Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota is more than just an Aquarium. Its tagline, “Science is The Attraction” says it well… It is one of the world’s few remaining independent marine research laboratories, with field stations in eastern Sarasota County and the Florida Keys. Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium – Where “Science is The …
Category: Animal Encounters, Aquariums, Blog, Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Home news, Homepage, Octopus, Sea life, Sea Otters, slider, U.S. Travel Tags: aquariums, coral reefs, Dr. Eurgenie Clark, Florida, hurricane simulator, manatees, marine mammal center, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, octopus, Sarasota, sea otters, sea turtles, Shark Research, sharks, stingrays, William R. Mote
The word is out about Sarasota, Florida, and other communities within Sarasota County! Its 40 miles of gorgeous Gulf of Mexico coastline and barrier islands or “keys” — Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Lido Key, Bird Key, Casey Key and Manasota Key — have been recognized again and again. Recent Honors and Accolades: Sarasota was chosen …
Category: Aquariums, Beachcombing, Beaches, Blog, Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Food and Drink, Home news, Homepage, Hotels and Resorts, Sand and shell collecting, slider, U.S. Travel Tags: 99 Bottles Tap Room, aquariums, Art Ovation Hotel, beaches, Crab & Fin, Florida, Gulf Coast, Lido Key, Longboat Key, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Ophelia's on the Bay, Rise & Nye's, rum distilleries, Sarasota, Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota Opera, seafood, Siesta Key, Siesta Key Rum, Toaste Mango Cafe, Venice Beach
Every part of the Florida Gulf Coast has its own personality, its own vibe. After recently visiting the Bradenton area with a small group of travel writers, I can wholeheartedly embrace the tourism bureau’s tagline. “Real. Authentic. Florida.” Very few resorts have more than three stories; many are small and family owned. Rental homes and …
Category: Beaches, Blog, Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, History and Culture, Home news, Homepage, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, slider, U.S. Travel, Uncategorized Tags: Anna Maria City Pier, Anna Maria Island, Anna Maria Island Oyster Bar, Anna Maria Island Trolley, Bradenton, Compass by Margaritaville, Coquina Beach, Florida, Florida Maritime Museum, Floridays Woodfire Grill, Gulf Coast, Holmes Beach, Longboat Key, Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant, Paradise Boat Tours, Swordfish Grill
For those of us who love to travel, looking back at the memories we’ve made in places outside our home territory is a way to extend the pleasure of the experiences we’ve had. It also helps to reinvigorate the sense of wanderlust we feel for seeking out new destinations to explore in the year to come. I hope you’ll enjoy this retrospective of my travels in the past year.
Category: Beaches, Birding, Blog, Florida, Home news, Homepage, Sand and shell collecting, slider, Uncategorized Tags: beaches, birding, Captiva Cruises, Florida, Ft. Myers, Sanibel Island, shelling
Scuba diving to a soundtrack of tunes like Jimmy Buffet’s “Fins” and the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” was a first for me. Typically, the only sounds I hear underwater are the sounds of my own breathing, in and out through the regulator, as I fin along the reef.
Category: Blog, Florida, Florida Keys, Home news, Homepage, Scuba diving and snorkeling, slider Tags: Big Pine Key, coral reef, Florida, Florida Keys, Looe Key, Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce, National Marine Sanctuary, scuba diving, sea life, snorkeling, Strike Zone Charters, Underwater Music Festival
While Sanibel Island, Florida, is perhaps best known for its world-class shelling, it is also the location of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex — the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the U.S. Covering over 6,400 acres, it attracts over 245 bird species and is famous worldwide for its spectacular migratory bird populations. …
Category: Birding, Blog, Florida, Home news, Homepage, slider, Tropical Flora and Fauna, Uncategorized, wildlife Tags: alligators, birding, blue herons, Discover Ding Nature App, dolphins, egrets, Florida, J.N. "Ding" Darling, manatees, migratory birds, Nature & Sea Life Cruises, Osprey, pelicans, Rookery Islands, roseate spoonbills, Sanibel Island, Tarpon Bay Explorers, white ibis, Wildlife Drive, wildlife refuge
It’s not every day that you get to walk the beach with a “shellebrity.” Pam Rambo, shelling expert extraordinaire, based on Sanibel Island, Florida, graciously agreed to meet up with me, along with my husband, Stephen, when we were on vacation in Sanibel in early January.
Category: Beachcombing, Beaches, Blog, Home news, Homepage, Sand and shell collecting, slider Tags: beaches, Florida, shell collecting, shelling, shells