This place is kind of deceptively huge…read more I enjoyed the circus museum of the area! There's two buildings that contain the entire thing. I really liked the interactive areas of the upstairs portion. And seeing the train cars in person was really interesting! The art museum was partially being renovated during the visit but there was still a huge amount of very large art pieces available to see. I enjoyed the restaurant inside a lot too. Very good food but if you go during 12-1pm, it's best to have a reservation. It was a full house! The store was cute and I only wish they had a few more museum-specific souvenirs. Make sure to bring a hat and water if you'll be exploring the full area as it can be HOT outside exploring the garden areas.

Came to check it out on free Monday. The admission does not include the circus museum…read more Walking along, the grounds is very peaceful. The art collection inside the museum was very great. This place reminded me of walking through Italy. Love the replica of David in the courtyard. Also, the pianos mixed in as a part of the collection was a great touch. Only downside was there will be a line since the museum is free on Mondays so come early.

All things pineapple make me happy. I quick spotted this one time driving around Sarasota & and I…read morevowed to come back. Too bad I couldn't find it, and I couldn't find it listed on the internet anywhere. Finally found it again and it is as beautiful as I thought it would be. You will find the across from pineapple park which is now known as Paul N. Thorpe Jr. Park. I made a listing for it too. This is located on the corner of Pineapple & Lemon. Check this beauty out!

It is funny how you can embrace a small, what many might call it an insignificant thing, and look…read moreforward to seeing it when visiting a city or town. It is these little pieces of local art that help define the personality of a city. The pineapple mural is directly across from the Paul N. Thorpe Jr. Park and definitely something that will make you smile.

This evening Tony and I went down to Sarasota Bayfront Park to walk around!…read moreFree parking! The huge famous "Unconditional Surrender" Statue depicting the infamous end to War World 2 was on display! This is very lovely! Highly recommend!

The Unconditional Surrender statue (even the name is bursting with a romance and hope) is 26 feet…read moretall aluminum computer generated statue by Seward Johnson of an iconic 1945 photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, V-J day in Times Square. It is installed along the Bayfront between O'Leary's Tiki Bar & Grill and Marina Jack. It's easy accessible with plenty of parking spaces around, and gorgeous backdrop of blue sky and marina in the back. A sailor kissing the nurse, both happy to hear that the war is over.. it is hard not to feel an enthusiasm and hope, great addition to the Downtown Sarasota.

Beautiful mural for a beautiful day. Love murals and we loved this city. Love seeing all the public…read moreart and recommend you check this one out

Dirty floors, no screens on windows, minimum care as far as room. Property gorgeous. Won't stay…read moreagain unfortunately

I had an enjoyable extended stay here. Comparable experience as other hotels in the area I…read morefrequent, such as the Art Ovation or Westin. This is 1/3 of the cost so I'd say it's a good value. Also feels like a family owned type of deal which was nice to see. I didn't spend a lot of time in the common areas, so cannot comment much on the state of the pool or tiki bar other than that they looked well kept. On fri/sat nights there was a solid crowd using both. I was able to find some secluded areas with hammocks and fire pits, which I appreciated. My room had a spacious and fenced back yard with multiple tables and an umbrella. There is smoking allowed in the yards and a few times I could smell my neighbors cigarettes while outside. Not a huge deal. Stove, kitchen sink, microwave, mini fridge, and tv in my unit as well. Lots of utensils and plates in the cabinets. Only takeaways I could note that keep my review from being a perfect 5 stars - the parking situation is rough. The front lot was always full due to how small it is. The back lot is unpaved and shared with the public tiki bar. Tight lanes and cramped spaces that are flooded with drunk people leaving at night since they aren't staying at the hotel. I didn't feel my car was very safe from scratches/bumps on weekend nights. Also the unpaved lot kicked up lots of dust onto my luggage and shoes, which ended up all over the inside of my car. It's gravelly mud as well so it's stuck to my seats and floor mats. Probably was worse than usual since i was loading my luggage after a night of rain. That being said, the parking was free. So take this relatively menial issue as you will.

Great Florida show while we were there. Lovely sculptures outside8de. Art class programs. Community…read moreinvolvement and art shows. The Sarasota Garden Club and its butterfly gardens are a block away. Lioneer Park and the Historic Society just up the road. What's not to like? Art in lots of media. Abstract and realistic. Colorful and filtered. I thought it was neat the studio space was at the center of the gallery space Everything from tapestries to sculptures and digital art. Entry is free to donate as you see fit. Support the arts.

If you're considering exhibiting here, skip it. There's no notice to pick up art after an…read moreexhibition--no phone calls, no e-mails, nothing. I called to ask because we had received no notice, and they told us ASAP in the middle of the work week. I said I would get down before the week's end. I made time the next day to drive out of town, and can you believe we were charged $5 to pick up artwork that we already paid to submit? They made no mention of a late charge over the phone and when we had no pick up time, either. I bet they spent less on the ribbon for the award.

Artist owned and operated Gallery offering two and three dimensional pieces of art. Now located in…read morethe heart of downtown Bradenton on Old Main Street. Award winning artists as well as "guest artists" are displaying their works with price points to meet all budgets. Very helpful and knowledgeable.

Been there several times in recent years, and never disappointed. While some of the art is weak,…read morethere is enough decent art to make the trip worthwhile. Pricing is reasonable, parking EZ, and people who work there are helpful. Shown here is one we bought

Along the Lemon Street Promenade you can find the 24th annual Florida Outdoor Sculpture…read moreCompetition. Out of 60 sculptures submitted for review, 11 were chosen for display by a committee of community members and Polk Museum of Art staff. The Lemon Street Sculpture project is a part of the Parks & Recreation budget. Each artist chosen receives a $1,500 honorarium which they use to get their pieces to Lakeland and for the installation costs. A crane is made available through Lakeland Electric for installing larger pieces. The app Otocast will give you mor information on the art as each artist describes their piece. All of the art pieces will be on display until the end of 2024. Lakeland residents are able to vote on a People's Choice Award and this year the winner selected was Live Large by local Lakeland resident Keith Williams. The sculpture is based on a smaller piece the artist made in 2017. Keith welds and fabricates his art pieces out of recycled metal. His art studio is called 4th Dimension Art & Fab which offers public art and custom fabrication and welding services for the public. As soon as I saw this delightful piece I had no trouble understanding why it won because it was my favorite sculpture too. The piece features a hiker with his faithful dog at his side. The dog has so much personality I couldn't help but fall in love with him. Live Large will be on display in Lemon Street Promenade until the end of this year. Hopefully Lakeland finds a permanent home for him nearby.

Sailor Circus Academy started in 1949 and is now a top circus training program. The venue is very…read morenice, the inside of the building really gives you a circus tent feeling. 3 times a year they have a show. The spring show we visited was called "Victorious " and it was super. Lights, music, 2 very good announcers made it a spectacular show. It was 2 hours of fun and excitement. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

I last went to the Sailor Circus about 50 years ago. It was great to get to go again. There are…read moreperformances only 3 days, Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. and a matinee and evening performance on Saturday. The circus performers are kids! Their ages range from 6-18. It is truly amazing what these youngsters are capable of doing. Not only are they doing many of the typical acts one associates with the circus(tightrope walking, juggling, aerials, unicycle and bicycling feats, high flying on trapezes), but they are incredibly strong. Both the boys and the girls are able to swing from trapeze bars and hold on to other performers who spin and twirl high above the circus floor or catch a performer flying through the air. The boy who pedaled the bike was strong enough to carry 5 other performers who did handstands while in motion. It's a wonderful show put on by school children. Bright costumes and great music! The show is 2 1/2 hours, including a brief intermission.

Great food! We stumbled on a music trivia night and that was fun too! Excellent vibes.read more

The good: lots of local beer, most of which is excellent. If you have a designated driver, I might…read moresuggest trying as much of the beer choices as you can handle. Very good beer. The bad: I have been there only twice but each time it took an hour plus to get some reasonably good (by no means outstanding) bar food. I'll give it one more shot to see if they can provide food and service reflective of their high prices. If delighted or disappointed, I will let y'all know.