HISTORIC ANNA MARIA CITY PIER
by LoriPori
This pier and wharf was built in 1911- 12 to provide dockage for ships from St. Petersburg and Tampa. HISTORIC ANNA MARIA CITY PIER has since withstood hurricanes and storms. It is 678 feet long. Over the years it has been a favourite spot for fishermen and folks out for a stroll. Pelicans and other sea-birds frequent the pier, as area bird-lovers provided roosts for them.
At the end of the pier, there is also a small restaurant featuring of course - seafood dinners.
Update!!! I heard that they...
by LealaGirl
Update!!! I heard that they have actually moved to a new location. You might want to ask a local where it is now if you visit.
If you like foreign Brew, you should visit The Cock & Bull pub on main street. Do not enter into bar asking for Budweiser (You will be laughed at). What it lacks in air conditioning and cleanliness, it makes up for in atmosphere. You must stop in! By the way it usually does not open until after 8:30 in the evenings. Ask for Howie!
Wonderful Cuban food!
by geekgrrl about El Habanero Restaurant
This restaurant is off the beaten track in Sarasota, but well worth the trip. Take a cab if you have to. The interior is painted in bright colors giving it a festive atmosphere. The food is great, too. I can't remember what all we had, but I know that we tried a variety of items and all of it was excellent!
The Ringling Estate
by Bunsch
To borrow directly from Wikipedia a much more comprehensive description than I could possibly write, "The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the state art museum of Florida. Florida State University assumed governance of the Museum in 2000.
"The institution offers twenty-one galleries of European paintings as well as Cypriot antiquities and Asian, American, and contemporary art. The museum's art collection currently consists of more than 10,000 objects that include a wide variety of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs, and decorative arts from ancient through contemporary periods and from around the world. The collection of Peter Paul Rubens paintings is world-renowned.
"In January 2007, a $76-million expansion and renovation of the Museum of Art was finished. The new Arthur F. and Ulla R. Searing Wing was the final component of a five-year master plan that has transformed the museum from a decaying facility to the sixteenth largest in the United States.
"In all, more than 150,000 square feet have been added to the campus, which includes the art museum, circus museum, and Cà d'Zan, the Ringlings' mansion, which has been restored, along with the historic Asolo Theater. Entirely new are the Visitor Pavilion, the Education and Conservation Complex, the Tibbals Learning Center, and Miniature Circus.
"Cà d'Zan, (Venetian for "House of John"), is the waterfront residence built for Mable and John Ringling. The mansion was designed by architect Dwight James Baum with assistance from the Ringlings, built by Owen Burns, and was completed in 1926. It is designed in Venetian Gothic style. Overlooking Sarasota Bay, the mansion became the center for cultural life in Sarasota for several years. The residence was restored in 2002.
"Mable Ringling’s rose garden was completed in 1913 while she and John were living in another house on the property. The rose garden is located near the original Mary Louise and Charles N. Thompson residence within the beautifully landscaped grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay. John and Mable are both buried in this garden.
"The Ringling Museum of the American Circus, established in 1948, is the first museum of its kind to document the history of the circus. The museum has a colletion of handbills, posters and art prints, circus paper, business records, wardrobe, performing props, circus equipment, and parade wagons. The museum also contains the Howard Bros. Circus model, a ¾-inch-to-the-foot scale replica of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919–1938, called the world's largest miniature circus."
I like fancy houses, rose gardens, and art museums, but the Circus Museum was the best!
When in Sarasota you must...
by probation
When in Sarasota you must visit the Mote Marine Laboratory. On display are sharks,manatees,fish and turtles. It features the marine life found off Florida's coast and shows the Laboratory's marine science research.
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TAMIAMI TRAIL, SARASOTA
Ca d'Zan
ringling museum of art
Sun House Restaurant & Bar
