This & That questions about the area
Higher Education Job Market: My oldest graduates from New College in May. The school has an excellent reputation. She's double majoring in Art and Anthropology. Not sure how that's gonna work out since they are both frequently on the "most useless degrees" list. Anyway, the school has an excellent reputation. She is currently working over at Whole Foods but says she plans to move to Chicago after she graduates to pursue her art interests.
Safe Apartments Near Colleges: As I mentioned in the above paragraph, my daughter attends New College. She lives off of 46th, over by the Bahia Hut. She rooms with three other girls and it seems to be working out OK. The area is kind of sketchy but she seems to be fine with it.
Active Things To Do: My husband is an avid runner. I guess it depends on what terrain you're looking for. A popular run is to run over the Ringling Bridge. Siesta Key is another decent place to run but it gets pretty crowded in the winter. He said to check out the Manasota Track Club: Manasota Track Club | Serving Sarasota and Manatee Counties since 1975 They're up on the best places to run in the area. Celery Fields is one of the only man made hills in the area and a great place to run: The Celery Fields | Sarasota Audubon | Sarasota, Florida He also said that Nokomis Beach is one of his favorite places to run. On the kayaking front, we have two tandem Ocean Kayaks and one of our favorite places to go up that way is the mangrove tunnels over by Lido. I suggest you hire my good friend Jamie Hook's for a day. He's a fifth generation Floridian and does mangrove tunnel tours as well as alligator tours: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie...63699003744244 He's one crazy guy so he can make things as calm or as crazy as you want to get. He takes his paddle board in the middle of hundreds of bull gators over in the Myakka during mating season. When they scatter they about tip him over. Damn crazy guy.
There are some really cool things to see out that way but you have to know where to look for them. In one of the side canals over by Otter Key you can check out the old sunken barge that Ringling and Webb used to dredge the canals. This barge was used to pump sand from the water up onto the shore to "build up" Lido Key. You can still see it sticking up from the water off of Otter Key.
Down that way you'll also find the old abandon shark tank of Mote Marine biologist Eugenie Clark. You can actually paddle right through it. Here's a link to a blog I wrote about paddle boarding/kayaking: https://www.city-data.com/blogs/blog2...ayou-lido.html
Unique Geologic Features: I agree Warm Mineral Springs is kind of interesting. That's all I can think of right now. The powder sand of Siesta. North Central FL has way more to offer in that department.
Sports: IMG had a professional soccer team in there a few months ago.
Museums/Culture/History/Unique Events: Checking out the manatees in the cold weather. When it's cold the congregate down at the power plant in Ft Myers. It's called Manatee Park: Lee County Parks & Recreation | Lee County Government Solomon's Castle and The Boat in the Moat is kind of a hokey, off beat place to visit: Solomon's Castle and The Boat in The Moat Restaurant Babcock Wilderness Adventures is really a neat way to spend the day. You take a tour through the woods in a swamp buggy: babcockwilderness Jungle Gardens is probably my favorite "attraction" around. It's not too big and they kept it somewhat original, by that I mean that the place was started in 1939 and they kept a lot of the old statues, pond, etc: Sarasota Jungle Gardens -Welcome They also have some pretty neat shows-the bird shows, reptile shows, snake show, alligator feeding, etc. Weeki Watchee is another old Florida treasure. Weeki Watchee is Florida's oldest theme park. They have swimming, mermaids, and a river boat cruise: WeekiWachee.com - Home If you care to venture day to Naples in late March you can check out the Swamp Buggy Races: Florida Sports Park-Collier Counties Entertainment Venue - The Florida Sports Park Southwest Florida's premier entertainment venue and home of the World Famous Swamp Buggy Races
I used to own a newspaper called The Country Grapevine. We were the largest country western paper in the state of FL. Anyway, many of our advertisers were fairs and festivals around the state of FL, so I kind of have a passion for that kind of thing. Festival season kind of drops off in April, when the snow birds go back. It's too hot to be outside all day and there's not enough business to support them. I'll give you a heads up on some of my favorite FL festivals and events:
Edison Festival of Lights, Feb: Edison Festival of Light | Parade | 2015 Event | Fort Myers
Sarasota Folk Fest in Osprey, 3/21-22: Sarasota Folk Festival
Melbourne Air & Space Show (since you mentioned space), Melbourne 3/21-22: Melbourne Air & Space Show - The Air & Space Show soars into Melbourne Int'l Airport March 21-22, 2015 headlined by the USN Blue Angels, featuring demos by the F-22 Raptor, F-16 Viper, MV-22 Osprey and much more!! : Melbourne Air & Space Show
Palmetto Seafood Fest, Palmetto, 3/26-28: 2015 Heintz and Becker De Soto Seafood Festival - Hernando DeSoto Historical SocietyHernando DeSoto Historical Society |
Florida International Air Show, Punta Gorda, 3/27-29: Florida International Air Show
Shark's Tooth Fest, Venice, 4/10-12: Shark's Tooth Festival
Sarasota Film Fest, Sarasota, 4/10-19: (My favorite band The Hipnauticals, a rockabilly band, will be playing there): 2015 Sarasota Film Festival - Sarasota Film Festival
Siesta Fiesta, Siesta Key, 4/11-12: ArtFestival.com | Art Shows | Craft Shows | Art and Craft Festivals
Worm Gruntin' Fest, Sopchoppy, 4/11: Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin Festival!
Country Life Fest, Punta Gorda (I'm going so I thought I'd mention it): Country Life Festival – Punta Gorda » South Florida Country Music
Bostwick Blueberry Fest, Palatka (If you want to take a nice day drive), 5/16: Bostwick Blueberry Festival in Bostwick, Florida
Tupelo Honey Fest, Wewahitchk, 5/16: Tupelo Honey Festival - Wewahitchka, Florida
May is the month for Corn Fest's, Zellwood has a decent one
June is the Watermelon Fest's Monticello has a decent one.
Lots of stuff going in July for the 4th. I often swim the harbor in Punta Gorda on the 4th: 2014 Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim: 4th of July in Florida | Florida Rambler The offshore Grand Prix is also a good time, Sarasota: Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Official Site
FantasyFest, Key West, 10/23-11/1(If you want to see a total freak show then take the Key West Express down to the keys for FantasyFest
): Official Fantasy Fest Website - Key West, Florida
Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Fest, Bradenton, October: Page 10
Lots of boat parades in December from Punta Gorda up through Bradenton.
Of course, there's always an art show or seafood fest and other miscellaneous fairs and festivals nearly every weekend in a town nearby.
Additional things to check into:
SoulSpeak: ABOUT SOULSPEAK
The Young Professionals Group of Sarasota: http://www.sarasotaypg.com/
Art Center Sarasota: Home | Art Center Sarasota
Asolo Theater Company: Asolo Rep Theatre -
Banyan Theater Company: Banyan Theater Company
Florida Studio Theater: Florida Studio Theatre
Towles Court Artist Colony: towles court artist colony
History: Rex Carr, over at the Sarasota Historical Society is one cool cat. He has lots of archived info and pics on the Sarasota area. Rex runs this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/172233629516340/
Volunteer/Service Events: I'm big on helping animals so I'm going go that route for the volunteer angle. The Sarasota Humane Society is always looking for dog walkers, feeders, petters, etc: Volunteer Opportunities | Humane Society Sarasota County Another option would be Manatee Humane Society. They are a high kill shelter so I'm not sure, personally if I couldn't stomach volunteering there and being close to an animal that gets killed: Humane Society of Manatee County | Bradenton, Florida
Restaurants/Neighborhoods: I'm not a big fan of most of the restaurants you mentioned. You should wander around the Bradenton Arts District. I like Arts & Eats but I see the rankings have gone down lately: Arts & Eats Homepage
Burns Court Café: Burns Court Cafe
Café Evergreen, Nokomis: Organic Food - All Natural Restaurant - Venice FL
Simons Coffee House: simonstogo.com
Veg Sarasota: VEG - A VEGETARIAN SEAFOOD EATERY | CAFE | RESTAURANT | SARASOTA - FLORIDA - USA
Restaurants In Sarasota is a good reference page: Sarasota Florida Restaurants and Dining Guide - All Restaurants and Reviews in Sarasota, Florida and Dining Search Engine for Sarasota, FL Siesta Key Restaurants, Longboat Key Restaurants, Lido Key and Venice, Florida Restaurants
If you're looking for a younger vibe as far as nightclubs you might want to check out:
The Gator Club: The Gator Club | Downtown Sarasota Bar | 1490 Main Street
The Daiquiri Deck: Oysters Siesta Key Seafood Restaurant | Raw Bar | Frozen Daiquiris
Identity: I was born and raised in the Sarasota area so I'm probably going to be the least help on this point. I have heard this brought up on many occasions. Keep in mind that Florida is very transient, this might have some factor in things.
Weather: Here's a blog I wrote a while ago that addresses the weather, among many other things. I didn't want to copy and paste it here because it's pretty lengthy. It's worth a read though: https://www.city-data.com/blogs/blog1...ldnt-want.html
Ok, that's about it. Let me have a few more cups of coffee and maybe I can add to my "War & Peace" novel
Safe Apartments Near Colleges: As I mentioned in the above paragraph, my daughter attends New College. She lives off of 46th, over by the Bahia Hut. She rooms with three other girls and it seems to be working out OK. The area is kind of sketchy but she seems to be fine with it.
Active Things To Do: My husband is an avid runner. I guess it depends on what terrain you're looking for. A popular run is to run over the Ringling Bridge. Siesta Key is another decent place to run but it gets pretty crowded in the winter. He said to check out the Manasota Track Club: Manasota Track Club | Serving Sarasota and Manatee Counties since 1975 They're up on the best places to run in the area. Celery Fields is one of the only man made hills in the area and a great place to run: The Celery Fields | Sarasota Audubon | Sarasota, Florida He also said that Nokomis Beach is one of his favorite places to run. On the kayaking front, we have two tandem Ocean Kayaks and one of our favorite places to go up that way is the mangrove tunnels over by Lido. I suggest you hire my good friend Jamie Hook's for a day. He's a fifth generation Floridian and does mangrove tunnel tours as well as alligator tours: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie...63699003744244 He's one crazy guy so he can make things as calm or as crazy as you want to get. He takes his paddle board in the middle of hundreds of bull gators over in the Myakka during mating season. When they scatter they about tip him over. Damn crazy guy.
There are some really cool things to see out that way but you have to know where to look for them. In one of the side canals over by Otter Key you can check out the old sunken barge that Ringling and Webb used to dredge the canals. This barge was used to pump sand from the water up onto the shore to "build up" Lido Key. You can still see it sticking up from the water off of Otter Key.
Down that way you'll also find the old abandon shark tank of Mote Marine biologist Eugenie Clark. You can actually paddle right through it. Here's a link to a blog I wrote about paddle boarding/kayaking: https://www.city-data.com/blogs/blog2...ayou-lido.html
Unique Geologic Features: I agree Warm Mineral Springs is kind of interesting. That's all I can think of right now. The powder sand of Siesta. North Central FL has way more to offer in that department.
Sports: IMG had a professional soccer team in there a few months ago.
Museums/Culture/History/Unique Events: Checking out the manatees in the cold weather. When it's cold the congregate down at the power plant in Ft Myers. It's called Manatee Park: Lee County Parks & Recreation | Lee County Government Solomon's Castle and The Boat in the Moat is kind of a hokey, off beat place to visit: Solomon's Castle and The Boat in The Moat Restaurant Babcock Wilderness Adventures is really a neat way to spend the day. You take a tour through the woods in a swamp buggy: babcockwilderness Jungle Gardens is probably my favorite "attraction" around. It's not too big and they kept it somewhat original, by that I mean that the place was started in 1939 and they kept a lot of the old statues, pond, etc: Sarasota Jungle Gardens -Welcome They also have some pretty neat shows-the bird shows, reptile shows, snake show, alligator feeding, etc. Weeki Watchee is another old Florida treasure. Weeki Watchee is Florida's oldest theme park. They have swimming, mermaids, and a river boat cruise: WeekiWachee.com - Home If you care to venture day to Naples in late March you can check out the Swamp Buggy Races: Florida Sports Park-Collier Counties Entertainment Venue - The Florida Sports Park Southwest Florida's premier entertainment venue and home of the World Famous Swamp Buggy Races
I used to own a newspaper called The Country Grapevine. We were the largest country western paper in the state of FL. Anyway, many of our advertisers were fairs and festivals around the state of FL, so I kind of have a passion for that kind of thing. Festival season kind of drops off in April, when the snow birds go back. It's too hot to be outside all day and there's not enough business to support them. I'll give you a heads up on some of my favorite FL festivals and events:
Edison Festival of Lights, Feb: Edison Festival of Light | Parade | 2015 Event | Fort Myers
Sarasota Folk Fest in Osprey, 3/21-22: Sarasota Folk Festival
Melbourne Air & Space Show (since you mentioned space), Melbourne 3/21-22: Melbourne Air & Space Show - The Air & Space Show soars into Melbourne Int'l Airport March 21-22, 2015 headlined by the USN Blue Angels, featuring demos by the F-22 Raptor, F-16 Viper, MV-22 Osprey and much more!! : Melbourne Air & Space Show
Palmetto Seafood Fest, Palmetto, 3/26-28: 2015 Heintz and Becker De Soto Seafood Festival - Hernando DeSoto Historical SocietyHernando DeSoto Historical Society |
Florida International Air Show, Punta Gorda, 3/27-29: Florida International Air Show
Shark's Tooth Fest, Venice, 4/10-12: Shark's Tooth Festival
Sarasota Film Fest, Sarasota, 4/10-19: (My favorite band The Hipnauticals, a rockabilly band, will be playing there): 2015 Sarasota Film Festival - Sarasota Film Festival
Siesta Fiesta, Siesta Key, 4/11-12: ArtFestival.com | Art Shows | Craft Shows | Art and Craft Festivals
Worm Gruntin' Fest, Sopchoppy, 4/11: Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin Festival!
Country Life Fest, Punta Gorda (I'm going so I thought I'd mention it): Country Life Festival – Punta Gorda » South Florida Country Music
Bostwick Blueberry Fest, Palatka (If you want to take a nice day drive), 5/16: Bostwick Blueberry Festival in Bostwick, Florida
Tupelo Honey Fest, Wewahitchk, 5/16: Tupelo Honey Festival - Wewahitchka, Florida
May is the month for Corn Fest's, Zellwood has a decent one
June is the Watermelon Fest's Monticello has a decent one.
Lots of stuff going in July for the 4th. I often swim the harbor in Punta Gorda on the 4th: 2014 Charlotte Harbor Freedom Swim: 4th of July in Florida | Florida Rambler The offshore Grand Prix is also a good time, Sarasota: Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Official Site
FantasyFest, Key West, 10/23-11/1(If you want to see a total freak show then take the Key West Express down to the keys for FantasyFest
): Official Fantasy Fest Website - Key West, FloridaHunsader Farms Pumpkin Fest, Bradenton, October: Page 10
Lots of boat parades in December from Punta Gorda up through Bradenton.
Of course, there's always an art show or seafood fest and other miscellaneous fairs and festivals nearly every weekend in a town nearby.
Additional things to check into:
SoulSpeak: ABOUT SOULSPEAK
The Young Professionals Group of Sarasota: http://www.sarasotaypg.com/
Art Center Sarasota: Home | Art Center Sarasota
Asolo Theater Company: Asolo Rep Theatre -
Banyan Theater Company: Banyan Theater Company
Florida Studio Theater: Florida Studio Theatre
Towles Court Artist Colony: towles court artist colony
History: Rex Carr, over at the Sarasota Historical Society is one cool cat. He has lots of archived info and pics on the Sarasota area. Rex runs this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/172233629516340/
Volunteer/Service Events: I'm big on helping animals so I'm going go that route for the volunteer angle. The Sarasota Humane Society is always looking for dog walkers, feeders, petters, etc: Volunteer Opportunities | Humane Society Sarasota County Another option would be Manatee Humane Society. They are a high kill shelter so I'm not sure, personally if I couldn't stomach volunteering there and being close to an animal that gets killed: Humane Society of Manatee County | Bradenton, Florida
Restaurants/Neighborhoods: I'm not a big fan of most of the restaurants you mentioned. You should wander around the Bradenton Arts District. I like Arts & Eats but I see the rankings have gone down lately: Arts & Eats Homepage
Burns Court Café: Burns Court Cafe
Café Evergreen, Nokomis: Organic Food - All Natural Restaurant - Venice FL
Simons Coffee House: simonstogo.com
Veg Sarasota: VEG - A VEGETARIAN SEAFOOD EATERY | CAFE | RESTAURANT | SARASOTA - FLORIDA - USA
Restaurants In Sarasota is a good reference page: Sarasota Florida Restaurants and Dining Guide - All Restaurants and Reviews in Sarasota, Florida and Dining Search Engine for Sarasota, FL Siesta Key Restaurants, Longboat Key Restaurants, Lido Key and Venice, Florida Restaurants
If you're looking for a younger vibe as far as nightclubs you might want to check out:
The Gator Club: The Gator Club | Downtown Sarasota Bar | 1490 Main Street
The Daiquiri Deck: Oysters Siesta Key Seafood Restaurant | Raw Bar | Frozen Daiquiris
Identity: I was born and raised in the Sarasota area so I'm probably going to be the least help on this point. I have heard this brought up on many occasions. Keep in mind that Florida is very transient, this might have some factor in things.
Weather: Here's a blog I wrote a while ago that addresses the weather, among many other things. I didn't want to copy and paste it here because it's pretty lengthy. It's worth a read though: https://www.city-data.com/blogs/blog1...ldnt-want.html
Ok, that's about it. Let me have a few more cups of coffee and maybe I can add to my "War & Peace" novel
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