Sarasota Blog

Vineyard in Florida

sarasotablogger1 — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 01:11:02 +0000

My friends and I found this family owned business in east manatee county (the county just north of Sarasota) The owners, Rosa and her husband, Antonio moved to the area from Sicily. The winery has its own building for fermenting and bottling and another for tasting and selling the wine. We found the tour interesting and the wine really good. In early August to September visitors can go and pick the grapes off the vine, which sounds like fun!

The couple have earned 25 awards in the commercial international wine competition. Their wine has earned the gold, silver and bronze metals.

Touring the vineyards gave me a new appreciation for wine. I knew there was some preparation but not the extent that I saw when I toured the winery. It's quite impressive to say the least.

It's a fun and different way to spend a day.

If you are ever in the area, Rosa Fiorelli winery is a must see!!

4th of July

sarasotablogger1 — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:26:59 +0000

The 4th of July in Sarasota is a very fun time! For instance, the friday before the 4th, the city has a huge patriotic parade. People line the streets hours in advance to get a good curb seat and pretty much party until the parade starts. After the parade, they have a block party, and people party some more. Then on saturday, you can check out the big offshore power boats and talk to the drivers and their crew. That's pretty cool to check out. Then sunday is the big off shore race. People pack the beaches (Siesta Key and Lido Key) to see a glimpse of the big boats as they cruise by. The City has it well planned out with loads of fun activities for everyone to enjoy. Then of course the finale of the 4th of July is the grande fireworks display.

God Bless the USA!!

Boating in Sarasota, FL

sarasotablogger1 — Wed, 09 May 2007 14:22:21 +0000

Now is the time to come and enjoy the blue/green waters of Sarasota, FL! The water is so clear it's perfect for divers, snorklers, swimmers whoever just wants to enjoy the beauty of it all!
The water is perfect right now due to the lack of rain we are not getting. Once the rainy season hits the waters aren't so clear and are rather murky.
The spring to early summer is the best time to enjoy the water activities in Sarasota, Fl. I went out the other day on a boat and was amazed. It was like the bahamas, so clear! I grabbed my mask and snorkel and went exploring. The coral and the tropical fish that I don't get to see very often were beautiful swimming along. I uncovered or harrassed a crab slightly buried in the sand. It took me a couple of times with a shell I found that I swooshed the sand and the water back and forth to get him out of hiding. It worked, but he wasn't so happy as he went backwards into the darker part of the water. I decided to leave him alone and go explore some more. I snorkeled for a while picking up shells that were in one piece and pretty.
I went back to the boat and had some lunch and enjoyed the perfect day, and thought about the next time I can enjoy a day on the water and thought "next weekend".

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

sarasotablogger1 — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:22:05 +0000

It's not Key West, but you can still enjoy some cheeseburgers and watch the sailboats, birds, the water all on Sarasota bay. It's called O'Learys and my friend and I went there one sunday afternoon and had a great time. We drank pina coladas, watched the water for any dolphins that swam by, marvelled at all the sailboats in the bay, ate some cheeseburgers and shrimp sandwiches and drank more pina coladas and got alittle sun! It's a great place with a laid back atmosphere with a terrific view! It's a great place to go on the weekend to relax and not think about anything except your food, drinks and how much sun you are getting!

Waffle Stop

sarasotablogger1 — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 14:13:13 +0000

IF you are looking for a no frills breakfast (or lunch) then the Waffle Stop is for you! When you come in you can't miss the life size Elvis sitting in a chair waiting for his picture to be taken! If not a Elvis fan then you can check out the pictures of old Sarasota that adorn the walls. The breakfast is equivalent to one of those $8.00 or more breakfast for half the price! and I think it might be better! The Waffle Stop is Located on 660 S. Washington (US 301) right across from Sarasota Ford.

Sarasota Film Festival

sarasotablogger1 — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 13:24:15 +0000

A Film Festival in Sarsaota, FL? What?? Yes, it's true! If you like independent films this is the time to see them. The film festival attracts some big names, last year to name a few Chevy Chase and Felicity Huffmann were here promoting their films. The film festival usually rolls out some great independent films, for instance I saw "Amelie" at one of the showings a few years back. Even though the film was in subtitles, it was well done and very funny and enjoyable! I highly recommend if you are in Sarasota, Fl around March or April check out the film festival for some great films and maybe, just maybe, you might catch a glimpse of a star or two.

Main Bar

sarasotablogger1 — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:57:23 +0000

The Main Bar in Sarasota, Fl is a sandwich shop that has been around since 1956! The Main Bar is a quaint little shop with the best sandwiches. I usually get the famous italian, warmed, with jalapeno mayonnaise. Sometimes the jalapenos are not so hot and sometimes they set your mouth on fire! It is one of their best sandwiches!

The decor is nothing fancy, the walls tell a story of old Sarasota the way it use to be, mostly with circus pictures. Way back when Sarasota use to be a circus town. The Ringling Brothers use to make Sarasota their winter home. So when you are waiting on your sandwich (famous italian) you can peruse the walls and check out a little history.

The Main bar gets rather busy during the lunch hour so I suggest getting there around 11:30am. It will start getting busy about noon, and parking is just about horrible! The Main Bar is on main st (hence the name) across from the movie theaters, which has a parking garage right next door to it. So if you don't want to fight the main st parking, you can park in there.

Happy eating!

Selby Gardens

sarasotablogger1 — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 02:13:03 +0000

Marie Selby gardens is one of those hidden gems that locals seem to neglect, myself included. I was born and raised in Sarasota, Fl and pass Selby gardens a couple of times a week. It was recently that I actually made it to the gardens, and I was amazed at the beauty within especially the orchids! There were thousands! and ones that smelled of chocolate!! I meandered through and followed the shaded side walk, I came across the koi pond! if I only had my fishing pole!! Just kidding! Those fish are BIG!!! I played with them awhile and then checked out the Banyan trees - gosh, those trees are fun climbing! After, climbing the trees I was a little hot (after all it is Florida) I went into the cafe for a cool drink, then I found a bench, in the shade, overlooking Sarasota Bay. The view is spectacular! The water was a blue/green and so clear that day! Just beautiful!

Selby Gardens is full of interesting facts on all kinds of botanicals, and wild life that live in rainforests. I just touched the tip of the endless things you can do at Selby Gardens! It's quite educational and a must see if you visit Sarasota, Fl.