Sarasota/Bradenton Movie times and theatres:

http://www.4sarasota.com/Sarasota/Movies/hollywood20.html  

 

 

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Beaches 

 

 

North Lido Beach

is located on Lido Key,

one quarter mile northwest of St. Armands Circle, off of John Ringling Blvd.
The beach is easy to get to and very private. Please note that there are no lifeguards on duty at this beach and the currents are very swift. 

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 is located on Lido Key, one half mile southwest of St. Armand's Circle, on Ben Franklin Drive.Lido Beach also offers special needs visitors help via these free beach "wheelchairs." Be sure to look for one near the main guard tower.
(Please use them to transport disabled people and return it so someone else can use it. They are not to be used as beach chairs for the duration of your visit to the beach.)

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 is located on Ben Franklin Drive at the southern tip of Lido Key. The park is bordered by four bodies of water; The Gulf of Mexico, Big Pass, Sarasota Bay, and Brushy Bayou.
At a separate facility at the north end of the park, visitors can enjoy a nature trail which includes scenic overlooks and boardwalks.
The southern beach portion of the park offers views of the skyline of downtown Sarasota and the Gulf

It features a picnic area shaded by Australian Pines.

The beach's amenities include: rest rooms picnic tables cooking grilles playground equipment volleyball court nature trails observation tower and decks canoe trail Lifeguards are on duty during weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day

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is located on Beach Road on Siesta Key. Siesta Beach is known as one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world. At the "Great International White Sand Beach Challenge" held in 1987, it was recognized as having the "whitest and finest sand in the world."
Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz. Even on the hottest days, the sand is so reflective that it feels cool underfoot. It's estimated that the sand on Siesta Beach is millions of years old, and started in the Appalachians and flowed down the rivers and was eventually deposited on the shores of Siesta Key.
Shallow water depth in the near shore area together with year round lifeguard protection, makes this one of the safest beaches in the County and great for small children.

 

Two concession stands are available at the beach for food and souvenirs. If "beach grub" like burgers, dogs, etc. isn't for you, it's about 2 miles to Siesta Village to the north where there is a wide variety of restaurants and bars to choose from. Everything from lobster to subs and sandwiches to Japanese food. There's also a small supermarket in the village with an excellent deli counter offering both hot and cold foods.
If you're at the south end of Siesta Beach, known as Crescent Beach,

 there are several places nearby for lunch and dinner in the Stickney Point Road area and south along Midnight Pass Road.

Feel free to bring your cooler and food to the beach. There are lots of picnic tables and some picnic shelters available. Some of the shelters can accommodate large groups and can be reserved in advance.
It is legal to drink alcoholic beverages on Sarasota County beaches, but please, no glass containers. When you're planning your trip to beach, buy plastic or aluminum only. Public beaches in Sarasota County are also non-smoking. For information on renting picnic shelters call 941-861-7275.

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Turtle Beach
Turtle Beach is located on Midnight Pass Road near the south end of Siesta Key. It features a large picnic shelter and is very popular for family outings.
In the center of the park is Blind Pass Lagoon which connects to Little Sarasota Bay. Free boat ramps allow easy access to and from the Bay.
Although the sand at Turtle Beach isn't as fine as it is farther up the key, it makes up the difference in privacy. Here you'll be able to walk for miles down the beach. Since the closing of Midnight Pass, you can walk all the way down Casey Key.
Look carefully in the sand, and you'll find prehistoric petrified sharks teeth that are millions of years old. Although the petrified sharks teeth you'll find on Turtle Beach won't be as nice as what you can find on Casperson Beach in Venice just a little way south, as the example here shows, a little searching can turn up a nice souvenir.
Turtle Beach's amenities include: rest rooms
a building for meetings
boat ramps
large group picnic shelters
small picnic shelters
horseshoe courts
volleyball court
playground equipment
dune walkovers
There are no lifeguards on duty. For shelter rental information call
941-861-7275.

Palmer Point Beach
Palmer Point Beach begins at the southern tip of Siesta Key and continues onto the north end of Casey Key. The northern part of the beach was the former home of Mote Marine Laboratory. Since the closing of Midnight Pass in 1984, the beach allows uninterrupted walking all the way down Casey Key. The beach is a popular spot for boaters and people who walk there from Turtle Beach seeking some privacy.
There are no lifeguards and no facilities.

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Nokomis Beach is located on Casey Key directly west of the Albee Road Bridge.
The park includes 22 acres with 1,700 feet on the Gulf and 3,200 feet on the Intracoastal.
There's an on-site snack bar serving sandwiches, snacks and cold drinks. One of the few places on the beach you can get a sandwich and soft drink for under $5.
The beach's amenities include: rest rooms concession pavilion small picnic shelters boat ramp boardwalk and deck dune walkovers Lifeguards are on duty year round.

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North Jetty Park is located on the southern tip of Casey Key. The jetties there make it one of the best places on the west coast of Florida for surfing. It's a popular spot for picnics and there is good fishing. Boats pass through the jetties from the Intracoastal to the Gulf
The park's amenities include:
rest rooms large picnic shelter small picnic shelters horseshoe courts volleyball courts concession Lifeguards are on duty year round. For information on shelter rentals,

 call (941)316-1172

 

 

When there's a storm in the Gulf of Mexico, surfers come from the other side of Florida to surf the waves breaking on North Jetty Beach in Nokomis. The photo to the left is while tropical storm Isidore was churning in the Gulf pushing a lot of surf toward Venice and Nokomis.

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Venice Beach
Venice Beach is located at the west end of Venice Avenue one mile west of business Route 41. If you're a SCUBA diver, a reef containing fossilized material is located a quarter of a mile offshore. You can also find fossilized sharks teeth along the beach.
The beach's amenities include: pavilion rest rooms concession picnic tables volleyball court Lifeguards are on duty year round.

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Brohard Park is located in the southern most part of the City of Venice,

on the Venice Airport property on Harbor Drive.
If you enjoy fishing, there's a 740 foot fishing pier on the property for public use. The pier has rest rooms, a snack bar, and a bait shop.
Also located at the park is Sharky's Restaurant and the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center.
The wetland area is known for bird watching. There are no lifeguards on duty.
The Venice City Commission voted to allow dogs at South Brohard Park. There is a fenced area, a dune walkover, a drinking fountain and showers for dogs and fire hydrants and leash posts.

 

 A 300 foot section of beach behind the City's wastewater treatment plant is a dog beach for dogs and their owners. Dogs must be on leash or under voice control.

Owners must clean up after their pets.

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Caspersen Beach

Caspersen Beach is located south of the Venice Airport on Harbor Drive. Two thirds of the the beachfront has been left in its natural state, offering a very secluded location.
Caspersen is known as a great place for collecting shells. It's also the best beach for finding pre-historic sharks' teeth.
The beach's amenities include: rest rooms 1,100 foot boardwalk picnic area nature trail

There are no lifeguards on duty.

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Manasota Beach

Manasota Beach is located at the west end of Manasota Beach Road. This is a small beach, (1,400 feet on the Gulf), offering a great place to collect shells, walk or relax.
On the Intracoastal side of the park a boat ramp and docking facilities are available. The 620 foot dock continues as a boardwalk winding through the mangroves.
The beach's amenities include:
rest rooms boat ramp large group picnic shelter small picnic shelters
Lifeguards are on duty year round. For shelter rental information,

call (941)316-1172.Blind Pass Beach
Blind Pass Beach is located on Manasota Key Road one mile north of the Charlotte County line on Manasota Key.

The beach is narrowed due to erosion and the proximity of Manasota Key Road.
There are 60 acres gulf to bay including 2,900 feet of gulf beach frontage.
The beach's amenities include:
rest rooms
No lifeguards are on duty.

 

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At beaches where lifeguards are on duty you'll find information on water conditions and temperatures.
Be sure to pay attention to the flags flying and their color:
Good swimming conditions.
Green G

 

Use caution
Yellow
Dangerous swimming conditions
Red
Hazardous Marine Life
Blue

The following are prohibited at any Sarasota County Beach
Pets
Glass containers
Boating (sailboats, windsurfers and personal watercraft) in designated swimming areas
Alcohol at Venice Beach
Littering
Crossing the vegetation except on walkovers
Vehicles outside of parking lots
Fires, except in park grills
Games and sports outside of designated areas
Skim boarding in guarded areas
Florida Statutes Prohibit
Destruction or removal of dune vegetation
Disturbing sea turtles or their nests
Spear fishing within 200 feet of swimming areas
Operation of boats in swimming areas
Scuba or skin diving without flags

 

Manatee County Beaches

Longboat Key Accesses
For informations, contact City of Longboat Key Public Works Department at 941/316-1966.

Beer Can Island
Located North Shore Road, off Gulf of Mexico Drive on Longboat Key. For more informations, contact City of Longboat Key Public Works Department at 941/316-1966.

Coquina Beach
Located at the south end of Anna Maria Island, off Gulf Drive(State Route 789). Concessions, lifeguards, restrooms, picnic tables and showers are available. For more information, contact Manatee County Parks and Recreation Department at 941/742-5923.

Cortez Beach
Located between 5th and 13th Streets, off Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach. Lifeguards, restrooms, picnic tables and showers are available. For more information, contact Manatee County Parks and Recreation Department at 941/742-5923.

Palma Sola Causeway
Located along both sides and at both ends of the Palma Sola Causeway. Restrooms and picnic tables are available. For more information, contact Manatee County Parks and Recreation Department at 941/742-5923.

 

Click below to find information about each of these beach areas:

Siesta Key: Siesta Beach / Turtle Beach / Crescent Beach

Lido Key: North Lido Beach / Lido Beach / South Lido Park
Longboat Key
Anna Maria Island: Anna Maria Beach / Holmes Beach / Manatee County Beach / Cortez Beach (aka Bradenton Beach) / Coquina Beach
Venice Beaches: Nokomis Beach / North Jetty Park / Venice Beach / Brochard Beach / Casperson Beach
Englewood Beaches: Manasota Beach / Blind Pass Beach / Englewood Beach / Stump Pass Beach

 

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Historic Spanish Point Sarasota

 

 

DISCOVER a fascinating 30-acre historical, archaeological and environmental museum owned and operated by Gulf Coast Heritage Association, Inc., a private, not-for-profit organization. Overlooking beautiful Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, Florida USA, Historic Spanish Point was the first site in Sarasota County to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is accredited by the American Association of Museums.
EXPERIENCE prehistory by stepping inside “A Window to the Past,” an archaeology exhibition about the gulf coast region’s earliest people. Be surrounded by a 15 foot high prehistoric shell mound called a midden. View a recreated dwelling from 1,000 years ago. See artifacts from the past.
EXPLORE Florida’s pioneer life by touring a home built in 1901, a citrus packing house to learn about the produce of the Webb homestead, and the charming Mary’s Chapel where many couples have been married in the past and today. You can also interact with a working maritime heritage boatyard and take seasonal excursions on Magic, a reproduction of a 1906 motor launch or Lizzie G. a Florida style sharpie sailboat.
REFLECT on the early 1900s in Sarasota as you stroll through formal gardens, like the Pergola & Sunken Garden, also the site if weddings, created by Mrs. Potter Palmer as part of her winter estate. The graceful Duchene Lawn and Classic Portal is a calm respite on your walk to the Butterfly Garden, which is the largest on the gulf coast. A meandering inspired aqueduct empties over a shell cascade in the Jungle Walk Garden.
ENJOY shaded nature trails through native plant communities and stunning views of Little Sarasota Bay from large boardwalks. Osprey, Pelican, Dolphin and Manatees can sometimes be seen from Cock's Footbridge. Bring a picnic lunch and dine under the graceful branches of a majestic Southern Magnolia or on the porch of the White Cottage.

 

A great place to bring a large group if your traveling as a family, with kids, alone, just the two of you, this place is magical, bring your camera.