The Sarasota Florida Vacation & Accommodations Guide

Sarasota Area Activities

Sarasota, Florida is filled with more than just long beaches and parties until dawn. The area has great places to visit with plenty of activities that are designed for the whole family and a wonderful Florida vacation. From campgrounds to aquariums, drum circles to planetariums, Sarasota makes a nice change of pace from the usual Florida vacation.

Myakka is one of the largest and oldest state parks in Florida and it is a protected expanse of fifty-eight square miles of natural area. The Myakka River flows through this park, connected to the Upper Myakka Lake. Visitors to this state park can enjoy exploring the wetlands, hammocks, pinelands, and prairies of the park or they enjoy a treetop stroll on the unique canopy walkway. There are plenty of hiking trails as well as boat ramps for freshwater fishing, canoeing and recreational boating. Lake tours and a safari tram tour are also available for visitor’s enjoyment. There are also five palm log cabins for rent in addition to full-facility campgrounds and primitive campsites.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art has been recognized as the official art museum of the state. It was established in 1927 as part of the couple’s legacy and offers visitors twenty-one galleries that include art from Europe, Asia, America, Cypriot antiquities, and contemporary pieces. There are also traveling exhibitions that visit one of the wings during the course of the year. Also housed on the estate is the Circus Museum with displays of the many costumes, performance equipment, wagons, and other items that chronicle the circus’ history. Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden is here next to beautiful views of Sarasota Bay. There are lectures, workshops, training sessions, public tours and more at this attraction.

The South Florida Museum, Planetarium and Aquarium offer their guests three unique attractions in its museum, aquarium, and planetarium. Children of all ages will enjoy the life sized casts of animals that roamed the area 12,000 years ago during the Ice Age. The museum has plenty of exhibits chronicling the first peoples of the state and includes plenty of archeological artifacts from the sites that have been excavated in the state. There are plenty of pieces from the Spanish that lived in the area during the 1500’s and the staff changes the exhibits regularly to keep the programs fresh. The Bishop Planetarium is a digital planetarium theater beneath a full dome that offers astronomy presentations, lectures, light and sound shows and more. Finally the Parker Manatee Aquarium is home to Snooty, the most famous Manatee in the world who came to the aquarium in 1949 as a baby. The aquarium was designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a part of the Manatee Rehabilitation Network and the staff works with animals that are brought there for help before re-release into the wild.

There is considerably more to do in the area than Disney and Universal. With just a little bit of research, families can find plenty to do in Sarasota without having to spend a fortune. Come to Sarasota.

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