Sarasota Bayfront is such a beautiful place to spend an evening, the bay views are amazing, and you…read morecan walk around and take pictures. The night views in Sarasota Bayfront are absolutely stunning. The views are really picturesque. There's plenty of parking, and there's a tiki bar right on the water, which makes for a really great experience.

Sarasota is blessed with so much natural beauty and as well as man made beauty. There is so much to…read moresee and do here! One of the fun things is Bayfront Park, which is located at the south end of the Ringling Causeway. There, you have the Marina Jack's II filled with beautiful boats and yachts to admire as you walk on the paved pathway around the park by Sarasota Bay. They have a 2 stiry restaurant there also. Birdlovers can enjoy pelicans, seagulls, egrets, and many other varieties of birds flying around. The views of the Bay, the Banyan trees, flowers, and palm trees in this park are a sight for sore eyes. I especially love the giant Unconditional Surrender statue of the sailor and nurse kissing and celebrating the end of WWII. If you get hungry or thirsty, there is O'learys for food and drinks to enjoy by the water. There is a huge parking lot for free parking with wheelchair accessiblability. Dogs are welcome as long as you clean up after them. An enjoyable and unforgettable excursion!

The winter home of John & Mable Ringling has 36,000 square feet & 56 rooms. Ca' d'Zan was meant…read moreto impress! It was completed in 1926 after 2 years of construction, the mansion quickly became a social hub in Sarasota. Today, Ca' d'Zan offers a glimpse into John & Mable's taste and lifestyle, transporting us back to the glamorous Roaring Twenties. The name Cà d'Zan means "House of John" in the Venetian language; in Italian it would be "Casa di Giovanni". Completed in 1926 by Owen Burns, Cà d'Zan features an eclectic array of architectural styles including Venetian Gothic, Italian Renaissance, Moorish, and Spanish-inspired elements drawn from different historic periods. The Ringling visited Venice, which inspired & influenced the house. Mable Ringling died in 1929, John Ringling continued to visit Cà d'Zan through financial collapse, a quickly dissolved second marriage, and his declining health until his death in 1936. Cà d'Zan was part of John Ringling's bequest to Florida, along with The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, which were meant to be a memorial to and the philanthropic legacy of their lives. The estate was in limbo for 10 years,, it took time to settle debts, claims by heirs taxes before the state of Florida could take control of the property. Cà d'Zan was uninhabited from 1936 to 1946, and the home deteriorated during that time with a lack of interior climate control. Cà d'Zan opened to the public in 1946 as part of the State Art Museum of Florida. In 1982, the home was listed as a contributing property on the National Register of Historic Places.

This place is definitely full of luxurious items, art collections and just the detailed artwork in…read morethe ceilings and more. So worth visiting!

The African American Heritage Trail in St. Pete includes 20 or so informational historical markers…read morealong 9th Avenue South and 22nd Street. The area was home to African American businesses, theaters, a casino, and churches and is now home to Chief's Creole Cuisine, Lorene's Fish House, and several other African American businesses, shops and eateries. There are also several churches. It's interesting to travel back in time and learn about the life here during segregation including the cultural traditions of St. Pete's African American community. Signage discusses the business owners, the civic associations, and the art institutions that developed in the area. Here's the website with links to the historical markers: http://www.stpete.org/historic_preservation/african_american_heritage_project/index.asp Here's an article about the trail: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/african-american-heritage-trail-to-open-in-st-petersburg-saturday/2191912

Fantastic evening at the Field club in the Grill room with friends! This is a private members only…read moreclub on the Sarasota waterfront with tennis facilities, pool and multiple dining areas and well worth the visit if you get an invite from a member! The building is historic with many great touches, and the food and service did not disappoint! Salmon and fillet were both outstanding as were the tuna and shrimp appetizers. Desserts were also absolutely delicious and large portions easy to share. If you're in the mood for something sweet, cold and delicious after dinner, try the Whisper! Thanks for a fantastic evening!

The Field Club is a private country club that seems to be pretty exclusive. I attended a wedding…read morethere so I am reviewing that experience. And quite frankly, it was wonderful. The ceremony was located on a beautiful lawn area looking right out into the water. That was followed by cocktail hour which was located at a nearby event room with an outdoor patio. Then we moved into one of the dining rooms for the reception. My meal was salmon and it was fantastic, as were all of the servers and bartenders all evening. It was a great wedding and I'm glad I got to experience this place.

Known locally as a place to go airborne in your speeding car, this unique piece of local flavor in…read moreSt Petersburg has a history that dates back more than 100 years! It's a humpback bridge over Salt Creek that was created to enable the first trolley line to be established. However, the current bridge has 1931 engraved in the concrete so apparently it is not the original. Do you know where to learn more? The man who introduced electricity to St Pete, F. A. Davis, founded the St. Petersburg and Gulf Railway Company in 1901. He created a light rail trolly system when there were fewer than 2,000 residents! It debuted in 1911. Sometimes, passengers and/or the conductor would have to get out and push to get the trolley over the bridge! There are stories of naughty kids greasing the rails which would prevent the trolly from being able to cross. Kids will be kids! Now, it's a launch pad for zooming cars. Unfortunately, multiple people were killed in crashes so please, please... be careful! Life is good with unique hidden history! Thank you Nick for telling me about this local flavor!

It was a thrill to go over the hill. Lots of scrapes where people left their under carriage behind…read more Don't overdo it in your Lexus. And don't losse your lunch..

This is marker commemorates the history of Mr. Beall and his shop that became Bealls. His civic…read moreroll in bringing the Cardinals to town for spring training is also noted.

The team at this office is very helpful and knowledgeable. We recently moved to St Pete and were…read moreanxious to register to vote in our initial Florida election. We were able vote by mail! Thank you.

I often bring our grandson here and he absolutely loves it. I love watching him get excited about…read morebooks. All of the Manatee County Libraries have been amazing. I've heard they are going to be revamping this branch and changing up the children's area so I am excited for that!

Very friendly staff here and it is easy to request books from other branches. Funny to say out loud…read morebut this branch seems to offer more large print books than normal size font books. I experienced that mistake once and learned my lesson! Yikes, knock wood, not ready for that option yet.... Appreciate that you can drop off food donations for the Manatee food bank and donate books for the library book sale. Last weekend, there were plenty of kiddos enjoying a Saturday morning activity which was fun to see their enjoyment. This branch seems to offer many community activities, posted on their outdoor marquee, which is appreciated.