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Guidebook Sarasota
Location/Region:
Southeast United States/ Florida - Florida's West Coast between
Tampa and Ft. Myers
Geographical Description: 571.75 square miles of land
area; 35 miles of beachfront
Climate: Sub-Tropical Average Annual Temperatures: Air
Temp 72.6 F; Avg High Temp 82.8 F; Avg Low 61.9
Population: Entire Sarasota County: 325,957;
City of Sarasota: 52,715; City of Venice: 17,764; City of North Port:
22,797; Town of Longboat Key 5,012; Rest of County: 227,669
Area History:
A Historical Perspective of the Sarasota Area
Sarasota, Fla. – Evidence remains today of the native
Americans who lived along the waterfront of Sarasota and Southwest
Florida. Middens and mounds are silent testaments to the people who made
their home here more than 3,000 years ago, when Sarasota Bay was fertile
with fish and thick palmetto brush and cedar forests covered most of the
land.
The first European explorers came to “La Florida” in
the 1500s – Ponce de Leon, Panfilo Narvaez and most notably Hernando De
Soto landed on the Gulf Coast in search of gold and silver treasures. To
the dismay of the natives, the Spanish conquistadors brought disease and
demands of food and gold. The natives greeted the Spaniards with drawn
bows and arrows of fishbone and stone, fighting to keep their land and
for their lives – as slave hunters searched for strong natives to trade
at the rapidly expanding trading posts.
In 1821 the United States acquired the territory of
Florida and at the time a handful of citizens built “ranchos,” or fish
camps, which they operated every fall to spring, supplying salted fish
and live turtles for export to Cuba. In 1824 the Armed Occupation Act
allowed for private ownership of land along Sarasota Bay – but only for
incoming settlers; the native Seminoles were precluded from citizenship
and land ownership and were pushed even further south. In 1855 a
backyard war between the settlers and the Seminoles served as the final
victory for Florida’s newest residents.
It wasn’t until the 1880s that development really
began. The “modern town” of Sarasota was promoted in Scotland by the
Florida Mortgage and Investment Company in 1885. With the promises of
fertile vegetable fields, town housing and profitable citrus groves,
Scottish families boarded a steamer and set sail for Sarasota. Upon
their December arrival the colonists were shocked by what they found –
an empty, stump-filled Main Street reached only by wading ashore. Many
colonists left, but some stayed on as the town’s plan took shape. John
Hamilton Gillespie a Scottish aristocrat, lawyer and member of the Royal
Company of Archers, Queen’s Bodyguard for Scotland, built what is
believed to be America’s first golf course in Sarasota, a nine-hole
course near today’s Links and Golf avenues. Gillespie also built the
upscale DeSoto Hotel on Main Street for tourists and prospective
investors. In 1902 he was elected as Sarasota’s first mayor. Scottish
influence remains, through the many various golf courses and the
Riverview High Kiltie band, which dons authentic kilts and features
bagpipers and Highland dancers.
The Crowley Museum and Nature Center in Eastern
Sarasota vividly demonstrates what life was like for Sarasota’s first
settlers in the late 19th Century. Visitors to Crowley can follow a
portion of the Pine Level Trail, a pioneer road that once lead from the
County Seat to nearby Braidentown, see the recently renovated 1889
William H. Tatum home, or visit the Crowley family’s cabin, replete with
period furniture and utensils. A blacksmith shop displays original tools
used in shoeing horses, repairing wagon wheels and other difficult metal
working tasks.
Sarasota began a trend of attracting wealthy Americans
in the 1910s that continues today. Bertha Palmer, widow of Chicago
developer Potter Palmer, came to Sarasota and built extensive gardens on
her waterfront winter estate, Osprey Point, which is today’s Historic
Spanish Point.
Palmer also purchased a 30,000 acre ranch in eastern
Sarasota, Meadowsweet Pastures, which is today’s Myakka River State
Park. Palmer helped to define the county of Sarasota, but did so in a
quiet way, much in contrast to John Ringling, whose name is tied closely
with the legacy he left to Sarasota.
John Ringling, of Ringling Brothers and Barnum &
Bailey Circus fame, made an indelible mark on the community of Sarasota
in a variety of ways. In the 1920s he and his wife, Mable, built a
magnificent Venetian-style estate on Sarasota Bay named Ca d’ Zan (House
of John in Venetian dialect). They then built an art museum to house
their ever growing collection of works by Peter Paul Reubens and other
masters of 17th Century Italian and Flemish art. In addition, John was a
developer. He used his circus elephants to help build the first bridge
from the mainland to St. Armands Key, which he developed as a commercial
and residential center. The circus’ winter quarters were moved to
Sarasota in 1927 – thus creating a new worldwide identity for Sarasota
as a “circus town.” Today’s visitors can enjoy the Museum of the Circus
on the Ringling grounds.
In the late 1920s the Tamiami Trail (connecting Tampa
to Miami) was completed in time for the collapse of the economy and
Florida’s land boom. For more information the Department of Historical
Resources publishes a list of National Historic Register buildings, a
list of Historical markers which can be found in Sarasota County and a
walking tour of bayfront and downtown buildings with historical
significance. (Information compiled from:
“Sarasota Over My Shoulder,” by Janet Snyder Matthews and the Sarasota
County Department of Historical Resources)
Cultural info:
Sarasota is recognized as Florida's Cultural Coast and
is home to two professional symphonies, a ballet, and an opera. In
addition, more than 10 theaters and 30 art galleries are located in
Sarasota. The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art is Florida's State
Museum and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, known for its
architecture and great acoustics, seats 1,700 people and features a
dazzling season of music, shows, and programs for all ages.
Current info:
Sarasota has a very unique feel to it because of the
different areas that make up Sarasota. Sarasota County is made up of
Casey Key, Englewood, Lido Key, Longboat Key, Manasota Key, Nokomis,
North Port, Osprey, Siesta Key, St. Armands Key, and Venice. Each area
has very distinct characteristics. Sarasota also has a variety of
offerings above and beyond its rich cultural environment with over 10
area attractions, 1000 holes of golf, two state parks, superb fishing
and boating, and a variety of nature outlets.
What to see and do:
Family-friendly places abound…
Attractions Are the Main Event Year ’Round in
Sarasota
Where can you find a cockatoo named Frosty riding a
miniature unicycle across a high wire? Where can you actually enter a
pre-historic Indian shell mound? What about seeing the “Human Cannonball
Machine” used in the 1940s by the Zacchini circus family? It’s all in
Sarasota! As Florida’s Cultural Coast, this community is known for its
sophisticated arts scene, but smart visitors know the action for
families can be found at the diverse array of attractions for kids of
all ages. Following is a round up of things to do and places to go.
Sarasota Jungle Gardens is one of Florida’s oldest
attractions and the area’s only zoological park, with lush, tropical
grounds and winding brick pathways. Waiting just around every curve of
the walkway is another interesting exotic plant or tree and sometimes
even a new animal exhibit to discover. Don’t miss the Bird of Prey Show
with their own in-house falconer or the Shell Museum, located right next
to the snack bar. A wide variety of animals call Jungle Gardens home
including flamingos, peacocks, monkeys, alligators, and even a giant
Aldabra tortoise named Roscoe! For more information call (941)
355-1112.
It’s easy to see why Historic Spanish Point has been
inhabited for more than 4,000 years. This scenic 30-acre peninsula
overlooks Little Sarasota Bay, and the native plants and wildlife
enhance the natural setting. It was this timeless beauty and nature’s
bounty in the bay waters that attracted native settlers thousands of
years ago. Historic Spanish Point has the most well preserved Indian
village site in Florida and it’s the only place in the nation where you
can actually enter a pre-historic shell mound. Spanish Point offers a
glimpse of pioneer life with restored turn-of-the-century buildings such
as Mary’s Chapel, the Guptill House and the Citrus Packing House.
In 1910 the property was purchased as the winter
estate of Mrs. Potter Palmer, widow of Chicago magnate Potter Palmer.
Mrs. Palmer left an indelible mark on both the property and our
community. Be sure to stroll along her jungle walk and find the unique
shell fountain at the end of the aqua duct. For information call (941)
966-5214.
Mote Aquarium is not your “run of the mill” aquarium.
This working marine laboratory mixes the right amount of learning and
fun through informative exhibits portraying underwater life in grass
flats, rivers and artificial reefs. The touch tank is a popular way to
get up-close-and- personal with a variety of marine life including
conchs, starfish and urchins; while three working laboratories give
visitors insight into the world of Mote’s scientific studies. The latest
attraction to be added at Mote is “Sea Cinema,” a unique theatre
experience combining surround sound, a big screen and 3D objects in an
impressive 12-minute movie presentation about life as a hungry shark.
The Marine Mammal Center teaches visitors about fish
hatcheries and the importance of stocking and monitoring different fish
species. You’ll find sea turtles at the Mammal Center along with Mote’s
resident manatees Hugh and Buffett. Mote is the only facility to have
installed an underwater microphone to record the sounds of the manatees.
You can easily hear them munching away on the romaine lettuce that
peppers the top of the tank and if you’re lucky you may even hear them
vocalize with high-pitched “chirping” noises.
Call (941) 388-4441.
Right next to Mote Marine Aquarium you’ll find many
feathered friends at the Pelican Man’s Bird Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is
home to more than 39 avian species due to injuries that prohibit them
from surviving in the wild. Pelican Man Dale Shields, the remarkable man
behind the scenes, dedicated his life to “tending the hurt and feeding
the hungry” bird populations. During a visit you’ll see egrets, terns,
crows, ducks, geese, herons, gulls, ibises and other waterfowl. The
Sanctuary is also home to birds of prey such as hawks, eagles, owls,
ospreys and kestrals. For information call (941) 388-4444.
One name will always surface during a discussion of
the history of Sarasota – circus magnate John Ringling. His profound
influence transformed this sleepy fishing village to an arts capital in
the 1920s, and this influence continues today with the John & Mable
Ringling Museum Complex. The magnificent architecture of the Museum of
Art complements Ringling’s renowned collection. Most impressive are the
giant works by Flemish master Peter Paul Reubens. The museum galleries
offer a fresh approach to showcasing artwork – object art is skillfully
blended with wall pieces to help tell a story of time and place. Also on
the grounds are the Museum of the Circus – a “snapshot” of circus
history – and John Ringling’s home on the bay, Cà d’Zan (House of John),
which re-opened to the public in 2002. The beautifully restored
architecture and decorative arts offer fascinating insights into
Ringling’s dedication to creating a world-class “arts destination” on
the Gulf Coast of Florida.
For details call (941) 359-5700.
The Circus is an important part of Sarasota’s legacy
and a renewed spirit of the Circus has come alive with Circus Sarasota –
a one-ring European-style circus performing in the winter months. The
show offers non-stop entertainment with unique acts including the
Russian Cossack Riders and Dolly Jacobs’ elegant and captivating Roman
rings and aerial act. Circus Sarasota performs from February to March
under the big top.
For information call (941) 355-9335.
Myakka State Park offers many ways to get in touch
with nature from canoeing, bicycling, camping, fishing, hiking, or even
airboating on upper Myakka Lake. Florida’s largest state park offers
daily airboat tours on the world’s largest airboat, the Gator Gal. In
conjunction with Selby Botanical Gardens, Myakka State Park recently
opened a Canopy Walkway – the first of its kind in North America. The
walkway is 80 ft. long and 100 ft. in the air, just perfect for
observing the delicate ecosystems that thrive high above us in the
trees.
For information call (941) 365-0100.
If heaven is a garden – then Marie Selby Botanical
Gardens is nine acres of heaven and the perfect place to take in the
wonders and beauty of nature. Selby’s walking paths guide you through a
hibiscus garden, wildflower garden, a banyan grove, a tropical fruit
garden and much more.
Dazzling colors and unique shapes delight every
visitor to Selby’s prized display house with lovingly cared for orchids,
ferns, bromeliads and heliconias. The tropical display house has more
types of epiphytes than any other exhibit or display in the nation. What
are epiphytes? Well, you’ll have to visit Selby and find out for
yourself. Call (941) 366-5731.
Sarasota can now include Asian Art in its repertoire
of cultural offerings. The Museum of Asian Art in downtown Sarasota
welcomes visitors to explore the world of ancient Asia. The museum’s
collection includes works in bronze, stone, wood and iron, displayed in
a magnificent space. Set within a vault, 2,000 years of history are
represented in the current exhibition of artifacts from China, Thailand,
Cambodia, Nepal and Burma, including the famous “Yangtze River
Collection” of Chinese jades.
For more information, call Ellen VanDernoot at (941) 954-7117.
G. WIZ, the Gulf Coast Wonder & Imagination Zone
offers children and families a place to explore, discover and learn.
Interactive exhibits, play areas and classrooms make up this 33,000
square-foot facility. G.Wiz also offers programs for school groups,
educational outreach programs, summer day camp and much more.
For more information, call (941) 906-1851.
Tips on visiting:
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport is closest
airport with air service also in Tampa, St.Petersburg, and Fort Myers.
Before visiting please visit our extensive website at www.sarasotafl.org
and request an official Sarasota Visitors Guide.
Area Trivia and Interesting or Little Known Facts:
Sarasota is home to a large Amish Community located in
the Pinecraft Area with areas of interest being homes, farmer's markets,
restaurants, bakeries, and unique retail stores.
Sarasota is also home to the first Segway Guided Tours
in America. This very unique mode of transportation gives you a taste of
the future while learning about historic downtown Sarasota.
Information and photos submitted
by:
Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau
655 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, Florida 34236
941-955-0991 ext 4 |
Website |
Email
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