This month I had off on a Monday and deciding to take myself out on a date to The Ringling. It has…read morebeen months since the last time I was here and wanted to take advantage of the free art museum and grounds. It was a peaceful day exploring all the gorgeous art work.

Came to check it out on free Monday. The admission does not include the circus museum…read more Walking along, the grounds is very peaceful. The art collection inside the museum was very great. This place reminded me of walking through Italy. Love the replica of David in the courtyard. Also, the pianos mixed in as a part of the collection was a great touch. Only downside was there will be a line since the museum is free on Mondays so come early.

This evening Tony and I went down to Sarasota Bayfront Park to walk around!…read moreFree parking! The huge famous "Unconditional Surrender" Statue depicting the infamous end to War World 2 was on display! This is very lovely! Highly recommend!

The Unconditional Surrender statue (even the name is bursting with a romance and hope) is 26 feet…read moretall aluminum computer generated statue by Seward Johnson of an iconic 1945 photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, V-J day in Times Square. It is installed along the Bayfront between O'Leary's Tiki Bar & Grill and Marina Jack. It's easy accessible with plenty of parking spaces around, and gorgeous backdrop of blue sky and marina in the back. A sailor kissing the nurse, both happy to hear that the war is over.. it is hard not to feel an enthusiasm and hope, great addition to the Downtown Sarasota.

Beautiful mural for a beautiful day. Love murals and we loved this city. Love seeing all the public…read moreart and recommend you check this one out

I have literally no negatives about Siesta Key Palms Resort. I booked my family's stay about a…read moremonth ago, and received 3 emails from management starting 2 weeks out from my stay. The emails went over key points, gave website and photo gallery information, and more. The website itself had so much information about the location. The boutique resort is about 0.8 miles from siesta key beach. We had friends staying at Siesta Royal Apartments, so we had free parking, and I cannot attest to the public access beach nearby. Siesta Key Palms Resort was so cute! It was a little difficult to find the office when we first arrived, but that's only because we parked in the back lot. Once I checked in at the office, the gentleman was very nice, helpful, and knowledgable of the area. He recommended beach access and restaurants on a large map, went over the amenities, showed me to my family's room with a quick tour on the way, and was very friendly overall. We stayed in room number 3, a studio room. We walked in and had a workspace desk for 2 chairs, that opened for more table space. There was a queen size bed, a pullout full size sofa, mini fridge, microwave, stove/oven, sink, dishes, a coffee table, and a nice sized flat screen tv. There was a 3/4 bathroom with a large shower and medicine cabinet. They even had body wash, shampoo, and conditioner attached to the shower wall, in dispensers! We had a private patio area out the back door, with a wooden 6' privacy fence, little water fountain, 4 chair/table/umbrella patio set, and a bar bistro table set for 2. The decor was beautiful! Now, that's all INSIDE our room. The actual resort itself is amazing. There's lush vegetation everywhere, colorful hammocks and chairs outside, TWO heated pools (one 21+ and one for families), pool play toys/floaties, sandy "beach" areas, gazebos, hanging pool furniture, grilling area, laundry, ice, screened in game room, and more! They also had bikes to rent for FREE (not for children, though). In summary, I highly recommend this boutique hotel. So cute, great communication from management, friendly and helpful office staff, groundskeepers, and housekeeping. We will most definitely be returning here next time!

Dirty floors, no screens on windows, minimum care as far as room. Property gorgeous. Won't stay…read moreagain unfortunately

Great Florida show while we were there. Lovely sculptures outside8de. Art class programs. Community…read moreinvolvement and art shows. The Sarasota Garden Club and its butterfly gardens are a block away. Lioneer Park and the Historic Society just up the road. What's not to like? Art in lots of media. Abstract and realistic. Colorful and filtered. I thought it was neat the studio space was at the center of the gallery space Everything from tapestries to sculptures and digital art. Entry is free to donate as you see fit. Support the arts.

If you're considering exhibiting here, skip it. There's no notice to pick up art after an…read moreexhibition--no phone calls, no e-mails, nothing. I called to ask because we had received no notice, and they told us ASAP in the middle of the work week. I said I would get down before the week's end. I made time the next day to drive out of town, and can you believe we were charged $5 to pick up artwork that we already paid to submit? They made no mention of a late charge over the phone and when we had no pick up time, either. I bet they spent less on the ribbon for the award.

Artist owned and operated Gallery offering two and three dimensional pieces of art. Now located in…read morethe heart of downtown Bradenton on Old Main Street. Award winning artists as well as "guest artists" are displaying their works with price points to meet all budgets. Very helpful and knowledgeable.

Been there several times in recent years, and never disappointed. While some of the art is weak,…read morethere is enough decent art to make the trip worthwhile. Pricing is reasonable, parking EZ, and people who work there are helpful. Shown here is one we bought

Along the Lemon Street Promenade you can find the 24th annual Florida Outdoor Sculpture…read moreCompetition. Out of 60 sculptures submitted for review, 11 were chosen for display by a committee of community members and Polk Museum of Art staff. The Lemon Street Sculpture project is a part of the Parks & Recreation budget. Each artist chosen receives a $1,500 honorarium which they use to get their pieces to Lakeland and for the installation costs. A crane is made available through Lakeland Electric for installing larger pieces. The app Otocast will give you mor information on the art as each artist describes their piece. All of the art pieces will be on display until the end of 2024. Lakeland residents are able to vote on a People's Choice Award and this year the winner selected was Live Large by local Lakeland resident Keith Williams. The sculpture is based on a smaller piece the artist made in 2017. Keith welds and fabricates his art pieces out of recycled metal. His art studio is called 4th Dimension Art & Fab which offers public art and custom fabrication and welding services for the public. As soon as I saw this delightful piece I had no trouble understanding why it won because it was my favorite sculpture too. The piece features a hiker with his faithful dog at his side. The dog has so much personality I couldn't help but fall in love with him. Live Large will be on display in Lemon Street Promenade until the end of this year. Hopefully Lakeland finds a permanent home for him nearby.

Sailor Circus Academy started in 1949 and is now a top circus training program. The venue is very…read morenice, the inside of the building really gives you a circus tent feeling. 3 times a year they have a show. The spring show we visited was called "Victorious " and it was super. Lights, music, 2 very good announcers made it a spectacular show. It was 2 hours of fun and excitement. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

I last went to the Sailor Circus about 50 years ago. It was great to get to go again. There are…read moreperformances only 3 days, Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. and a matinee and evening performance on Saturday. The circus performers are kids! Their ages range from 6-18. It is truly amazing what these youngsters are capable of doing. Not only are they doing many of the typical acts one associates with the circus(tightrope walking, juggling, aerials, unicycle and bicycling feats, high flying on trapezes), but they are incredibly strong. Both the boys and the girls are able to swing from trapeze bars and hold on to other performers who spin and twirl high above the circus floor or catch a performer flying through the air. The boy who pedaled the bike was strong enough to carry 5 other performers who did handstands while in motion. It's a wonderful show put on by school children. Bright costumes and great music! The show is 2 1/2 hours, including a brief intermission.

3 Keys Brewing is conveniently located on Manatee Ave close to 41. The building has an old time…read moreFlorida feel with porch seating. Upon entering the restaurant, you will see a bar directly in front of you, and plenty of table seating off to the right in the main dining area. When 3 Keys first opened, they did not have the best food. Now, their food is high quality. I ordered the "we be jammin" burger and it was excellent. The beer did not impress me on my most recent visit. I tried two IPAs and found them to be below average. I would return, but I would hope to try better beers. They certainly have a local following as the brewery has plenty of customers on a Sunday night.

We had a nice time here. We sat outside in the back and enjoyed a little show. It was great! The…read morefood was good and being outside created a great ambiance! The servers did a great job as we had a large party. Great experience and enjoyed the craft flight!