What do the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, Chicago socialite Mrs. Potter Palmer and circus king John Ringling have in common?
At various times they all ”discovered” Sarasota.
The first ”tourist” to the islands was De Soto, who arrived by sea in 1539. Last of the Spanish conquistadores in Florida, he was spurred by dreams of gold, but he found only empty beaches.
The discovery of Sarasota as a vacation destination had to wait until 1910, when Bertha Palmer arrived. The widow of Chicago millionaire (the Palmer House) Potter Palmer, she bought a winter retreat and became a Sarasota booster. Others in her social set followed her south.
The ensuing land boom lured speculators. Among them was Ringling, who was to lay the groundwork for the popularity of Sarasota today.
The circus that he and his four brothers launched in Baraboo, Wis., eventually became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (”The Greatest Show on Earth”). But apparently the Big Top wasn`t big enough for John, because he began a new career, investing in oil, railroads and Sarasota real estate.
Set on the subtropical shores of Florida`s Gulf Coast, Sarasota still is being discovered-by today`s vacationers. First-time visitors come away with this overwhelming impression: There`s plenty of sun, sand and sea. Among the attractions:
– An art gallery with one of the nation`s foremost collections of Baroque art.
– A marine museum with sharks as the stars.
– A beach that claims it is the Shark`s Tooth Capital of the World, where you can find them in the sand.
– A shopping area of upscale boutiques that ranks with the best in Palm Beach, Palm Springs or Michigan Avenue.
– A palace (open to the public) that looks as if it had been built during Europe`s Renaissance and transported to the shores of Sarasota Bay.
– A wildlife park offering airboat rides through a swamp filled with alligators and birds.
– A performing arts auditorium that resembles a huge purple sea shell.
– A botanical garden with exotic species of orchids.
– The spring training camp of the Chicago White Sox.
And besides all that, Sarasota can be used as a base for excursions to view the African wildlife at Busch Gardens in Tampa (a 1 1/2-hour drive);
Thomas Edision`s winter home and laboratory in Ft. Myers (two hours); and Walt Disney World in Orlando (2 1/2 hours).
Sarasota should be the name of a vacation region; it`s not just a city. In fact, the action is not downtown, but spread out along the 35 miles of beaches on the offshore islands and the 150 miles of waterfront.
Most tourists avoid the old motel row in town along Tamiami Trail (U.S. Highway 41), and head out to the resorts on Longboat Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key or Anna Maria Island.
John Ringling, seeing potential in the islands, bought land on Longboat, Lido and St. Armands Keys. To link the mainland with the islands he built the John Ringling Causeway in 1926 and began construction of a Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Longboat Key.
In the meantime, he and his wife, Mable, had been building a colossal mansion on Sarasota Bay. Ca` d`Zan, in Venetian Renaissance style, cost $1.5 million and was finished in 1926. Patterned after the Doge`s Palace on Venice`s Grand Canal, it has 30 rooms, 14 baths, servants` quarters and an 8,000-square-foot marble terrace bordering the bay.
Even this mansion was not large enough for the Ringlings` extensive collection of Baroque art, so John Ringling ordered the construction of an art museum nearby.
A new home and Old Masters were not the only things on his mind. In 1927, the great showman put Sarasota on the map as ”Circus City” when he moved the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus there, creating the town`s first tourist attraction.
The circus moved down the coast to Venice in 1959, but the Ringlings`
legacy lives on: Sarasota`s No. 1 tourist attraction, not counting the beaches, is the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Mable, who died in 1929, lived to see the art museum completed. John, who died in 1936, willed the 66-acre estate to the State of Florida.
Three-ring attraction
Today, it could be called a three-ring tourist attraction because of its three major parts: the art collections, Ca` d`Zan (”House of John” in Venetian dialect) and the Circus Galleries.
The museum`s huge courtyard is dotted with fountains and Greek and Roman sculpture, including a 16-foot, 4-inch bronze copy of Michelangelo`s
”David,” made from the original in Florence.
Nearby is art of a different sort. The Circus Galleries display the nostalgia of the Big Top-including posters and wagons-to the strains of calliope music.
In 1926, the Ringlings` new winter residence already looked old; that was the idea. It sported old red roof tiles from Spain, Venetian tinted glass windows, $400,000 worth of 17th Century Flemish and English tapestries, antique furnishings and works of art, most of which the Ringlings had bought on frequent trips to Europe.
Topped by a 60-foot tower, from which a light would shine when the Ringlings were in residence, the home is centered around a 2 1/2-story living room. Personal touches include John`s straw hats, canes and shoes in his bedroom closet.
From the terrace, steps lead to a pier where Mable docked her gondola. The Ringlings could see across the bay to Longboat Key.
To get there from downtown Sarasota, take the 4-mile-long John Ringling Causeway. Part way across is Bird Key, an enclave of expensive homes, and the exclusive Bird Key Yacht Club. A beach opposite Bird Key is popular with windsurfers and jet skiers. Jet skis can be rented at O`Leary`s Sailing School, near Marina Jack`s Restaurant on the bay.
The causeway ends at St. Armands Key, synonymous with shopping. In 1925, Ringling envisioned a circular shopping district. The collapse of the Florida real estate market and the Great Depression ended his plans, but they have come to fruition now. More than 100 boutiques, galleries, restaurants and other businesses ring St. Armands Circle.
Circus Walk of Fame
At the center of the circle is a palm-shaded park featuring the Circus Walk of Fame, with bronze plaques honoring such greats as clown Lou Jacobs and the aerialist Wallenda troupe.
St. Armands offers dining with a foreign flavor at Cafe L`Europe, the Columbia (Spanish) and the French Hearth/Le Rendezvous. Evening dancing to laser lighting is available at Ruby Tuesday`s.
Across a narrow waterway from St. Armands is Lido Key, popular with vacationers because of its three beaches and resorts overlooking the gulf, including the Harley Sandcastle, owned by Helmsley Hotels and a favorite getaway spot of ”Queen” Leona.
The island`s most beautiful beach, North Lido, is a half-mile curve of sand backed by a pine forest. All the white sand beaches on the Gulf of Mexico attract vacationers year-around, although sunbathing and swimming are less popular in the winter, when the average daytime high is 73 degrees and the water averages 64.
Seashell collecting is especially popular in winter, when storms wash them ashore. Pelican-watching is fascinating at any time.
New Pass Bridge links Lido Key and Longboat Key, a narrow, 12-mile-long island that could be called the North Shore of Sarasota for its location, the wealth of its residents (including many retirees) and their expensive homes.
A good way to explore Longboat is riding the bike trail that parallels Gulf of Mexico Drive. At the south end of Longboat, Ringling built his ill-fated Ritz-Carlton. It never opened. The empty, aging structure was torn down in 1963, but on the site a modern luxury resort, the Longboat Key Club`s Inn at the Beach, opened in 1982.
Other top beachfront resorts include the Colony Beach and Racquet Club
(21 courts), Holiday Inn Longboat Key and Longboat Key Hilton. Motels and condo rentals also are available.
Longboat offers good eating at such restaurants as l`Auberge du Bon Vivant, the Plaza, the Chart House and Moore`s Stone Crab (with its own dolphin swimming beside the dock).
For hungry families the Harbor House is recommended. It is just north of Longboat Key on Anna Maria Island, a more moderately priced vacation spot.
But Siesta Key is the beach capital of the area, known for its artists, writers and plentiful accommodations for visitors.
Life is a beach
The Chamber of Commerce boasts that Siesta has the ”world`s finest, whitest sand.” That claim may not be too far from the truth: Siesta Public Beach is long, wide and popular with families as well as young gods and goddesses who favor minimal bathing suits, including the buns-baring thong.
A favorite snorkeling spot on Siesta is at the Point of Rocks.
Sharks` teeth can be found without getting wet on the beaches in Venice. Displays of sharks` teeth, and the living animals, can be seen at Mote Marine Laboratory on City Island.
Other interesting attractions in the Sarasota area include:
– Myakka River State Park offers wildlife tours on airboats and trams in the 28,875-acre sanctuary, home of alligators and more than 200 bird species. – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, an orchid center, has 15 garden areas and more than 20,000 plants, many collected on nearly 100 scientific expeditions.
– Jungle Gardens features trails through the tropics, and entertaining bird and reptile shows.
– Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, housed in a ”purple seashell,”
presents symphony to jazz, opera to musical comedy.
– Sailor Circus, ”The Greatest Little Show on Earth,” is given every spring (March 27-30 and April 3-6 in 1991) by the students of Sarasota High School.
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Further information is available from the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau, 655 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Fla. 34236; 800-522-9799. Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce is at The Centre, 5390 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, Fla. 34228; 813-383-2466.
