Sights in Sarasota
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Ringling Museum Complex
The 66-acre winter estate of railroad, real-estate and circus baron John Ringling and his wife, Mable, is one of the Gulf Coast's premier attractions. Indeed, this excellent museum complex has a lot to see, and several ways to see it. For the complete experience, plan a full day or several shorter visits. For instance, the landscaped grounds and rose gardens are free to the public during open hours. The art museum (alone) is free Monday, while 5pm till 8pm Thursday both the art and circus museums are discounted (adult/child $10/5). Saturday from 1pm till 4pm is 'family day,' with activity carts and family-oriented guides. There are also two cafes and a good gift shop.
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Cà d'Zan
Said to mean 'House of John' in Venetian dialect, Cà d'Zan (1924-26) was the grand winter home of the Ringlings. Fronting Sarasota Bay, it's a spectacular combination of Italian and French Renaissance, baroque, Venetian Gothic and modern architecture. The lavish house has a ballroom, dining room, and taproom (with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass panels); the ballroom and playroom had their ceilings painted by Willy Pogany, a set designer for the Ziegfeld Follies.
There's a catwalk around the 30ft-high court, or living room, with very fine tapestries throughout. In fact, the whole stupendous place is filled with eclectic and opulent decorative arts and furnishings. It…
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John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art
This enormous and imposing Venetian Gothic and Italian Renaissance building (finished in 1929) boasts a first-rate collection of 17th-century, late-medieval, baroque and Renaissance French, Dutch and Spanish paintings and tapestries. Art works span 500 years, while the art museum library has a whopping 60,000 books spanning all art periods. The sculpture garden contains bronze replicas of ancient Greek and Roman figures.
You'll also find rotating modern exhibits and the Asolo Theater, a horseshoe-shaped, 300-seat theater that was originally built in the castle of Asolo, Italy, in 1798. After being dismantled in 1930 to make way for a movie theater, the theater was…
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Beaches
The area's excellent powdery, white-sand beaches are located on the barrier islands west of town. Parking is generally a snap; there are public lots, and public transport from the mainland. Lido Key, just west of St Armand's Circle, is divided into North and South Lido Beaches, the latter of which is huge and also shaded for picnicking. Siesta Key Beach, an absolutely deservedly famous strip of sand, accommodates 800 cars in its parking lot.
Head south on Midnight Pass Rd to the end of Siesta Key for the quieter Turtle Beach. Crescent Beach, perfectly fine, is wedged in between those two. Longboat Key, north of St Armand's Circle, also has lovely beaches with lots of…
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Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary
Dale Shields is the Pelican Man, and his sanctuary rehabilitates injured wildlife; it's on City Island, just east of the Mote, on the south side of Ken Thompson Pkwy. Although all injured animals are helped, pelicans are their primary customers (90% of all injured pelicans are hurt by fishing line). Since its humble beginnings in 1985 when Shields' first pelican rehabbed in a bathtub, the sanctuary now rehabilitates upwards of 6000 animals annually.
Still, some animals cannot be released; about 250 birds including hawks, gulls, egrets, owls, storks and pelicans and other indigenous wildlife now live here permanently.
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PAL Sailor Circus
Sarasota even celebrates its circus heritage in its school system. The PAL Sailor Circus is a truly unique circus experience – you don’t have to worry about animal or human cruelty here – its troop is comprised entirely of Sarasota County students. The kids take ‘circus’ as an extracurricular school activity, and learn high-flying, tumbling and clowning, which they then perform under the big top. It’s a wonderful experience that also supports positive after-school activities for children. Look for it tucked under the big blue-and-white circus tent east off S Tamiami Trail.
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Ringling Museum Complex
Really, don’t miss the 66-acre winter estate of railroad, real-estate and circus baron John Ringling and his wife, Mable. This excellent museum complex, with exotic plantings and a rose garden, is easily worth at least a half-day of your holiday. Avid art collectors, over the years they amassed an exceptional collection of works by Rubens, Hals, Van Dyck and others. Ringling began work on a fine art museum in the early 1920s, which was donated to the state after his death in 1936. You can also tour Ringling’s home, Cà d’Zan, and the enormous Circus Museum.
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Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
If you visit just one botanical garden in Florida, choose Selby, which has the world's largest scientific collection of orchids and bromeliads, over 20,000 species. Emblematic of Florida, these sideshow freaks of the plant kingdom propagate in such bizarre fashion it boggles the mind. In addition, Selby's genteel outdoor gardens are exceptionally well landscaped and relaxing, with 80-year-old banyan trees, koi ponds and splendid bay views. Art exhibits, a cafe and an enticing plant shop complete the experience.
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Classic Car Museum
This sexy museum is an automotive voyeur's delight. There isn't much narrative or context, but ogling the collection's more than 80 automobiles is entertaining enough. Several Ringling cars include his 1924 Rolls-Royce 'Silver Ghost.' Drool over Don Garlitz' 1975 'Jungle' car, a 1981 stainless-steel DeLorean, various futuristic prototypes and Paul McCartney's 1965 Mini Cooper.
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Circus Museum
This fascinating place contains the wild Barlow Animated Miniature Circus, original and elaborately carved circus wagons, the cannon used to blast the Flying Zacchinis into low orbit, sequined costumes, calliopes and dozens of rare circus posters. Circus fans will be pleased to know that the spirit of the circus is still alive and kicking in Sarasota, though it's no longer the winter home of Ringling Bros Circus.
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Sarasota Baywalk
These shell paths and boardwalks circle a series of ponds surrounded by red, black and white mangroves. Though interesting, the lagoons were manmade and excavated by the Sarasota Bay Natural Estuary Program to different depths to attract different animals. The Baywalk is on City Island and is adjacent to the Mote, next to the bridge between Lido and Longboat Keys.
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Gulfcoast Wonder & Imagination Zone
No matter your age, the Gulfcoast Wonder & Imagination Zone - with robots, hydraulics, wave machines, lightning bolts and paper airplanes - will keep every family member entertained for a rainy afternoon. It's well worth a stop.
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Museum of Asian Art
The focused collection at the Museum of Asian Art highlights art from China, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal and Myanmar (Burma). It boasts the famous Yangtze River Collection of Chinese jades.
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Art Center Sarasota
This community-oriented nonprofit gallery has four exhibition spaces that mix local and out-of-town artists. It's a warm, friendly introduction to the local art scene. In winter, family days let kids get creative.
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Mote Aquarium
Mote Aquarium, a research center and rehabilitation facility, has touch pools, a manatee habitat, the fun Shark Attack Theater and, of course, fish.
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Towles Court Art District
Wander about a cluster of colorful galleries and studios at Towles Court Art District.
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Island Park
Sarasota's marina is notable for Island Park, an attractive green space poking into the harbor: it has a great playground and play fountain, restrooms, tree-shaded benches, a restaurant and tiki bar, and kayak, Wave-runner and boat rentals. A short stroll north along the waterfront is Unconditional Surrender, a towering statue of WWII's most famous kiss.
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St Armand's Circle
Conceived and initially developed by John Ringling in the 1920s, St Armand's Circle is essentially an upscale outdoor shopping mall surrounded by posh residences. Yet even more than downtown, this traffic circle is Sarasota's social center; it's where everyone strolls in the early evening, window shopping and buying souvenir T-shirts while enjoying a Kilwin's waffle cone. Numerous restaurants, from diners to fine dining, serve all day. The circle is also an unavoidable traffic chokepoint; mid-morning and late-afternoon beach commutes are worst.
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G.Wiz
Though modest by current standards, this interactive kids' science museum remains a laudable family destination, particularly if you like the current traveling show. However, its latest exhibit, 'Fab Lab,' promises a unique treat: it's essentially a machine shop for the public, who can design and make prototypes (in metal, wood and plastic), or just personalize a souvenir (call for times/fees).
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Mote Marine Laboratory
A research facility first and an aquarium second, the Mote is one of the world's leading organizations for shark study, and glimpsing its work is a highlight: marvel at seahorse 'fry' born that very day, and time your visit for shark training. Above-average exhibits include a preserved giant squid (37ft long when caught), a stingray touch tank, a dramatic shark tank, and a separate building with intimate encounters with sea turtles, manatees and dolphins. An interactive immersion theater is perfect for kids. Also don't miss Save Our Seabirds adjacent to Mote, it displays a wide range of rescued seabirds in outdoor cages. Finally, Sarasota Bay Explorers is based here. To…
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