Florida Travel Guide
Sarasota
An exclusive retreat south of Tampa, Sarasota is a lively, liberal centre for the arts. It also has beaches.
The Circus
John Ringling, part of the Ringling Brothers circus family, is the one who initiated the move in Sarasota towards things arty. Ringling, with a fortune in the region of two hundred million dollars, first came to Sarasota with a view to developing its tourist potential, he established it as the winter home for his circus and began to settle in. Ringling and his wife Mabel were avid collectors, travel with the circus in Europe allowed them to indulge this passion. The result is housed in a purpose built museum next to their palatial home. The centrepiece of the museum is a collection of five huge works by Rubens alongside 500 other pieces from assorted European masters.
The house, Ca' d'Zan, sounds terrible, who would think that a Floridian version of a Venetian Palazzo could look good? Yet it does.
The other gift of the circus to the town was a museum dedicated to the circus and a theatre, another Baroque Italien copy.
Sanctuary, Sanctuary
To escape the heat and the beach there are a number of places to go. Towles Court is a pleasing mix of restaurants, bars, galleries and studios. For a real contrast, visit the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; orchids a speciality. For wildlife lovers there is the Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary, which offers rehab for wildlife (injured animals as opposed to those who have taken to snorting coke in their tea breaks) The Mote Marine Aquarium is a research and rehab place for marine wildlife.
On the Beach
As with St Petersburg 'the beach' is centred on a selection of barrier islands. As this area becomes increasingly popular and developed, it loses its scenic appeal, overwhelmed by concrete. Despite that, Lido Key and Siesta Key do offer great beaches with good facilities and the accompanying towns are not without their charms.
Eating Drinking and Sleeping
The arty element ensures that although Sarasota is an upmarket place it never gets too full of itself. The atmosphere is gently active, with the downtown area the best place for eating and drinking. Standards are very high and the prices reflect this.
Apart from the Ringling endowed theatre there are several other performing arts companies as well as live music in a number of bars and clubs.
Accommodation in the centre is not cheap but deals are to be found on the outskirts.
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