Attractions

In the shallow, protected waters of Little Sarasota Bay, around the southern tip of Lido Key, is natural beauty that few know exists. Mangroves have grown up and over natural canals, intertwining like a giant umbrella, to create a living tunnel. Just wide enough for a kayak to slip through, paddling into one of these tunnels is like entering a parallel universe.

Kayaking through mangrove tunnels

Out in the open Bay, blistering sun beats down and wind and waves whip up the turquoise waters. But once inside and protected from the elements, the water calms and turns deep green – so clear that the ripples are visible on the sandy bottom. Manatees are frequent visitors to the tunnels from March through Read More »

Since 1991, the Sarasota Blues Fest in Sarasota, Florida has featured the best blues musicians one day each October. Previous events have drawn big crowds to hear famous names such as Buddy Guy and Gregg Allman. But this year, promoters were worried the economy would keep people home; they knew a big name headliner was needed if the festival was to survive. Many acts were considered, but one name kept popping up – the same band promoters had been trying to book in years past but could never quite nail down. They flew to New York, begged, pleaded and nagged until finally convincing Little Feat to appear at this year’s festival.

Little Feat

Sarasota Blues Fest 2009 is scheduled for October 24th at Ed Smith Stadium, located at 2700 12th Street. Performances begin when the gate opens at 11 a.m., with Fogt’s Jr. Allstars kicking off the program. Other Read More »

by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Every other year, the non-profit Sarasota Season of Sculpture organizes an International Invitational Exhibition of large-scale outdoor sculptures along the beautiful Bayfront promenade. During off-years, in order to keep the effort in forefront of the arts community, the group mounts “Interlude” exhibits like the one currently on display in downtown Sarasota.

"Last Call" photo courtesy of artist Jack Dowd

This year’s Interlude exhibit, Last Call, is described as a “cultural tribute to the vibrancy and social vitality of metropolitan American nightlife.” It depicts a traditional New York bar scene with thirteen customers posed around a 22-foot mahogany bar. Artist Jack Dowd crafted the life-sized figures from resin and painted them in full color in astonishing detail. The panorama portrays characters from a cross-section of society and incorporates music, bar sounds, video games, peanut shells, and sawdust into the exhibit, making it seem as if you’ve stepped into a bar at closing time! Read More »

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

In the world of museums it would seem unlikely if not downright preposterous to find circus artifacts mingled with fine art, yet that is precisely what visitors find at the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. With a name like Ringling, the circus connection is not surprising -  the benefactors of the museum are the famed couple who owned and operated the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for many years. What does surprise is the impressive collection of European, Asian and American paintings and sculptures.

With the great fortune amassed through their circus, John and Mabel Ringling traveled extensively throughout Europe. In Italy, especially, they developed a passion for fine art, which led to John becoming a regular at New York and London art auctions during the 1920’s. He purchased masterpieces by Rubens, Titian, Velazquez, Hals, Van Dyck, and Gainesborough, as well as a collection of Cypriot, Greek and Roman antiquities from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. By 1931, Ringling had built a museum designed after the Renaissance and Baroque palaces and museums of Italy to house their ever-growing collection.

One of numerous galleries displaying the impressive collection of Baroque paintings amassed by John and Mabel Ringling

Immediately inside the front doors of the museum hang five enormous paintings by Peter Paul Rubens from the series titled The Triumph of the Eucharist. At a time when the Catholic Church was losing membership to the newer Protestant denomination, Isabella Clara Eugenia, a devout Catholic and daughter of King Philip II of Spain, commissioned Rubens to paint a set of 11 scenes depicting the Catholic celebration of Eucharist or Mass. The paintings were produced for weavers of the day, who used them as templates to create tapestries that hung on the walls of royal palaces and homes of the wealthy. After Eugenia’s death in 1633, the paintings were dispersed throughout Europe. Four of the originals were destroyed in a fire, two eventually landed in the Louvre Museum in Paris; the remaining five were purchased by the Ringlings in 1926, becoming the only large-scale painting cycle by Rubens outside of Europe.

"The Triumph of Divine Love," one of eleven enormous canvases painted by Peter Paul Rubens for his series "The Triumph of the Eucharist"

Gallery after gallery display the collection of more than 600 paintings by Italian, Flemish, and Spanish artists; indeed the collection of Old Masters, highlighted by the 17th century Baroque period, is considered to be among the finest in the country and does not suffer in comparison with the collection of the Uffizi in Florence, Italy. Even the outdoor courtyard in the center of the museum is filled with art. As in Vatican Square, sculptures ring the roof of the museum and gaze down upon the courtyard, which features casts of original antiquities and renaissance sculptures, including David by Michelangelo; the Fountain of Tortoises, one of three replicas from the Piazza Mattei in Rome; and Oceanus Fountain, copied from the 16th century original by Giovanni Bologna in Florence’s Boboli Gardens.

Interior courtyard of the Art Museum displays reproductions of famous fountains and sculptures such as Michaelangelo's "David"

Beyond the art museum is Ca d’Zan, the 36,000 square foot, 56 room mansion that was once the Ringlings’ personal home. Built in the style of the Venetian Gothic palaces they so loved, it became the cultural epicenter of Sarasota upon completion in 1926. Cà d’Zan was constructed from terra cotta “T” blocks, concrete, and brick, covered with stucco and terra cotta, and embellished with glazed tile. The original roof was made from imported 16th century Spanish tiles and the bayfront terrace is paved with domestic and imported marble. Lavish parties featured full orchestras on the marble terrace overlooking Sarasota Bay, where their private 70-foot yacht was tied up. Today the mansion, filled with art and original furnishings, is open for public tours.

The Ca d'Zan mansion, built for the Ringlings as their personal home, was modeled after the palace of the Venetian Doge

Two additional buildings on the grounds of the Ringling Art Museum house the Circus Museums. Though a visit to these facilities on the heels of the Art Museum and Ca d’Zan is somewhat like stepping into an alternate universe, the Circus Museums house a fascinating array of memorabilia from this bygone era, as well as authentic circus wagons, caliopes, rolling animal cages, boxcars, costumes, and even the original Pullman train car that carried the Ringlings to Big Top sites around the country.

Custom built Pullman train car that was home to the Ringlings during circus season

The Tibbals Learning Center is home to the world’s largest miniature circus, The Howard Bros. Circus Model. This 3/4-inch scale model is a replica of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus when it was at its largest (circa 1919-1938). Occupying 3,800 square feet, it contains eight main tents, 152 wagons, 1,300 circus performers and workers, more than 800 animals, and a 57-car train.

Miniature Big Top, centerpiece of the 3,800 square foot miniature circus at the Tibbals Learning Center

Another portion of the 3/4 inch scale model of the Howard Bros. Circus

Even the grounds of the museum are stunning, featuring behemoth old-growth Banyan trees sprouting a dense tangle of air roots; gnarled oaks draped in Spanish moss, lush groves of ferns; and an exquisite rose garden originally planted by Mabel Ringling in an authentic Italian wagon-wheel design.

Exquisitely landscaped grounds at the John and Mabel Ringling Art Museum

When John Ringling died in 1936, he bequeathed his art collection, mansion and estate to the people of the State of Florida. Now managed by Florida State University, the Sarasota Bayfront site is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Days. Admission is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors (65+), $7 for students, Florida teachers, and military, and children ages 6-17 (free under 6). However, Ringling’s bequest mandated that admission to the Art Museum be free one day a week, in perpetuity (does not include free admission to the Cà d’Zan and Circus Museum). Although the Museum does not divulge it on their website, there is no admission charged for the Art Museum on Mondays, and (also a little known fact) the grounds can be wandered for free any day of the week.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Bongo player is oblivious to the crowd, focused on his music

Every Saturday evening for the last twelve years, a group of committed musicians has gathered on Siesta Key at sunset to conduct a free drum circle. The event was small at first, attracting only a few dozen people. But as word spread about the event, more and more people came down to the beach to see what it was all about. Over the years, the Siesta Key Drum Circle has attracted belly dancers, fire spinners, acrobats, and hula-hoopers, in addition to tourists and residents. Eventually it grew so large that the event had to be moved from its original location to the Siesta Key Public beach in order to accommodate a regular attendance of several hundred to several thousand people.

On a recent visit, I watched half a dozen rag-tag hippie musicians beat out a rhythm on tambourines, smaller drums carried underarm, and bongos. One young man even hauled a traditional drum set down to the beach, complete with bass and cymbals. As the last of the daylight faded, the intensity of the drumming ratcheted up. The crowd was perhaps twenty or thirty deep around the drummers. Bikini-clad teens and belly dancers in silk scarves pushed their way into the center of the circle and begin to trance dance, while tattooed bikers stood at the periphery, hoping to catch a glimpse of the more scantily clad dancers. Many of the spectators brought instrument as well: flutes, maracas, drums of their own. Under the cover of darkness, they lost their inhibitions and joined in, gleeful in their anonymity.

Hundreds, sometimes thousands, attend the free Saturday night drum circle

Today, the Siesta Key Drum Circle is one of the largest in the nation. Although its popularity may have something to do with “freak factor” – with their long dreadlocks, raggedy T-shirts, and expressions of transcendental bliss, the drummers are a sight to behold, and many of the spectators provide additional eye-candy. But my theory is that the Drum Circle; by its very nature free, uncontrolled, and spontaneous; is an event where people can forget about their daily stresses, walk on a beautiful beach, bang on a drum till their hands hurt, and dance to exhaustion.

Everyone loses their inhibitions and gets in the act

Siesta Key is one of several lovely Gulf Coast barrier islands located within the city of Sarasota, Florida. In addition to hundreds of attractions and events held throughout the year, the area boasts some of Florida’s finest beaches and provides accommodations to suit all budgets.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Everyone knows that Sarasota, Florida is a mecca for upscale shopping. One-of-a-kind downtown shops, designer stores on St. Armands Circle, and an outlet mall with top labels draw residents and visitors year-round. There is, however, another unique shopping experience available in Sarasota: the city is home to an uncommon number of secondhand stores and antique shops.

Secondhand and antique stores on Fruitville Road. Photo courtesy of Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Perhaps the largest concentration of the thrift and antique stores lies between Central and Orange Avenues along Fruitville Road, which forms the northern boundary of downtown Sarasota. Here customers will discover a row of historic, brightly painted single story buildings with titillating names like The Mustard Seed, American Pie Antiques and Collectibles, and Sparcc’s Treasure Chest. Each is crammed from floor to ceiling with used cookware, dishes, glasses, paintings, books, clothing, shoes, antiques, vintage clothing, accessories, jewelry, tools, toys, and much more.

Antique Mall in downtown Sarasota

Funky chairs sit in front of Jack Vitale Antiques in Burns Square

Another collection of second hand shops is mixed in amongst the sidewalk cafes and art galleries of the Burns Square and Laurel Park neighborhoods on the southern edge of downtown Sarasota. Two well-stocked used bookstores are found on Main Street, in the center of downtown. Further afield are the obligatory Goodwill and Salvation Army stores, and second hand furniture stores are scattered all over town. One recently opened thrift store on Bahia Vista Drive in mid-town specializes in designer clothing that is sold for as little as $2 or $3 per garment.

There is just no end to the bargains that can be found by digging through merchandise heaped on tables and crammed onto old shelves. So if you’re planning on visiting the Gulf coast of Florida, set aside some tme to snoop through the scores of thrift and consignment stores in Sarasota. Who knows – you may even find undiscovered booty.  Because as everyone knows, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure!

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travel

The Kress Building on Main Street

Sarasota, Florida has one of the nicest downtowns on the Gulf Coast, a charming Main Street with shops, restaurants, and dozens of historic buildings. Interestingly, the city’s charming downtown has been generally overlooked as a tourist destination. Instead, signs on Interstate-75 point drivers to historic St. Armands Circle or the Marie Selby Memorial Gardens. However city fathers and civic leaders hope that situation will soon be rectified, as a portion of the city center was recently added to the list of treasures recognized in the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic American National Bank Building, now the Orange Blossom

The new historic district, bounded by First and State Streets and Orange and Gulf Stream Avenues, is a collection of commercial buildings constructed between (circa) 1909 and 1959 and includes landmarks such as the Kress Building, the Roth Cigar Factory, the American National Bank Building (now Orange Blossom), and the Sarasota Opera House. The historic structures represent a wide variety of architectural styles including Art Deco, Art Moderne, Commercial Modern, Masonry Vernacular, Mediterranean Revival, with subtypes that include Italian Renaissance and Mission, Neoclassical and Neoclassical Revival, and Sarasota School of Architecture.

The newest sculpture in the downtown historic district sits at the entrance to Five Points Park

Unique “high technology” walking tours are currently being developed to show off the new district. Tourists will be provided with a map that specifies a walking route, identifying each historic building along the way. At each stop, visitors will be able to call on their cell phones to hear a recorded message about that particular building. Each year, more than $3 billion are spent in Florida on heritage tours. With the designation, Sarasota hopes to capture a portion of those tourism dollars, while showing off their unique downtown, which incorporates parks, fountains, and sculpture throughout the new historic district.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut

Locals and tourists strll around Towles Court during the neighborhood's monthly Art Walk

With only 50,000 residents, Sarasota, Florida would seem an unlikely hotbed of culture. Yet year after year, the city is named one of the top 25 small city arts destinations by AmericanStyle Magazine. Although there area museums, galleries, and performance venues galore in Sarasota, one of most popular arts venues is the Towles Court Art Walk, held on the third Friday of each month, from 6-10 pm.

The lovingly restored, brightly painted cottages in historic Towles Court exude charm and gentility, but just a few short years ago this entire district narrowly escaped the wrecking ball. Towles Court was developed in the 1920’s and immediately found favor with professional and seasonal residents. For more than three decades it flourished, until Sarasota’s downtown experienced the inevitable decline driven by residents fleeing to the suburbs. Slowly, the neighborhood deteriorated and its once lovely houses were carved into apartments for migrant laborers. By now an eyesore to the city, plans were being drawn up to raze the old homes.

A lovely restored home in Towles Court

Fortunately, a local entrepreneur, N.J. Olivieri, foresaw a renaissance for downtown Sarasota and began buying up property in Towles Court. Although his original vision was for a neighborhood of restored homes similar to Colonial Williamsburg, friends ultimately convinced Oliveri that the area was better suited for an artist colony. The moment the new plan was unveiled, artists rushed to sign up; within two months more than 200 had written letters of support to the city. Special zoning was approved and in December of 1995 the first artist signed a lease. Today Towles Court is home to dozens of artist’s studios, galleries, and restaurants that line streets shaded by stately hundred-year old moss-draped Oak trees. On the third Friday of each month, store owners break out the cheese, wine, and crackers and throw open their doors until 10 p.m., inviting the community to stroll around the neighborhood and check out the unique arts and crafts on offer. Visitors can chat with the artists, dine alfresco at one of the restaurants scattered around the complex, or just grab a spot on a bench in the main courtyard and enjoy the live music that always accompanies these events.

Photos courtesy of Towles Court

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travel

Circus magnate John Ringling bought the 150-acre mangrove key known as St. Armands Circle in 1917, with the vision of creating a world class community of shops and residences. He filled the low-lying center of the island, built seawalls, and laid streets and sidewalks in the wheel-shape that was to become the trademark of the tiny key. Then he built a wooden bridge across Sarasota Bay, using circus elephants to haul the huge timbers from which it was constructed. His vision was on its way to becoming reality when the depression hit. Sales dwindled and then disappeared entirely. Unable to maintain the property, Ringing gifted the island to the city of Sarasota and walked away from his dream.

St. Armands Circle is home to more than 130 shops and restaurants, most of which are uniquey local rather than national chain operations

St. Armands languished for nearly twenty years until enterprising developers took a second look at the property in the mid 1950’s. Today the island looks much as Ringing had envisioned it, with palm-lined streets radiating from the small circular park at its hub and Italian statuary from his personal collection gracing the avenues and central park.

Surrounding the hub, more than 130 extravagant shops and gourmet restaurants offer one of the finest shopping experiences in Florida, especially since most of the stores are unique local enterprises rather than national chains. Sidewalk cafes, galleries, ice cream parlors, and fudge shops provide a welcome respite from the “chore” of shopping, as does the grassy park at the hub of the wheel, which is the site of musical performances on the fourth Friday of every month. The most popular event of the year, “Smooth Jazz on St. Armands – Fourth Friday with Style” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 24, 2009.

Visitors stroll the galleries and street cafes of St. Armands Circle

Since St. Armands is also the gateway to Lido Key, many families start with an early morning visit to the spectacular white sands and shimmering turquoise waters found at Lido Beach. When midday temperatures rise, they escape to the St. Armands, located just two blocks away, and spend the afternoon discovering the many delights of the famous circle.

St. Armands Circle is located one mile from downtown Sarasota, Florida. Both Sarasota and Lido Key have a wide range of accommodations (Lido is within walking distance of the circle), as does nearby Longboat Key. In addition to St. Armands and its nearby beaches, the Sarasota area offers a variety of attractions ranging from opera to the circus.

Photos Courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut

Most people have heard of Ringling Bros. Circus, but not everyone knows the story behind the name that resulted in Sarasota, Florida becoming the Circus Capital of the World. John Ringling first visited Sarasota in 1909, when it was still a tiny village. He immediately recognized the potential of the area and began buying up large parcels of land that ultimately developed into upscale developments such as  St. Armands Circle, Bird Key, and the south end of Longboat Key.

A miniature version of the circus trains that used to roll into town each winter are on display at the John And Mable Ringling Circus Museum. Photo courtesy of the museum.

By 1927, Ringling had adopted Sarasota as his circus winter quarters and it wasn’t long before other operators followed suit. For many years the show trains rolled into town every November, making circus an integral part of the social and economic life of Sarasota. Although the Ringling winter headquarters have long since disappeared, Sarasota is still home to thousands of active and retired circus families and the legacy of this unique form of entertainment lives on in several venues.

A young performer at the Pal Sailor Circus. Photo courtesl of PAL.

First and foremost is the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Although Renaissance art and circus may seem an unlikely combo, the wealth that the Ringlings acquired from their circus operations allowed them to travel extensively. Mabel became so enamored with Italian Renaissance that she had an Italianate mansion built just north of downtown Sarasota for their personal residence. Many subsequent winters were spent traveling in Europe and acquiring art. Upon their death, the mansion was turned into a museum to display a small part of their extensive collection. Over the ensuing years, additional buildings were added so that more of the collection could be showcased, including one building in the shape of a giant circus tent that today houses the world famous Ringling miniature circus.

What began as a small high school gymnastics class in 1949 evolved into today’s Pal Sailor Circus, a spectacular 4-ring youth circus billed as the Greatest “Little” Show on Earth. The performers – all students from the 4th through 12th grades in Sarasota and surrounding counties – are trained by retired circus performers, sailor circus alumni and enthusiastic parents, and the annual two week performance benefits the Police Athletic League. This year performances are scheduled for March 25-28 and April 1, 2 and 4.

Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs, in front of the big top. Photo courtesy of Circus Sarasota.

The famous Royal Hanneford Circus, which originated in England in 1608, is the largest circus in Sarasota and the second largest touring circus in the country. To benefit the Shriners, this troupe performs every April or May at the Robarts Arena in Sarasota.

Dolly Jacobs on the Roman Rings. Photo courtesy of Circus Sarasota.

In 1997 Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs opened Circus Sarasota. As lifelong circus performers, Pedro and Dolly were able to draw talent from around the globe to create a one-ring, five-star European-style circus that performs in both Sarasota and Fort Myers every spring.

Also based in Sarasota, Walker Brothers Circus is a one-ring European-style circus under the big top that features clowns, jugglers, trained animals, and midways. After having been on the road for ten months, they return to town each October, where they hold a closing performance at the Sarasota Fairgrounds.

Even during times of the year when no live circus events are scheduled, Sarasota and environs are rife with signs of the circus. But you have to look closely. I’ll give you one hint: there is a circus “Ring of Fame” in the center of St. Armands Circle. As for the rest, well, you’ll just have to keep your eyes peeled.

Sarasota is a wonderful destination any time of the year.The area offers a multitude of attractions and activities for the whole family and a wide selection of accommodations are available in all price ranges.