocated to
exhibition, education and understanding of the arts and culture
of Asia. Its mission is to introduce Asian art and culture to the
resident of, and visitors to the West Coast of Florida. This will
be accomplished through exhibitions of Asian art placed in a
cultural context, through lectures and other educational programs
that will be open to the public, and through special education
programs for school and college groups that will be conducted in
the Museum's galleries.
Just For Fun & More
P O Box 11021, Sarasota
(941) 373-1651
Charter
Sightseeing, out to Dinner, Lunch or Breakfast. Try shelling,
swimming or sunset cruises... anything on the water. Top speed 45
mph, cruise speed 28 mph or slower. Tours and trips are available
anytime day or night.
Marie
Selby Botanical Gardens
811 South Palm Avenue
366-5731
Horticulture buffs and anyone who delights in nature's miraculous
wonders must visit Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, a tranquil,
nine-acre "supernova in the constellation of botanical
gardens" overlooking Sarasota Bay. A spectacular display
greenhouse replicates a mini rain forest, showcasing exquisite
orchids, colorful bromeliads and other unusual tropical plants.
Exhibits in the museum at Selby Gardens feature 16th-
through 20th-century botanical art.
Mote
Marine Aquarium
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
388-2451
Come face to face with nature's predators in the 135,000-gallon shark tank.
Visit with resident manatees and endangered sea turtles in the aquarium's newest
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exhibits. Reach out and hold a stingray, sea urchin or even a horseshoe crab in
a 30-foot touch tank. Also available, an eco-tour of the coastal waters on a
Sarasota Bay Explorer cruise. Mote Aquarium is located on City Island, just
south of Longboat Key.
Myakka River State Park
& Wilderness Preserve
State Road 72, nine miles east of I-75
365-0100
Florida's largest park, covering more than 29,000 acres of
wetlands, prairies and dense woodlands along the twisting Myakka
River and Upper Myakka Lake. Myakka River State Park is one of
America's outstanding wildlife sanctuaries, home to hundreds of
species of plants, trees and flowers, as well as deer, alligators
and more than 200 species of birds. For a close up view, take a
boat or tram ride leaving from the boat basin. There are numerous
nature trails in Myakka River State Park, as well as a small
natural history museum and a bird walk. You can also camp, fish,
boat, bicycle and hike here. Daily tours available aboard the
world's largest airboat. Call for schedule information. Open
year-round from 8 a.m. to sunset.
Oscar Scherer State Park
U.S. 41 North of Venice
483-5956
A great recreational haven, Oscar Scherer State Park is a
1,384-acre pine and scrub woodland. There are streams for
canoeing, a swimming lake, fresh and saltwater fishing,
campgrounds, nature trails, bicycle paths, a recreation hall, and
picnic areas. The park is five miles north of Venice and two
miles south of Osprey.
Pelican Man's Bird
Sanctuary
1708 Ken Thompson Parkway, City Island
388-4444
A must-see for bird lovers, the Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary is
next to Mote Marine on City Island. About 200 permanently injured
birds live in safety at the sanctuary. Staff and hundreds of
volunteers have rescued, rehabilitated and released thousands of
pelicans and other birds. Free admission; donations appreciated.
Sarasota Jungle Gardens
3701 Bay Shore Road
355-5305
Ten lush tropical acres are filled with winding trails, beautiful
gardens and exotic waterfowl, as well as a petting zoo and shell
museum. Your "jungle experience" continues with
fascinating shows featuring snakes, turtles, alligators and other
Florida reptiles. Jungle Gardens is two blocks west of Tamiami
Trail and two miles north of the Sarasota bayfront.
Siesta Parasail and
Dolphin Tours
1249 Stickney Point Road, Siesta Key
(941) 349-1900
Only tour boat that takes you into the Gulf and the Intracoastal
Waterways! Our tour boat Northern Express holds up to 39 people
and is operated by professional USCG certified Captains. Walking
distance from Siesta Beach. Once you taked one of our dolphin
cruises, why not try an exhilarating flight with Siesta Parasail.
Available for Private and Corporate Parties. Located at CB's on
Siesta Key.
South Florida Museum,
Bishop Planetarium & Parker Manatee Aquarium
201 10th Street West, Bradenton
746-4131
Experience Florida. s history, from prehistoric times to the
present, in this education and entertainment complex. Exhibits
include life-sized dioramas of Native American life, a replica of
Spanish 16th-century buildings and courtyard, and an
indoor aquarium, home of "Snooty," the oldest manatee
born in captivity. The adjacent Bishop Planetarium features
dazzling laser light shows and star gazing activities.
Top Tours and Visitor Services
P. O. Box 1902,
Tallevast
(941) 355-2741
Top Tours and Visitor Services, a destination management company,
specializes in guided sightseeing tours of Scenic Sarasota, The
Circus City. Learn about our city's arts, culture and fascinating
history. Discover the influences of John and Charles Ringling,
two brothers who built their mansions here and brought their
world-famous Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus
here for the winter. Enjoy visits to museums, top attractions,
historic neighborhoods, unique shops and galleries, special
events and wilderness areas. Other services include: customized
local charter/excursions via minivan or bus, including ecotours;
excursions to neighboring cities and attractions; step-on guide
services for visiting bus groups;and concierge-type visitor
services (Meet and Greet, business client/spouse itineraries and
activities, and many others). We are your one-stop, professional
business and visit contact in Sarasota. .
Walk on the Wild Side
629 41st Street, Sarasota
351-6500
We offer a variety of guided Eco-Tours such as Kayaking,
canoeing, hiking, birdwatching, camping, etc. We provide all
equipment, transportation and meals if required.
Warm Mineral Springs
12200 San Servando Avenue, Warm Mineral Springs
941-426-1692
This natural spring is a focal watering place and spa of world
renown forming a two-and-a-half-acre lake and some nine million
gallons of water per day. Temperature of the lake holds at a
year-round 87°F.
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