ahschneid

Jan 614 min read

Sarasota Florida Area for 3 Weeks

Updated: Jan 14

We arrived at Sarasota Bay RV Resort 21 December 2023 for 7 nights. It was a great place a short walk to the water! We jumped right in and went to the Christmas Karaoke night on the 22nd. It was pretty bad, so we snuck out early. We were able to get tickets for the Christmas Day dinner ($7) and it was a delicious meal with great fellowship. On Christmas Eve, Anita volunteered to help make and place the luminaries in the park. Steve went fishing at Rod and Reel Pier and Three Piers that day. He caught several spotted seatrout but they were all too small to keep. Later in the day after the luminaries were done, Anita walked to the beach. That was about 1.6 miles one way and with little side trips to see things along the way, she got a 7 mile walk in that day. Christmas Eve night we participated in caroling throughout the RV section of the resort. There were about 30 of us singing and it was really heartwarming. Folks came out to thank us and wish us a Merry Christmas. We went to the clubhouse for hot chocolate and lots of cookies after. Anita opted for a bottle of water since temps in the 70's didn't make hot chocolate appealing. On Christmas Day we went to mass at 9:30am and then Christmas dinner at 1pm. It was a delicious catered meal of ham with apples and raisins, dressing, scalloped corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, watergate salad, rolls and cheesecake for dessert. We sat with Jane and Joe, Mark and Debbie, and Jan and Fred. It was a fun day!

On our walk the day we arrived at Sarasota RV Park 21 Dec 2023

Paradise Bay (sister park to Sarasota Bay) Christmas Karaoke Night 22 Dec 2023

White Pelicans we saw one day on our walk

Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles Mass (Saturday) 23 Dec 2023

Steve fished here Christmas Eve 2023

Spotted Sea Trout (too small to keep)

Sarasota Bay RV Park Christmas Eve 2023

Sarasota Bay RV Park Christmas Eve 2023

Sarasota Bay RV Park Christmas Eve 2023

Sarasota Bay RV Park Christmas Eve 2023 (our RV and Truck on right)

Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles Catholic Church Christmas Day 2023

Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles Catholic Church Christmas Day 2023

Sarasota Bay RV Park Christmas Day dinner 2023 (Hostess on left, Vie from Mason City Iowa)

We drove over to Anna Maria Island one day. We parked and walked around. We saw a Moose Lodge like none we'd ever seen before, so we took a picture. The whole town and area is very nice and appealing. Steve's friend, Bill who lives in Palmetto told us about The Ringling, and about a restaurant on 123 Street called Starfish. It turned out that Starfish is 100 years old! They serve all meals in a shrimp box that they use in their market, so it's very informal, but it was a great experience. They have a monument to fallen waterman outside. It was dark when we left, so the picture isn't great, but we thought it was nice.

On our way to Anna Maria Island December 2023

Anna Maria Island December 2023

Anna Maria Island December 2023

Anna Maria Island December 2023

Anna Maria Island December 2023

Anna Maria Island December 2023

Anna Maria Island December 2023

Anna Maria Island December 2023

Passage Key NWR Island in the distance

Anna Maria Island December 2023

Anna Maria Island December 2023

December 2023

Cortez Florida December 2023

Star Fish Market/Restaurant grounds

Star Fish Market/Restaurant grounds

Saw this while waiting in line to order at Star Fish restaurant December 2023

Seating at Star Fish restaurant Cortez Florida December 2023

Waterman Statue outside Star Fish restaurant

Below Waterman Statue outside Star Fish restaurant

This sign was outside the Star Fish Market/Restaurant. Bill had told us that this lady is entertaining with her dog as first mate. We scheduled an eco-tour with her for 2 January 2024. We were originally scheduled for 1 January, but she called to say there were speed boat races in the harbor that day, so we changed it to the next day.

We went to the De Soto National Monument one day while in Bradenton. The national memorial commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto and the first extensive organized exploration by Europeans of what is now the southern United States.

Bradenton Florida December 2023

De Soto's routes taken are show in red. They had to dodge Indians and other countries all trying to stop them.

De Soto National Monument Bradenton Florida December 2023

Bill also told us that The Ringling is worth seeing. Tickets are $25, so we decided to make a day of it after driving by late one day and seeing that it's huge! "The Ringling" consists of a Museum of Art, a Circus Museum, Ca' D' Zan (John and Mabel Ringling's home), the historic Asolo Theater, and the Bayfront Gardens. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State University assumed governance of the museum in 2000.

The Ringling 27 Dec 2023 Sarasota Florida

Banyans on grounds of The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

Macaw Palm? on grounds of The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

Colorful tree trunk on grounds of The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

The Ringling 27 Dec 2023 Sarasota Florida

Colorful Tree Trunk is Rainbow Eucalyptus

The Ringling 27 Dec 2023 Sarasota Florida

Blue Grey Gnat Catcher at The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

Blue Grey Gnat Catcher

Entrance to Circus Museum of The Ringling

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Circus Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

We saw a video about Howard Tibbals in the Circus Museum. Howard Tibbals worked on building a model circus for 50 years before his death a couple of years ago. He loved the circus and wanted to put "Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus" on his model, but he was not allowed. Instead, the Tibbals Learning center within The Ringling's Circus Museum shows the world's largest model circus, built by Howard Tibbals alone. The Howard Bros. Circus Model consists of more than 42,000 pieces and spans 3,800 square feet. Created by philanthropist and circus lover Howard Tibbals, the model is a historically accurate rendition of an early twentieth-century circus.

The Ringling Circus Museum

Tibbals' model circus

Tibbals' model circus

Tibbals' model circus

Tibbals' model circus

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

(Hermes Rescues Odysseus from Circe - 1718)

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

(John the Baptist Preaching - 1725)

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

(Dream of Joseph, 1774-1779)

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

(Portrait of Madame de Bourbon-Conti as Venus, 1731)

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

(Lamentation over the Dead Christ)

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

(Ebony and Tortoiseshell Veneered Cabinet Inset with Painted Panels)

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

(Still Life with Dead Game, after 1635)

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

(The Four Evangelists, c.1625)

Inside Art Museum of The Ringling Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

Outside wall of the Art Museum at The Ringling

Rose Garden at The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

Rose Garden at The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

Rose Garden at The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

Michelangelo's David

Additional Art Exhibit The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

Additional Art Exhibit The Ringling 27 Dec 2023

Home of John and Mable Ringling

Home of John and Mable Ringling

Home of John and Mable Ringling

Home of John and Mable Ringling

The Ringling in Sarasota Florida 27 Dec 2023

We were spent after several hours at The Ringling! The next day (28 Dec) we moved to Palmetto, Florida about 20 miles North of where we had been. That campground was called Fiesta Grove RV Resort and it was not as nice as Sarasota Bay, but we arrived in a little misty rain, so it looked better the next day when it was sunny.

A couple of days after we got to Palmetto, we checked out Neal Preserve which has one-half-mile of shell and boardwalk trails and a 20-foot tall observation tower (which was closed for repairs the day we went). Then we went to Perico Preserve which is a bird sanctuary and has a couple more miles of trails.

Neal Preserve 30 Dec 2023

Neal Preserve 30 Dec 2023

Neal Preserve 30 Dec 2023

Immature Black Crowned Night Heron 30 Dec 2023

Another Immature Heron 30 Dec 2023

Neal Preserve 30 Dec 2023

Perico Preserve 30 Dec 2023

Perico Preserve 30 Dec 2023

Perico Preserve 30 Dec 2023

Later that day we went to see the Skyway State Park and Fishing Pier. We saw lots of people fishing from the pier, but no one admitted to catching anything. We then went to the vigil mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church (4pm), and finally to a nice German dinner of Schnitzel and Spaetzle. We'd had another full day, so we hung out at home on Sunday (New Years Eve).

Skyway Bridge 30 Dec 2023

Skyway State Park 30 Dec 2023

Palmetto Florida 30 Dec 2023

Holy Cross Catholic Church Palmetto Florida 30 Dec 2023

Holy Cross Catholic Church Palmetto Florida 30 Dec 2023

Good German Restaurant 30 Dec 2023

30 Dec 2023

On New Years Day 2024, we went Off Shore fishing. We went out on a small head boat Savage Lady with Florida Fishing Fleet in Cortez Florida. We woke up at 5:30am, were out the door at 6:30am and there at the 7:15am required time. We arrived that early for them to direct us where to park out of the way since those of us going on the boat would be gone all day. The fishing trip was 2 hours of a boat ride out (leaving at 8am), 2 hours of fishing and 2 hours back, with an extra hour of waiting for fish to be cleaned. So we left there around 3pm. After that early wake up, we were both pretty tired. We caught some fish though! Steve caught a big Red Grouper, so he's in the picture with all the others on the boat who caught big Red Grouper, the first day of Red Grouper season, Anita isn't in that picture because she did not get a big one. We caught a variety of fish besides the grouper: Rudder fish, Porgies, Mangrove Snapper, and Puffer fish.

New Years Day 2024 Florida Fishing Fleet dock

New Years Day 2024 Florida Fishing Fleet's Savage Lady

New Years Day 2024 big fish catchers

New Years Day 2024 Florida Fishing Fleet dock

New Years Day 2024 Florida Fishing Fleet dock

Our catch New Years Day 2024 Florida Fishing Fleet dock

New Years Day 2024 Florida Fishing Fleet dock

January 2nd, we went on an Eco-tour with Captain Kathe and her dog Sailor. Her daughter Captain Katie and her dog Piper had another group on another boat. It was cool and windy that day, so we bundled up as well as we could. The boat didn't go fast, so it wasn't too bad. We enjoyed hearing about the Cortez Fishing Village history. Captain Kathe was born and raised there (6 generations) and she has many stories.

Boat Tour of Cortez Harbor

Longboat Key bridge to Amelia Island 2 Jan 2024

Boat Tour of Cortez Harbor 2 Jan 2024

White Pelicans and one Brown Pelican Boat Tour of Cortez Harbor 2 Jan 2024

Boat Tour of Cortez Harbor 2 Jan 2024

Boat Tour of Cortez Harbor 2 Jan 2024

Boat Tour of Cortez Harbor 2 Jan 2024

Boat Tour of Cortez Harbor 2 Jan 2024

Boat Tour of Cortez Harbor 2 Jan 2024

Nanday Parakeets Palmetto Florida 2 Jan 2023

We finally connected with Steve's old friend Bill and his wife Cheryl on 4 Jan 2024. Bill and Cheryl took us to see the manatees at the Manatee Viewing Center at Tampa Electric, which is on Apollo Beach. The viewing center is well done and it was packed the day we were there (on a Thursday). The Manatees were abundant to see, yet Bill and Cheryl said there are usually even more of them! Anita shared that she wondered how much of the manatees' body composition is fat and later in the indoor museum, that question was answered. It was quite surprising. After the Manatees, Bill drove us across the Skyway Bridge to St. Petersburg and made a U-turn. It was nice to see the water below and how it felt to be on the bridge. We'll be driving over the same bridge on Monday (8 Jan 2024) to head to Tierra Verde Florida. Bill and Cheryl showed us where they live (a 55+ modular home community) and it is very nice. We can see ourselves settling in a community like that in a few years. They have activities for the residents every day! Pickleball courts, a pool, a nice club house and more activities than one person could possibly do. We'll probably be looking for some place like that when we reach that point. We went to a nice lunch at Popi's Place Too in Palmetto. Bill mentioned that the restaurant is Greek owned, so Anita enjoyed a Gyro made with real ingredients. The rest or our party had seafood.

Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center Apollo Beach Florida 4 Jan 2024

Manatee in the water 4 Jan 2024

Bill and Steve 4 Jan 2024

Cheryl and Anita 4 Jan 2024

Answer to Anita's Manatee body composition question...

Manatee Skeleton 4 Jan 2024

Florida map in Manatee museum

Bill, Cheryl, Anita and Steve at Popi's Place Too Palmetto Florida 4 Jan 2024

We had seen the weather forecast and it looked like rain most of the weekend, so we went to the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples Florida on the Friday (5 Jan 2024). We woke up early to be on the road by 7am. After stopping to fill up and delays with traffic, we arrived around 10am. We joined a guided walking tour that began at 10:30am for an hour. We went there in search of the rarely sighted Painted Bunting and to our extreme surprise, we saw some right outside the visitor center door at the feeder! We really didn't expect that! Anita was like a kid seeing Santa Claus, not believing she'd ever see one, maybe that they're not even real, but lo and behold...there they were! What awe and wonder to see! We could have turned around and headed home as far as our mission to see a Painted Bunting was concerned, but our tour hadn't even started yet. We learned a few things on the walking tour and we saw more great wildlife. Our tour guide, Mandy, identified various swamp ecosystems and plants as we walked. She pointed out a tree with a strangler fig vine wrapped around it. She explained that birds eat the figs of the Strangler Fig and the seeds are pooped in the tops of trees, taking root in the nooks and crannies of the tree. When starting their growth, the roots extend farther down the tree, much in an intentional/unintentional strangle attempt around the tree trunk from top to bottom. The vine continues to spread out and down the trunk slowly to reach the earth with determination for survival. She pointed out these red berries that many animals in the swamp like to eat and said they're called Goodwill Berries. Mandy also pointed out the Alligator Flag, with very large leaves. We saw these trees with pink spots on the trunk and she told us that is Bubblegum Lichen. Mandy's hour with us ended at an alligator sighting. We saw it sunning itself across the water. Later during our walk on our own, we saw two other alligators doing the same thing, so I'd think the swamp has a nice population of gators. On our walk, we saw an Anhinga, which Anita was surprised to see in a tree. We've seen them in Florida, but always in the water and diving for food. We saw a Pileated Woodpecker in action. Anita heard what sounded like hammering in the distance, but it turned out to be the Pileated Woodpecker steady at work. We didn't get his picture, but I wish we would have. He looked just like the picture in bird books. Toward the end of our walk, we saw a racoon! It was busy in the swamp water and roots, foraging and oblivious to the gawkers taking pictures. It was so pretty! Later when we got back to the visitor center, someone had written on the chalkboard for visitor sightings that they saw a racoon with four babies.