Sarasota, FL, is the ultimate circus town. After all, John Ringling (of the Ringling Bros. Circus) was instrumental in transforming Sarasota from a sleepy fishing village to one of the Southeast's most culturally rich cities, and The Ringling Museum of Art is one of the region's best museums. So, it was no surprise that Circus [...]

Today in Sarasota, FL, it was 65F and sunny. This is my third visit and this is the warmest weather I’ve ever experienced here. Normally, 65F is not the kind of weather you celebrate in Florida. But when the sun was beating down on my bare arms at Bradenton Beach (pictured above) this afternoon, I [...]

This evening I arrived in Sarasota, FL, where I’ll be spending the weekend with my family. On the way in from the airport, I was happy to see my favorite statue, Unconditional Surrender, which is based on the famous 1945 photograph “The Kiss at Times Square”. I’m not quite sure what our plans are for [...]

I love sunsets. That’s not very original, I know. I mean does anybody actually dislike sunsets? What’s not to like? Sunsets are pretty much a universal crowd-pleaser. That said, I certainly think there is a continuum of sunset appreciation. True sunset lovers view watching the sun go down as an activity unto itself. They seek [...]

Last week, I wrote about the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL. While the botanical gardens were very nice and made for a lovely afternoon, I was disappointed by the lack of flowers due to the year (although there were gorgeous orchids). But I would be remiss not to the mention what is easily [...]

Before my tan completely fades, I wanted to squeeze in another post about Key West. Even though friends told me it would be great, initially I didn't want to go because I was hoping to travel somewhere more exotic. But Key West turned out to be a great vacation, beginning with a beautiful drive through [...]

As you drive down to Key West, you'll see lots of mangroves in the clear turquoise water. You may find yourself with the urge to get closer to those mangroves, as we did. So we decided to take a two-hour guided kayak tour with Lazy Dog. For $35 per person, we set out with a [...]

Before I left Sarasota last week, I paid a visit to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Because of the time of year, there were hardly any flowers in bloom throughout the grounds — 99% of the flowers I saw there were inside the Tropical Display House, which is the first stop in the gardens so [...]

When my friend Nancy heard that I was going to Key West, she told me not to skip The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory. Nancy, who writes the crafty blog Belle Epoque, is a great traveler so I knew I needed to include it in my itinerary. Well, the conservatory did not disappoint — [...]

Last week, I reported that Sarasota Season of Sculpture was holding an unusual benefit on Valentine's Day to help the Gulf Coast city permanently acquire the J. Seward Johnson's staute "Unconditional Surrender," which is based on the famous photograph "The Kiss at Times Square" taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life magazine on V-J Day on [...]