Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area
 [Register]
Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area Manatee and Sarasota Counties
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 05-31-2012, 11:33 AM
 
Location: North Jersey
2 posts, read 2,218 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

My girlfriend and I are heading down to Sarasota area for a few days next week. We have checked all the touristy sites but we're looking for some local advice on what to do/where to eat&drink/what to see. We'll be in a hotel in Downtown Tampa for the first 2 days, then heading to Sarasota and winging the arrangements from there for the next 3 days. Any and all advice is appreciated. Mid to late 20's and love being outdoors/meeting people/trying different things. Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-31-2012, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Port Charlotte, FL
3,979 posts, read 10,491,898 times
Reputation: 1938
Here is a Trip Advisor site that lists things to do and gives reviews on them. There is so much to do in the Sarasota area. What are your interests? We can narrow down some places depending on what you like to do. Water sports, beaches, museums, parks, boating, golf, etc???

Sarasota Attractions: Check out 102 things to do in Sarasota with 4,406 reviews
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2012, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Verona, WI
1,201 posts, read 2,403,656 times
Reputation: 830
Check out the Sarasota app for iOS. It has a great calendar of events list on it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2012, 07:21 PM
 
Location: Where the sun always shines..
1,938 posts, read 6,239,188 times
Reputation: 829
Definitely hit Siesta Key... Daquiri Deck, Gilligans...if you are into clubbing try the Beach Club for dancing and drinks. Siesta Key Oyster bar is fun for food, drinks and live entertainment. If you are here on a Sunday hit Siesta Key Beach around 5 for the drum circle which starts at 6. St Armand's has some fun shops, and nice places to eat..overall, Sarasota is a fairly quiet town. Siesta is where the younger ones are...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2012, 08:45 PM
 
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,564 posts, read 7,429,209 times
Reputation: 5943
St. Armands Circle is a great place to walk, shop and for some of the best restaurants in the area. It's also just a little over a block from Lido beach.

Mote Aquarium is touristy but a great place to visit if you've never been.

Javier's Restaurant & Wine Bar on Siesta Key in the Crescent Plaza offers Peruvian & American food, fresh seafood, Tapas & sunset specials. Lots of organic and local produce used, which I appreciate.

C'est La Vie in downtown Sarasota on Main has some great tasting breads they make fresh each day. They serve breakfast and lunch items. If you're going to enjoy carbs, it's the way to go. The Broken Egg is another local place that is a popular breakfast stop.


Lakewood Ranch has miles and miles of nature trails that are open to the public. If you stop at the visitor's center on University Parkway just a few blocks east of I75 they will provide you with maps to both LWR and the nature trails.

MacAllisters Grill & Tavern in Lakewood Ranch's Main street shopping area is something a little different. They serve both traditional Scottish dishes and American. If you go there, take a stroll down their Main street and check out the other little shops.


If you have the time, Cortez Village and/or Anna Maria Island just north of Longboat Key have a number of options for boat tours, dolphin cruises, parasailing and jet ski rentals. Coquina & Bradenton beaches are also nice places to drop your beach towel and catch some sunshine.

Anna Maria island has a number of great little local restaurants and bars. The Banana Cabana at Bradenton beach (south end of the island) has some fantastic mango crab cakes and fish tacos.



While we're talking of things to do.....

For those of you in town this weekend, the monthly Lakewood Ranch music on Main event is this Friday night. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the free music and events for the whole family.

Also free is the Friday Night Live music in downtown Sarasota on Palm Ave, Main & 1st streets and by Whole Foods.

Saturday morning in downtown Venice is their chalk festival, with participants creating some really incredible art work on the sidewalks.

Also on Saturday Mote Aquarium is having a family festival from 11 to 2, you do have to pay the regular admission rates for Mote.

Saturday is also a license free saltwater fishing day in FL.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top