Day 1: Big Cat Habitat & St. Armands Circle
Siesta Key has been a destination on my Florida bucket list, so I decided to take my mom & we headed down to Sarasota, FL for two nights. Siesta Key is the number one beach in America, and you know why? Because the sand NEVER gets hot & the ocean is crystal blue and clear. It’s such a beautiful beach! Before heading to check into our hotel, we visited Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary. I am such an animal lover, and love cats! Big Cat Habitat is a large-large-animal rescue in eastern Sarasota County. It was founded in 1987, this non-profit sanctuary is a permanent home for dozens of exotic animals, offers placement for animals in need, and works to educate the public about animal care and conservation. There are three large indoor/outdoor housing complexes with adjoining exercise habitats. Each habitat has a swimming pool, toys and palm trees. At 1:30pm they have a show with the tigers & as well as rescue dogs! You shouldn’t miss it, this was the highlight of our day! You can take a selfie with Barry, their White Tiger! (Barry was only in the glass cage for 15 mins). For more info head to their website here. (P.s. this is not related to Carol Baskin, ha!)
After a good two hours of fun, we headed to the hotel to check in. We stayed at Kompose, a new boutique hotel right next door to the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. It’s location is so convenient, less then thirty minutes to the beaches and twenty minutes to downtown. It was very modern and contemporary, which is my type of style! There is breakfast served everyday, a pool, a gym (with a Peloton bike to rent), and cute bar/lounge. If you are staying for a short period of time and looking for something affordable I would totally recommend this hotel! I did book it through hotels.com since they just opened and weren’t booking through their website just yet. For more info visit their website here. ***Masks were worn in the lobby. I was able to take it off for a quick photoshoot.
After check in, we got ready to head to dinner & happy hour on St. Armands Circle. We had dinner at Shore. Which was a great oceanside diner with modern decor serving unique seafood dishes, burgers, & salads plus cocktails. I loved the atmosphere. The food was great as well! Definitely recommend this restaurant plus it’s in the center point of all shopping stores & a quick walk to Lido Key beach. After dinner we ended the night with happy hour at Daiquiri Deck. Only four dollar daiquiris between 3pm-7pm each day! Such a great bar, and there are many other locations around Sarasota.
Day 2: Siesta Key
The next morning we woke up super early so we could get a great beach parking spot. We left the hotel at 8am and were lucky to find a spot next to the beach as well as walking distance to Siesta Key Village. The village has so many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We ended up at Another Broken Egg for breakfast, which is located all the around the state, so it wasn’t a new place for the both of us. We were able to get to the beach by 10am and enjoy it for the next five hours. It was such a beautiful day! The sand never gets hot, so it’s so easy to walk on. The water is crystal clear and I love it! Before we left, we went back to Daiquiri Deck (located in the village) for happy hour.
Later that evening for dinner, we headed to O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill which right on the bay in downtown Sarasota. I wanted to be on the water, this restaurant was perfect. There was live music and a great view of the Sarasota Bay. Their menu is very affordable and tropical. It was a such a great area to end the night. We really didn’t end the night too early, we had a mother & daughter movie night. It’s a tradition for us. The hotel had the Netflix set up, so we just needed popcorn and candy. Such a great bonding time.
Final Day: The Ringling Museum & Cà d’Zan
Sadly we had to check out the next morning, but before we did, we ate breakfast downstairs. It was only $6 per person all you can eat. We had such a wonderful stay. As we left, we headed out to visit The Ringling Museum before heading back to Orlando. Today, the Ringling, the State Art Museum of Florida, is home to one of the preeminent art and cultural collections in the United States. Its story begins nearly a century ago, with the circus impresario and his beloved wife’s shared love for Sarasota, Italy, and art. John Ringling, who was one of the five brothers who owned the circus,”The Greatest Show On Earth”, ended up building a mansion in Sarasota with his wife. His wife Mable, who kept a portfolio filled with sketches, postcards and photos, wanted a home in the Venetian Gothic style of the palazzi in Venice, Italy, with Sarasota Bay serving as her Grand Canal. Construction began in 1924 and was completed two years later at a then staggering cost of $1.5 million which now the mansion is called Cà d’Zan. Five stories tall, the 36,000 square foot mansion has 41 rooms and 15 bathrooms. Such a gorgeous building! I loved the mansion more the museum, and I definitely recommend it to anyone. It’s free on Monday’s to get into museum but if you want to go inside Cà d’Zan you will have to pay $15 for the first floor. We spent a good two hours walking through each building. If you want to learn more about The Ringling Museum and mansion you can visit their website here. Sarasota (and surrounding areas) is such a beautiful city, make sure you add it on your Florida travel bucket list!
*All my looks are posted on the site: Liketoknow.it/adventuresoflilred